SOM IMAGINÁRIO

A very confident prog-psych release from Brazil, Som Imaginario display a unique and innovative approach to a genre which by 1970 had become kind of overcrowded. Songs like Super God, which sounds like nothing else from the era (the closest comparison I can come up with would be the Jimi Hendrix Experience covering CAN), prove that the band were not content to simply replicate the sounds of other groups but were keeping their finger on the pulse and striving to make their own contribution to the progressive scene, and that makes them stand out from a good many bands who were happy to simply tread water.

Som Imaginario's debut is a strong, confident work, which proves that South American bands from this era weren't just mimicing their more famous influences from the US or UK but had something to add themselves. In fact, had this come out from a British or American band I'm sure it'd be much more famous than it currently is. Anyone seeking to expand their musical horizons - and let's face it, if you weren't you wouldn't be here - would be well served by checking these guys out.