Som Imaginario＜限定盤＞

Influential South American psychedelic rock sextet Som Imaginario (Imaginary Sound) formed in 1970 as the backing band behind legendary Minas Gerais singer/songwriter/composer Milton Nascimento. Like Nascimento, the collective shared a fondness for mainstream rock & roll acts like the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, crafting sonic freestyle tapestries that had as much to do with early Pink Floyd and Miles Davis as they did with the tropicalia and MPB movement. Matanca Do Porco (their debut recording) is a not so subtle blend of all three of those sounds, chock-full of humor, super-amplified decadence, and haunting melodies. Nascimento lends his distinctive tenor to two cuts, "Hey, Man" and "Tema Dos Deuses" (the latter was re-recorded for Nascimento's 1973 LP, Milagre Dos Peixes), and occasional member and peerless percussionist Nana Vasconcelos appears on numerous tracks throughout the ten-song odyssey. Bluesy fuzz guitar tears through the spirited opener, "Morse"; the wistful "Sabado" conjures up images of a thousand lighters illuminating a dark pavilion; and "Nepal" begins in a wash of homemade bird calls, random coughing, and Ennio Morricone-style screaming before seguing into a soft "Beatlesque" crooner that echoes "A Day in the Life." Som Imaginario have dwelt for far too long on critics' shoulders, and this fine reissue of Matanca Do Porco holds its own against the giants of the genre, appealing to fans of Os Mutantes, Secos & Molhados, early Caetano Veloso, and even Deep Purple. Highly recommended. ~ James Christopher Monger