Hosianna Mantra - Popul Vuh

German group Popul Vuh created a style of rock that seems to be an anachronism. Their music harkens back to a spirituality, a meditation, that seemed lost after the Sixties abused Eastern mysticism for it's own end. Perhaps what makes Popul Vuh's music such a rejuvenation is that it is not exploitative. Instead it is a meeting of Eastern and Western spirituality, owing it's languid tone as much to Christian mysticism as Hindu and Buddhist mysticism. The atmosphere of each piece blends the ascetic tendencies of the East with the opulent majesty of the West. The group allows equal room for both aspects to flourish, bridging the two in their metaphysical connection with nature. The result is a hypnotizing beauty. The angelic sound of the album is completely detached from any era or nation or culture. Instead it becomes a universal hymn dedicated to the most profound meditations, an arcane testament to the universes vast mysteries and mysticisms. Every facet of the album seems to convey this. It is as detached from the fads of the time as one can be, abandoning almost all electronics (electronics being the hallmark of German rock). It disregards the stark aesthetics of German expressionism which categorized almost all Krautrock groups of the time. The universality of the composition is further augmented by it's disregard  for conventional rhythm. Each piece, as literally as possible, becomes timeless. The delicate mantras and gentile instrumental play are stretched out to infinity and then compressed back down to a digestible format of rock and classical music. Hosianna Manta will finds itself among the great sacred and spiritual music of the time, alongside such visionaries as John Coltrane and Arvo Part.