¿QUÉ ME DICES?

This is a Spanish 8-piece band with some guest musicians. It lasted four years until they were able to release their debut-CD in 2004. But the result is there, this album delivers nine pleasant and varied songs, the climates alternates from mellow and jazzy to up-tempo or swinging. Most of PLANETA IMAGINARIO's music is based upon the interplay between powerful electric guitar (often Fripp-inspired) and lots of brass, from trumpet and trombone to several saxophones alto/soprano/tenor). Their sound often brings ALQUIN on my mind, this one of the most underrated Dutch prog rock bands. The rhythm-section is strong and dynamic and the keyboards features wonderful Fender Rhodes electric piano and some Hammond organ and synthesizers. A fine debut-CD from a promising Spanish prog rock band. Do we have to wait another four years for their successor?

It's amazing how creative and prolific is the Catalonian fraction of Spanish prog, especially regarding the realms of the jazzy and/or experimental sides of the genre. Planeta Imaginario is one of those terrific Catalonian bands that have flourished for the greater sake of contemporary prog's preservation. (Other names that come to mind are Gurth, Soma.Planet and Urban Trapeze). The band's offering is mainly based on the reactivation of the heritages from early 70s Zappa, classic Canterbury and vintage space-rock, pertinently fueled with the band's own invigorating approach. The presence of a populated wind section is no casual adornment: it plays a relevant role in the installment of the tracks' main motifs and/or orchestrated climaxes and/or soloing. The album kicks off with a brief synth soundscape, bearing a straightforward spacey feel: this cosmic vibe is immediately picked up by the first section of the segued track 2, 'Preludio Rapsodia', which eventually shifts to an exquisitely pyrotechnical delivery of jazz-oriented psychedelic rock. 'Íntimo Ritmo - 1' goes to softer places, stating a prevalently relaxing (not exempted of complex twists) confluence of Gilgamesh, Hatfield & the North and "Waka Jawaka"-era Zappa. 'El Despertar de la Siesta de un Fauno' starts with farm's ambient sounds, then the full band settles in and sets for a continuation of the previous track's mood, only this time with a more colorful treatment of the wind section interventions and extra touches of playful psychedelic rock segments (somewhat akin to pre-Hillage Gong). There is also a beautiful interlude consisting of an eerie piano passage, constructed as some sort of sonata from 19th century's Romanticism. Following is the title track, a delightful exercise on jazz-fusion, equally influenced by classic Weather Report and Metheny's archetypical lyricism: it starts soft and slow, until the tempo winds up a bit faster, and by doing so, the band momentarily finds itself flirting with Latin-jazz. 'Requiem Blues' starts as a slow piece set in a jazzy atmosphere which, in turn, follows a blues-oriented pace; somewhere in the middle, the tempo shifts into an enthusiastic dynamics that may remind us of the most exciting moments in Soft Machine's earlier albums. Not for too long, though (unfortunately, since this motif is very appealing), since the initial section returns for a majestic coda. 'El Crucigrama' brings back some of the Zawinul factor for the initial passages, but soon the band focuses on the recurrent Canterbury flavors (mostly Gilgamesh and National health, since Capel's style is very reminiscent of Gowan's). 'Íntimo Ritmo - 2' states a similar approach to the earlier related track, combining big band Zappa and the lyrical side of vintage Canterbury. At this point, the album has made it abundantly clear about its intended stylistic cohesion and the guys from Planeta Imaginario have accomplished it masterfully. Coming full circle, the track's coda is a spacey soundscape that partially mirrors the album's introductory piece. It is a pity that the sound mix isn't more robust than it actually is, since a higher engineering quality would have taken more advantage of the multiple reeds and the proficient rhythm section, which at times gets drowned and cannot totally reveal its pertinent work. I also wish that tracks 4 and 6 had been a bit longer, since their appeal is not fully exploited in these studio renditions, at least, in my humble opinion. Anyway, "¿Qué Me Dices?" is an excellent album that gives justified hope to the nostalgic lovers of all kinds of jazz-rock, jazz-prog and fusion.

Named after an educational TV show on Spanish television,PLANETA IMAGINARIO are an awesome new band,formed in 1999 in Barcelona by keyboardist Marc Capel.By the rise of the new millenium the band started gigging in various festivals and their sound transformed from the early psychedelic style to jazzy progressive rock with the addition of new musicians.In 2004 they released their debut ''Que me dices?'' on the Galician Margen Label,which experimented with bands with a somewhat groundbreaking sound.

Featuring a really strong brass section of trumpets,trombones and saxes,PLANETA IMAGINARIO deliver great progressive music with a wide spectrum of influences coming from classic prog and jazz to R.I.O,Canterbury prog and avant-garde music.As said,most of the compositions feature very strong brass section parts similar to those offered by bands like UNIVERS ZERO or ART ZOYD with a dark contemporary feeling.Really imaginative music,followed many times by challenging guitar work in a typical jazz/fusion style and alternating between smooth and slow melodic parts and complicated,frenetic interplays.At the later stuff,you'll recognize sounds with a familiar Canterbury feel,while keyboards often lead the way reminding of bands in the style of NIACIN.Definitely it's not the most original work around,but the succesful combination of brass rock and classic prog will leave most of you quite satisfied.A very good release by a band with a bright future,which comes strongly recommended only for those who are after something different and experimental...3,5 stars are a fair rating for this nice work I think...