Music Review: Rodrigo Y Gabriela

There was a time when I was pretty consumed with, and you could make an argument that it could be considered "obsessed with" Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft legion - the California Guitar Trio, the League of Crafty Guitarists, and various smaller splinter groups. There was something about the shared skills of the many guitarists balancing complex pieces of intricate music, much of it approaching classical in style at times - it grabbed my imagination, filling my head with thoughts of notes dancing between nimble-fingered guitarists.

Over time, the effect wore off a bit - I still listen to some of the various Guitar Craft outings from time to time, but as I grew older, I found something missing. Maybe a bit of heart, I don't know. As highly technical as the music was, I have to say that it was a bit cold at times. And sometimes that's just the right thing - cold precision can be fascinating and beautiful in the right circumstances. But a lot of the time, I'm looking for more from guitarists and that's where the Crafty Guitarists and I slowly parted ways.

I've found that "more" in the same genre that many others have - jazz - but from time to time, something astonishing comes along that also provides "more" that just sweeps me off my feet. Rodrigo Y Gabriela, a pair of flamenco guitarists, have done just that - they've appeared out of nowhere and given me more when I least suspected it.

I can't pretend to know much about flamenco guitar, but I can say this: their self-titled album is rich with invigorating music that can barely be contained by that genre alone. The pair, having fled both Mexico and a metal band for Europe and acoustic guitars, developed a style that bridges a style deep in tradition with their roots in metal to give listeners something unique: dark, sometimes disturbing flamenco guitar.

Article Author: Tom Johnson

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