Cobra Verde

Cobra Verde is another Werner Herzog soundtrack; unlike other soundtracks, like Aguirre and Nosferatu, that sustain a distinctive mood, Cobra Verde reaches across Popol Vuh’s history and the various approaches Florian Fricke embraced over the years. There are more lovely vocal pieces, with Renate Knaup’s voice as angelically becalmed as ever, as well as some revisitations of previous material — “Mit Händen, Mit Füssen” from Die Nacht Der Seele gets reworked, as does “Engel Der Gegenwart” from Herz Aus Glas. It’s great to hear Fricke returning to electronics, too, and those explorations gift Cobra Verde a darker hue than usual. They also undergird the breathtaking “Hab’ Mut, Bis Dass Die Nacht Mit Ruh’ Und Stille Kommt”, a ten-minute dream-song that pulls in all the various shadings of Popol Vuh at their best — breath-paced piano melodies, jangling guitar, huffing drones, light-headed choral voices, all gesturing toward a gentle, unending ecstasy.