MÁS ALLÁ DE NUESTRAS MENTES DIMINUTAS

With "Más Allá de Nuestras Mentes Diminuta", Cai made quite a big entry in the world of Southern Spain's progressive movement. This work has some of the typical lack of inner cohesion and overall direction that you might usually expect from the majority of debut albums, yet it also ostensibly portrays the talents of all individual members and of the band as a whole. There are some variations in the CD's tracklist depending on the release (before an official edition graces our prog rock stores, which is long overdue). My copy has the following sequence: 'Alameda' - 'Más Allá de Nuestras Mentes Diminuta' - 'Solución a un Viejo Problema' - 'Pasa un Día'. The opener 'Alameda' brings some of the best that Cai had to offer during their first era: after kicking off with a 2.30 Floydian intro, the main motif emerges with a solid combination of Andalusian stuff and hard rock prog, on a robust yet not too frantic tempo. The instrumental coda brings an exciting air of Flamenco-tinged jazz fusion that somehow feels a bit too short after it's concluded. Then comes the title track, more focused on the jazz thing: to a high degree, influenced you their Northern compatriots of Iceberg as well as Weather Report, the Andalusian aura remains a solid ingredient in both the melodic lines and effective arrangements. A special mention has to go to guitarist Paco Delgado's precise delivery - a great closure, indeed, for a great track! This element comes to its fruition in the 3/4 sung coda, which sounds to me like a mixture of "Hijos del Agobio"- era Triana and vintage Genesis. The first half turns out to be the album's best part, since what follows somewhat breaks the cohesive spirit that had been so fluidly and softly delivered. 'Solución a un Viejo Problema' is set on the path of standardized melodic symphonic prog, in the shape of a prog power ballad. The coda that occupies the last 2 minutes is a space-rock meets jazz-rock instrumental travel constructed as some sort of compromise between "Wish You Were Here"-era Pink Floyd and classic Caravan. This ending portion is really exciting, but it does not manage to make the overall song exceptional. The 10+ "Pasa un Día" closes down the album in a most impressive way: it was to become one of the most celebrated staples in the band's gigs. Yes, it's a very good song, showing Cai at their rockiest, once more exorcising their Floydian ghosts. The string synth and organ layers dominate the main colours of the main picture during the sung parts (which may remind the listener of Bloque). The instrumental interlude that starts at minute 3 initially brings back some of the jazzy thing that became the band's real forte (amazing solo by keyboardist Sebastián Domínguez), until an ethereal sub-interlude anticipates the return of the rocky main motif. The 3-minute coda turns into a typical Andalusian flavoured amalgam (in parallel to Mezquita), sustained under an almost tribal drumkit vibe Let me tell you how well the rhythm section works during the transitions: a well oiled device within an amazing machine. 'Pasa Un Día' is certainly delicious, yet it epitomizes both the strong and the low points that the band was carrying on their back by then: great musical imagination, great complementation, not 100 % cohesive, with some things to work out regarding the artistic direction. My personal mark for this album lies somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars: much more than good, almost excellent. In short "Más Allá de Nuestras Mentes Diminutas" is a testimony of the growing peculiar genius of Cai.