Hermanos Gutiérrez: El Bueno Y El Malo
LP|CD|DL
Out on twenty eighth October
Pre-order from Sister Ray
No unhealthy, no ugly. Simply the great. Swiss-Ecuadorian brothers, Hermanos Gutiérrez, have created an album that can evoke huge landscapes, endless skies and limitless highways. Gordon Rutherford slings again his poncho and evaluations for Louder Than Battle.
El Bueno Y El Malo. The great and the unhealthy. No ugly. Regardless of the dropping of the third descriptor, the inspiration that Hermanos Gutiérrez draw from Sergio Leone’s epic spaghetti western trilogy shall be apparent to all who latch on to this pleasant assortment of ten tracks. Following on the heels of their 2020 debut, Hijos del Sol, El Bueno Y El Malo is the second album from the Swiss-Ecuadorian (sure, actually) brothers, Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez.
They’ve that debut to thank for elevating their profile. Serendipitously, their atmospheric Latin American tinged instrumentals discovered the ear of Black Keys’ guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach, who duly signed them as much as his Straightforward Eye Sound label. With out hesitation, Hermanos Gutiérrez packed their guitars alongside the outlines of the songs that will change into El Bueno Y El Malo and headed for Nashville.
“When Alejandro and I play collectively, it’s like we’re driving a automobile”, says Estevan. “It’s like we’re taking a street journey…by means of a desert.” Take one hearken to El Bueno Y El Malo and you’re going to get exactly what he means. Image the movies of Leone or David Lynch. Or Wim Wenders’ Paris Texas. Huge expansive vistas with endless skies that present an azure cover over terracotta plains. El Bueno Y El Malo is one thing like a soundtrack that Morricone would possibly create and, as you hearken to this assortment, you’ll be able to think about Hermanos Gutiérrez traversing the desert, being pursued by the spirits of long-gone bounty hunters.
Indisputably, El Bueno Y El Malo is a guitar album, one wherein the brothers specialize in interweaving their components delicately and exquisitely. Intimately, one brother will lay down the rhythmic patterns for the opposite to color luxurious melodies on high. How these guitars ring and resonate all through. The general really feel is akin to a valuable filigree, as one participant crafts their strains artfully round these of the opposite. The album’s opener, El Bueno Y El Malo’s title observe, supplies an excellent illustration of this. One brother chops while the opposite chimes. A good higher instance might be heard on La Verdad.
Nonetheless, marvellous as their twin guitar vibe is, Hermanos Gutiérrez shine most brightly on this album when they’re collaborating exterior of the household. On Los Chicos Tristes, simply as we’ve got heard beforehand, these guitars dovetail magnificently. Translated, Los Chicos Tristes means the Unhappy Boys; a becoming title for such a sorrowful tune. But, for essentially the most half, the disappointment on this wistful, faraway composition is created by the accompaniment of luxurious strings to underpin the brothers’ guitars. It’s additionally price calling out Auerbach’s excellent manufacturing on this tune.
Los Chicos Tristes is one among two stand out tracks on the album, the opposite being one other the place the dual guitars are beefed up. The presence of extra personnel is hinted at within the observe’s title, Tres Hermanos. The extra observant will word that’s yet one more than the ‘dos hermanos’ we’ve got change into accustomed to so far, with the a part of the third ‘brother’ being performed by Auerbach. The Black Keys’ frontman supplies a beautiful melody, one that can stay lengthy in your head. It’s comfortably essentially the most memorable hook on the album. Augmenting the observe additional is the presence of percussion, which brings a fuller sound in addition to a pleasant selection to this assortment.
In some ways, El Bueno Y El Mano jogs my memory of Calexico’s glorious El Mirador, additionally launched this 12 months. Each albums conjure up the identical vivid photographs within the listener’s thoughts and while the Calexico album is extra complete and populated by extra standard songs, the vibe is comparable.
I opened by observing that there is no such thing as a ugly in El Bueno Y El Malo. On reflection, there is no such thing as a unhealthy both. Simply the great and, at instances, the excellent.
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Hermanos Gutiérrez might be discovered right here. They’re additionally on Instagram and Fb.
Straightforward Eye Sound might be discovered right here. They’re additionally on Instagram, Fb and Twitter.
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All phrases by Gordon Rutherford. Extra writing by Gordon might be present in his archive.
Gordon can also be on Twitter as @R11Gordon and has a web site right here: https://thedarkflux.com
