IN DEN GÄRTEN PHARAOS

German krautrock/ambient group Popol Vuh's second album possesses strong ethereal & cerebral qualities that slowly envelope the listener until you find yourself inside a huge pulsating wall of ambience that threatens to cave in on you with the tribal element leading you into an almost trance-like state. The title track takes a few different directions from Eno-style ambience to a more trippy, tribal feel before settling into a jazzier vibe towards the end. Both tracks are very spacey but "Vuh" is the stronger of the two & is seriously dark for something released in 1971. Don't expect to sit back & chill to this. Expect to find yourself engaged on a physical & emotional level that most music is not capable of. This is BIG music! I actually really enjoy the two bonus tracks on the re-release. An Eastern influence is very prevalent on "Kha-White Structures 1". It reminds me a lot of the more ambient works of modern minimal techno artists like Plastikman with it's use of subtlety & repetition. "Kha-White Structures 2" is a total headcase of the highest order & again hints at modern techno as well as dark ambient. "In den Garten Pharaos" is a timeless classic of epic proportions. I honestly feel that I would've reviewed this album exactly the same way had it been released yesterday.

The album misses any rocking attitude this is not a straightforward rocker. The first two tracks, which made up one side of the original LP each, are Ambient and Drone, partly with a thick carpet of percussion lying underneath. In particular the quality of the title track shines. Both bonus tracks are more in the direction of experimental electronic. The percussion is nearly completely missing here. Nevertheless they are an absolute enrichment of the original album. In total a very strong recording. 4.0

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