The Pat Metheny Group's most ambitious album to date

Imaginary Day has got to be one of the most amazing records I have ever heard in my life. Pat Metheny has always been a serious, unique musician in search of ways to bend genres and use technology in innovative ways, the man has once again outdone himself. The breezy Brazilian inflections of albums like "Letter From Home", and "Still Life(Talking)" are replaced by incredibly rich, complex sound scapes, and global influences, ranging from Chinese, to thrash metal. In fact, I would not call this album jazz.

One of the most important parts of this album is Pat's introduction of new guitars to his already impressive arsenal of acoustic, electric, and guitar synthesizers. The first is a fretless classical acoustic guitar played on the title track through a distortion box, which creates a new raunchy sound for Metheny's always fluid, inventive improvisations. "Into The Dream" is a solo piece utilizing the 42 string "Pikasso" acoustic guitar created by Linda Manzer. The guitar itself is played conventionally which allows for multiple lines to be played despite it's unorthodox design. Pat achieves a cross between a harp guitar and Japanese koto effect on this track.

Lastly for one of the most amazing cuts on the CD, in the techno-metal of "The Roots Of Coincedence" Pat employs the Roland VG-8 virtual guitar system. The VG-8 is not a guitar synth, but a pick up, which the user can use to create the sound of any number of guitars, amps, microphones, etc. Pat uses the VG-8 for a newer hard edged sound which is different from the distortions used on his Synclavier guitar which he sometimes used for a distortion effect. Second thing to note is the production.

Even though there are 9 tracks, each one has a transitional sound which makes the album flow as one long piece. This lends a progressive rock quality to the disc, since most of the tracks are epochs, coming to a thrilling climax with "The Awakening" featuring a gorgeous piano solo by Lyle Mays. Overall this is a great record that is loved by Metheny Group fans, and should be looked into further for anyone appreciating good music.