A quick hit/impulse buy from a few weeks back. I first came across Arco Iris on one of the episodes of The Professor’s Picks on Sea of Tranquility. Blending together progressive rock and jazz fusion, Los Elementales was the departure point for the Argentinian band, the last album they’d make in their home country before moving to the US, and the first album to abandon the folk/acoustic elements that were a hallmark of the band’s earlier discography. I grabbed the recent reissue of the album on CD, and overall it’s real fun jam, so much so that I can see a limited vinyl edition is available which is definitely making me consider a double dip…

Subtitled Fuerzas Magicas de la Naturaleza, this is straight up progressive rock with flashes of jazz fusion – shades of Return to Forever mixing with Genesis and Yes. The album is made up of eight tracks, divided into four pairs representing each of the four elements. Latin-inspired drums and horns kick off “Gob” as woodwinds peek through mirroring birds util the guitars and keys kick into some serious funky vibes. There’s enough space-age synths to remind you Arco Iris were very heavily influenced by yoga and spirituality, so for me I’m hearing a little Can and Hawkwind in the background as well, although certainly the prog/fusion is up front. “Destilando el Perfume de los Minerales” wraps up the Earth segment, and it also introduces us to vocals for the first time. Slower in pace, I get a bit of a early King Crimson vibe it on the first half, and it just goes to show you how many different influences you can hear creeping in.

The themes and styles remain largely consistent throughout Los Elementales. There are notes of Zappa on the first song in the Fire segment, the grooving “Cristalizando los Rayos del Sol” which continues into the short instrumental “Djin” featuring some great guitar work from Ignacio Elisavetsky. But the primary force behind the band and the music is Ara Tokatlian, who handles all the keyboards and woodwinds on the record. He does a great job not overwhelming us with too much sound, and his sax work, particularly on “Necksa” from the Water section is fantastic, as is the percussion of Alberto Cascino.

I don’t know if Los Elementales or Arco Iris are going to change your world, but I love finding an obscure little band that just happens to execute the music I love in a fresh and unique way. I continue to put this record on whenever I want to chill with a book or to do some writing. This does the trick for me.