Camera Obscura

By 1985 the music world had finally caught up to Nico's unusual style, with gothic groups citing her as a major influence and new wave and alternative groups adopting her minimalist style to their own material (though in more accessible ways). Capitalizing on this rediscovery, Nico and former producer John Cale collaborated for the first time since 1974's The End. "My Funny Valentine" is perfect: a piano torch ballad sung with Nico's Germanic tone and enunciation. Elsewhere, The Faction adds synth and drum machine–heavy arrangements that align with Nico's permanent sense of alienation. "Das Lied Einsanen Madchens" was a masterstroke, a hypnotic German ballad that expresses the tension of the tune that follows, the equally paranoid "Fearfully in Danger." "Konig" (originally recorded for Desertshore) is resurrected as a classic Nico-with-harmonium piece. It was to be her final studio album and, like all her work, a unique experience. She died three years later.