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LOS ELEMENTALESArco IrisJazz Rock/Fusion4.36 | 76 ratings |
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Cesar Inca
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Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator |
With their double album "Agitor Lucens V", Arco Iris had reached the zenith for their
exploration into their musical vision, a vision of psychedelia, ethnic vibrations and
folkish textures in a peculiar progressive amalgam. With teh departure of guitarists
Santaolalla, one of the band's main writers, a crisis took place but Arco Iris managed to
survive it and become stronger under the direction of wind player-keyboardist Ara
Tokatlina, who serve now as a sole leader for the refurbished band. "Los Elementales",
a concept-album about the four elements, is a delicious gem of fusion prog. The band's
sound is tighter tha never before, reinforcing the jazzy side of their offering and taking
it to a particularly intense level. 'Gob' kicks off the album with an orgasmic based on a
multi-precussive explosion invaded by Andean woodwinds - this lisergic opening intro
gives way to a Weather Report-like motif lead by the synth. Next come a duel between
synth and guitar and an excellent tenor sax solo, which seems to capture the inherent
resitance of the Earth. Meanhwile, the rhythm duo of Bodarampe and Pérez set a most
solid frame for this excursion. A big entry, indeed... and there are still many great
things to come all through the album. 'Destilando el Perfume de los Minerales' brings us
a more melancholic vibe: it's a slow piece full of poetic candor, which is enhanced by the
soaring synth lines and the final guitar lead. 'Cristalizando los Rayos del Sol' brings us
back to frenzy jazz-rock, a bit less centered on the fusion side, for the instrumental
passages; the sung parts are set on a rockier mood, alternating with flute-driven
bucolic interludes. 'Elemental de Agua' is just a brief reprise of the preceding track's
opening theme. The vinyl's A-side ends with the first song of 'Elemental de Agua',
titled 'Despertar de los Hijos de la Mañana'. This one is a beutiful instrumental that
comprises much musical richness in its less than 4 minutes' duration. The piano motifs,
the epic excursions of the full band, the evocative flute and sax leads - all of them are
exquisite items ordained within a delicious whole. Even though it somehow bears the
aura of a prelude, it has enough qualities as to be appreciated as an autonomous apex
of the album. 'Necksa' kicks off with a reprise of the closing theme of 'Despertar...', and
then leads things toward an 8 minute jamming excursion tha tbrings red hot jazz-rock in
a funky mood: very much like Weather Report-meets-Return to Forever, but with an
interesting addition of Latin percussion, a crucial element for the track's particular
development, which has more to do with serene sensuality than just frenzy fun.
Arguably, here are the most accomplished sax interventions in the album. 'Los nacidos
del Viento' is quite different, an acoustic ballad constructed by dual acoustic guitar
chords on a 3/4 tempo, ornamented by dreamy interactions of synth and
flute. 'Paralda' closes down the album with a similar vibe to that of 'Necksa' but with a
wider array of ambiences and a more through aggressiveness in some climatic
passages. Even in the rougher sections, the ensemble always sounds as a sonically
polished unit. "Los Elementales" is, in my opinion, an absolute gem of South
American prog: unlikely but true, Arco Iris came back to life expanding the wildest
musical trends that they had envisioned during their pioneering first era and framing this expansion in a very solid fashion. 4 and a half stars for "Los Elementales".
Cesar Inca |
4/5 |
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