FEATURED ALBUM: Planeta Imaginario - Optical Delusions

[Poisoned Youth]

For the next several weeks, I will be commemorating 2021 by highlighting some releases from 2011 that are now 10 years old, but likely in the “where are they now?” pile. First up, a delicious entry from Spain’s Planeta Imaginario. The band had an album released in 2004, but gained some attention around these parts with the release of their 2008 album “Biomasa”. The music can be simply described as jazz rock, but there is a lot more depth and nuance in the music that make categorizing them a challenge. Fans? Still listening to this one 10 years later?

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Review from ProgArchives

A lot of changes in the three years since their last album "Biomasa".They've gone from an eight piece band to a six piece with only three members returning. Mind you there's lots of guests helping out this time around. So yes we get the same style of Jazz / Rock music but without the guitar.This one is a lot longer too at over 78 minutes. Bob Drake mixed and mastered this album so if one thing is better than the previous one it's the sound. Overall though I like "Biomasa" better. By the way they thank OCTOBER EQUUS in the liner notes among others.
"Collective Action" is a laid back jazzy number (get used to it) with horns arriving a minute in. Drums before 3 minutes as the sound gets fuller.The bass throbs as the horns play over top. It's mellow with keys before 5 minutes then it picks back up. I like when it builds late. "The Garden Of Happy Cows" is again light and jazzy. Some brief organ early. The tempo shifts often and the organ is back then the horns start to lead. It's the organ's turn after 7 minutes. It turns spacey around 9 minutes to end it. "Xarmmandusea" has these outbursts of sound that come and go in an almost dissonant manner. Electric piano too. I love it ! A steady beat with piano takes over then the horns and random sounds start to come and go. A calm after 5 minutes then it picks back up a minute later with horns leading. "Good Luck, My Friend" opens with animal sounds then birds as the piano slowly plays. "Angioma" opens with drums and organ as the horns join in then lead after 2 minutes. It blends into "Scalpel" and then into "Hemangioma" where we get some organ along with the prominant horns and drums. Dissonance late.

"Introduction To Sidewalk Licker" is laid back piano that blends into "Sidewalk Licker". Bass and drums kick in after 1 1/2 minutes then the horns join in. Piano then organ follows with intricate drumming. Flute comes and goes. "Imperfect Purity" is mostly electric piano, drums and horns. "Pure And Imperfect Art Element" opens with these spoken words then the sound of a phone ringing then more spoken words.The music kicks in before 2 minutes and it sounds great. Synths after 4 1/2 minutes then a calm with piano a minute later. "Imperfect Persuasive Element" has the sounds of birds before flute, horns and drums take over. It picks up a minute in and we get some dissonance. "The Sea...And Later The Sun...And The Reflection" opens with piano as horns and drums join in. A calm after 4 minutes with piano and drums. Nice. Love the organ before 6 minutes. Flute leads after 8 1/2 minutes then it's the horns turn before 12 minutes, then back to keyboards.

A low 4 stars but I feel this deserves that rating even if I wish they added more heaviness and darkness. Still this is a fine listen that Jazz / Rock fans should enjoy. - Mellotron Storm

[Steve F.]

Well, I play it!

It’s my favorite ‘retro-Canterbury’ album of at least the last decade.

Where are they now?

I am in modestly good contact with their drummer and my friend, Vasco Trilla, who travels the world (in pre-pandemic times), performing improvised music in all different styles. In the prog world, he has drummed with October Equus and Angel Ontalva, and I believe that he has also performed with some of the musicians of the great Russian space-rock band, Vespero and possibly with the band itself.

As far as Marc Nadal, who composed all of the music and was their keyboardist, I believe that he’s gone back to being a farmer....(!), but it’s hard for me to know for certain, because my Catalan is non-existent.

[Steve F.]

PS and shoutout to Duncan; I CERTAINLY DO appreciate the BandCamp feature you added here.

[Splicer]

At times firmly Canterbury which I love. At other times almost reminiscent of early Chicago which I truly love.

[thedunno]

A really enjoyable album. Nicely produced and orchestrated, well played and some lovely tunes and moods.

It just needs an extra 'something' to make it stand out. Imho of course.

[SunRunner2]

Vert tasty Jazz/Rock on the mellower side; I like it and have added it to the list of desires.

I also like the idea of checking in on somewhat obscure releases from a decade ago; clever idea and should prove interesting.

[NogbadTheBad]

Really good post-Canterbury album, I return to this quite regularly, fun stuff.

[JKL2000]

As far as Marc Nadal, who composed all of the music and was their keyboardist, I believe that he’s gone back to being a farmer....(!)

See Track 2, "The Garden of Happy Cows."

At times firmly Canterbury which I love. At other times almost reminiscent of early Chicago which I truly love.

