There are some things that come along that you don’t know how to best quantify. Is it Latin, is it Rock, is it Folk, is it Jazz? See? I’ve gotten nowhere. But that’s good isn’t it? When you have no idea what it is, you have none of those nasty expectations to go and ruin the experience – and whilst the core of it is ostensibly ‘Latin-flavoured’ or ‘Flamenco’, there’s something more solid, more deliberate and more blues-based than any of your average Bossa, Salsa or Mariachi fare.
Anyway, Rodrigo and Gabreila are two lifelong heavy metal fanatics who uprooted themselves from the sizable heavy metal scene of Mexico City and sat down with a pint of Guiness in the stormy old climes of Ireland. And here they are in all their dualing Spanish cypress glory with 10 or so tracks of rushing and excitable guitar music, pared right down to the minimum but losing nothing by way of depth. Their hands bang out the melodies. Their hands bang out the beats.
Produced by John Leckie (Muse, Radiohead, My Morning Jacket), Rodrigo Y Gabriela is a rare old treat for fretbenders and nylon lovers alike.