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TyronneRodrigo y Gabriela: Acoustic or Metal?
August 17th 2006 03:08
If you caught the July 2006 MusicTimes Mixtape, you may have noticed that it included two songs, Foc and One/Take 5 from a group under the name of "Rodrigo y Gabriela." So who are they?
Rodrigo y Gabriela are none other than the latest music to wash across my ears. Their music is not easy to explain and you might not believe it the first time you hear it. Ready? Classical Spanish Acoustic music (in the bolero strain), influenced by thrash metal. That's the short explanation, and the long one is a little more complex, since they do not limit their music to simply this explanation, but mix in some jazz rhythms, pop riffs, and enough soundboard slapping that you want to buy a sub just to get the most out of their music.
Their origin and history will possibly reveal a little more about their music. The duo hail from Mexico City, and met in a thrash metal band named Terra Acida (which I'm guessing means Acid Earth). Both were frustrated about their inability to properly express their musical abilities within the confines of the genre, and moved to Europe, travelling around Spain, and Denmark, before finally settling on Dublin. After little touring, they quickly gained a recording contract, and have since been quite the success in Europe, with their two studio albums, "Re-Foc" and "Rodrigo y Gabriela," and their live album, "Live: Manchester and Dublin."
From the tracks off 2003's "Re-Foc" to this year's self-titled release, Rodrigo and Gabriela continue to output musical genius using nothing but two acoustic guitar and the occasional violin. For the most part, Rodrigo is the lead guitarist, though that term can only be used loosely if at all. In the traditional sense, he is a lead guitarist, in that he provides the melody for the songs, whether it be chord-based riffs or single notes. However, Gabriela has somehow managed to carve out a new definition for rhythm guitarist, melding bolero and Spanish strumming styles with bass lines and who knows what else so that she is almost the more important and more noticeable half of the duo.
And the combination is amazing. 2004's live album "Live: Manchester and Dublin" probably does the best justice to their ability, since the reverb and live quality of the album adds another dimension to the duo's already dense music. This can certainly be seen in the first track, Foc, spanish at heart and sounding like an instrumental Gyspsy Kings, not to mention that it includes a forty-second rhythmical section, expressing the duo's unique ability to create an amazing drum beat out of simply slapping their guitars' soundboards.
The artists' new self-titled released, I heard only after listening to their live album for a week and, as such, I was slightly dissapointed. Not that the music was any worse, because it certainly wasn't. But the acoustical vibrance - the timbre for those who know what it means - wasn't the same. Whereas the live setting had the just the amount of echo, the studio albums lack that, and as a result, seem a little emptier. Nevertheless, this doesn't heed the duo's musical ability. The songs on the new release, a product of partying in Mexico and a year of hard work, is far more upbeat and further away from the thrash metal influence which drove them into the acoustic setting in the first place.
Some songs do exhibit a less upbeat attitude, like Diablo Rojo, with its opening African beat, and Satori, with the only real example of metal influences on the album. However, the remainder of the album is largely upbeat and more Spanish in its foundations.
While Rodrigo y Gabriela can't be the staple of a musical diet, it is a necessary chunk of a collection that attempts to span various genres. It seems the duo manage to span genres within their own music, while remaining recognisably Spanish and recongisably acoustic. Their music can drag slightly after listening to it for extended amounts of time, but they are certainly excellent and are a great listen.
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