Acid Dragon, the French prog magazine (in English), published a short book called "The Brass Lizard" or something like that, about UK jazz/rock bands that featured brass sections. I read it and lost it, but this album has me wanting to reread it, and listen to more of this kind of stuff (doesn't have to be British, obviously). Really enjoying this, album, which I have in my Bandcamp collection but had only listened to once or twice. One problem with Bandcamp purchases is it can be hard to remember when you made them, as opposed to when we used to buy CDs in a "music store." Anyway, I do sort of remember when it was released, thanks to Steve's email list!

This kind of music is pretty happy, speaking of the cows! Have to keep that in mind. Wow, the end of The Garden of Happy Cows, with those cool synth sounds is really nice!

Good choice, Cozy!

[Hobo Chang Ba]

Love it, huge step up from Biomasa IMO. One of my favs from 2011 and having just relistened to it about two weeks ago, my enjoyment of it has only grown with time.

[NogbadTheBad]

Like Forgas just gets better with more listens.

[TCC]

Out of my radar:
I only have "Biomasa" and I like it a lot ... thanks for the H.U.!!

[arturs]

I just dusted off Optical Delusions and gave it a spin. It had been many years and it is better than I remember it. I was hooked on Biomasa from the minute I put it in my CD player so OD was an autobuy. I liked it but it never clicked in the same way for me.

...maybe not until today, that is.

[Trane]

I guess this band passed under my radar.
Great stuff - currently listening to the previous one (Biomasa)

Any left in print of both, Steve??

[Sputnik]

Gave this a fresh spin last night. I have both this and Biomasa. I like them both, but at 78+ minutes, this one is a lot to absorb, and I have a lot of trouble remembering a damned thing from this record. Biomasa has more "memorable moments" to me, which isn't to say it's a better album, but it's easier to pinpoint what I like and what sticks with me.

I may leave this one out and give it some more spins. Since every listen is almost like the first, I'll enjoy being continually surprised.

Bill

[Steve F.]

I may leave this one out and give it some more spins. Since every listen is almost like the first, I'll enjoy being continually surprised.

One of my best friends grew up on a farm in Illinois. One of my favorite quotes from him is "Sheep wake up in a new world everyday!"

[NogbadTheBad]

One of my best friends grew up on a farm in Illinois. One of my favorite quotes from him is "Sheep wake up in a new world everyday!"

Damn that sound very appealing right around now.

[Steve F.]

Damn that sound very appealing right around now.

I hadn't considered it that way....!



Having said that, I went to my first concert (outdoors) in 13 months yesterday. It was super wonderful. Maybe we are looking towards a new day!

[aith01]

I really like this one. Didn't realize it's 10 years old now! If memory serves, it was in the 2017 Canterbury binge thread that Steve shared a link to the first song and that's where I heard it. Went and bought the CD not long after, and I still return to it.

Spinning it right now actually.

[Mister Triscuits]

Having said that, I went to my first concert (outdoors) in 13 months yesterday. It was super wonderful. Maybe we are looking towards a new day!

I got on a bus for the first time in over a year last week. I took it to get a vaccination, but still...

[arturs]

Gave this a fresh spin last night. I have both this and Biomasa. I like them both, but at 78+ minutes, this one is a lot to absorb, and I have a lot of trouble remembering a damned thing from this record. Biomasa has more "memorable moments" to me, which isn't to say it's a better album, but it's easier to pinpoint what I like and what sticks with me.

I gave both Planeta's two more spins since my last post, and I came to the same conclusions. Biomasa clicked with me ten years ago because of the memorable guitar lines. I still remembered some of them after all this time. OD doesn't have those references, but is a really nice record. It holds up well against any neo-Canterbury: In Cahoots, DFA, Volare, etc.

I also agree that OD is too long. In particular the last track The Sea... is one of the weaker ones and at 13 minutes dissipates any collective momentum the record had until that. Should have probably been left off.

[Sputnik]

I also agree that OD is too long. In particular the last track The Sea... is one of the weaker ones and at 13 minutes dissipates any collective momentum the record had until that. Should have probably been left off.

Interesting. I gave it another listen last night and felt it ended pretty strong, though there were surely parts earlier on the album I liked more. There's some "wonky" stuff about a third of the way in that I'd personally lose, but it doesn't go on for that long so I'm not sure you'd gain much.

I've divided the album into two ~40 minute CDRs and I'm going to try to absorb those individually. I was pleased that both my wife and I enjoyed the album better last night. Maybe we're making progress and it's sinking in!

Bill

[Progbear]

I have both PI albums and I like them more or less equally. Maybe Biomasa slightly more as, as has been said here already, Optical Delusions does tend to go on a bit. But good on them for being a “modern” band that commits to having a full horn section. There’s nobody around that sounds like these guys!

[arturs]

I've divided the album into two ~40 minute CDRs and I'm going to try to absorb those individually. I was pleased that both my wife and I enjoyed the album better last night. Maybe we're making progress and it's sinking in!
Bill

An interesting idea. I did something with similar intent. I made a playlist of OD interspersed with some 7' periods of low-volume white noise every few tracks to give the ears a chance to recuperate and the short-term memory a little while to process the material in my brain.