Popul Vuh need the barest of introductions on these pages that have held so many electronic love letters to a certain period of Germanic Rock.  Their euphoric, transcendent soundtracks for the incomparable Werner Herzog have in many ways overshadowed their own independent musical output.  The melding of Herzogs desperate, often primal imagery to Popol Vuh’s grand, synthesis of primal forces – forces for which their music often served as tributes – has wedded them to a cultural subconscious as Herzog’s movies have been repackaged, disseminated and eventually ascended to the background radiation of counter-cultural cinema.

Blätter aus dem Buch der Kühnheit was written (but not used) for Herzog’s 1976 film Heart of Glass, set in 18th Century Bavaria.  While the film remains notable for having most of the cast perform hypnotised this composition from Popol Vuh surges in with a’most ecstatic force.  A caffeinated attention grabbing celebration of light, competing sounds and melodies rushing in every direction at once, a melodic nod to it’s historical setting before an electric guitar wails into view upsetting the almost baroque mood.  Surging, assured, a crypto-religious exercise in historical evocation.

Popol Vuh – Blätter aus dem Buch der Kühnheit

Stephen Eicher recorded the tapes that would go on to be released on 7″ as Speilt Noise Boys around the same time he was playing with seminal Swiss synth-wave band Grauzone.  French label Born Bad have collected that single and two other tracks and recently reissued it on vinyl and CD.  Beginning with the hum of early electronics Miniminiminiminijupe’s simple drum machine builds into view before switching up with the vocal and becoming the driving synth-punk rush it seems destined to be.

Stephen Eicher – Miniminiminiminijupe

Thanks to James Hines for leading me to the door of Eyeless in Gaza.  Taking their name from an Aldous Huxley novel which in turn referenced Milton’s Samson Agonistes – so not a Muslimgauze style bit of agit-prop then – the band had a great run of synth-wave records on Cherry Red in the 80′s before reforming in the 90s.

Invisibility is from the 1981 album Photographs As Memories.  Channelling the conspicuously working class growl of a post-punk vocal over a incongruously ethereal guitar line and Eno-aping synth wash, we’re sucked into something that becomes increasingly beautiful as the angst gets drawn beneath layers of optimistic electronics.

Eyeless in Gaza – Invisibility

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Strange to think it was over two years ago that U.S. Girls first graced the pages of this webzine.  Here’s some 20JFG.tv of what I’m led to believe was her first visit to Brighton on Monday.