Your Eyes (Hoelderlin, 1976)

I adore Hoelderlin's sweet and warm kind of prog. This song, "Your Eyes", taken from the 1976 album "Clowns & Clouds" is even more than this, featuring a slightly acid arrangement and a more experimental vein. The vaguely jazzy rythmic backgroung is highly creative and all the instruments add their own distinctive touch to this unusual song, where a classic melody meets a syncopated tempo.

"Clowns & Clouds" was the third studio album by Hoelderlin.

 

Of course, there is also room for some delicate and poetic moments, the ones the band is famous for. This is a brilliant example of how a bunch of good musicians can write a fully enjoyable song without any trace of banality. And what about the final violin solo? Pure gold, believe me. Once again, I recommend this song by Hoelderlin to all my progressive friends out there.

Nürnberg (Hoelderlin, 1975)

Here you are a short, melodic, beautiful song with the right amount of German twist. This is "Nürnberg" by Hoelderlin, the shorter track from their 1975 self-titled album. If their first album, released three years before, was mainly a folk one, this time Hoelderlin surely set up a prog-folk work, with plenty of epics, original ideas, and instruments. "Nürnberg" is kind of a gentle interlude between two epic tracks, but I adore the way the band writed and played it.

This album includes five songs. All are excellent, IMHO.

This acoustic ballad is simply perfect, a nocturnal song full of poetry that never indulges in useless preciosity: just the sweetness you need, nothing more, nothing less. Such a balance is reinforced by the English lyrics about a short-lived love affair, so bare and essential. Enjoy.

Traum (Hoelderlin, 1972)

No doubt, Hoelderlin (also written Hölderlin in their first album) are one of the most interesting German prog bands of the Golden era. Their tasty folk inspiration and the romantic aura of their compositions are very strong points and they also had a creative and unpredictable approach to music. The instrumental "Traum" (that's "Dream" in English) comes from debut album "Hölderlins Traum" and it's a 7 minutes track featuring all sorts of magic tools and inspiring solutions.

Hoelderlin also reunited in 2007 to release the album "8".

The acoustic instruments (guitars and flute, above all) and the discreet electric ones are supported by a colourful set of percussions, while the rythms and the moods change and swing all the time. The band's name come from a German poet of the Romantic movement (as for the band Novalis) and actually the deep interest for cultural roots and free inspiration reminds me some Sturm und Drang's  experiments, but "Traum" also proves how this band liked to mix different sources and moods to create something new.