Review Summary: Mexican guitar duo dial things back a little for a more studio-centric album that emphasizes interplay, contrast, and traditional song structures.
After branching out on their 2012 collaboration with C.U.B.A, Mexican guitar duo
Rodrigo y Gabriela have stripped their sound back down and look to the past and future on this intimate, precise collection of songs. On one hand, the “one off” nature of the C.U.B.A. experiment is just that- the duo is in no hurry to share the stage permanently. On the other, while
9 Dead Alive sounds exactly like Rodrigo y Gabriela, it also sounds a lot like their album of the same name, and its successor
11:11. Those looking for a fresh take may have expected more difference based on the duo’s pre-release comment there would be no flamenco, but that perspective alone would belie the fact the duo’s strong rock influence dates back to their cover of
Metallica’s “Orion” and beyond.
In that sense,
9 Dead Alive isn’t a step out on the ledge. It does, however, distill the duo’s sound to an elemental form by ditching the modest amount of guest musicians and instruments they used on their previous studio efforts. It’s no surprise several of these tracks feel like they are meant for a small studio rather than the big stage. Even the up-tempo tracks are meticulous- the hooks are increasingly layered and intricate to stand apart from the duo’s previous work. For an act that spends nearly the entire year on the road across the globe, the subtlety of many of these tracks is a welcome dimension.
On
9 Dead Alive the duo takes the pace down a notch and puts a bigger emphasis on interplay, contrast, and traditional song structure. There are familiar moments: the plucked respite in the middle of “Misty Moses”, the main motif of “Fram”, and Rod’s scale acrobatics in “Soundmaker”, but the duo also manage to push their lyrical content to new places. On “Somnium”, a gently picked, somber intro swirls into down-tuned riffs and frantic percussion. When this new approach all comes together on standouts “Torito” and “The Russian Messenger”, the duo seamlessly shift between aggressive slog and intricate arpeggio.
While the opening track “Soundmaker” pales in comparison to fan-favorites such as “Tamacun” and “Hanuman”, the deeper cuts aren’t as easy to pigeonhole. At times, these tracks come across as studied where some raw energy was needed, but Rodrigo and Gabriela still have some in the tank when they want to use it.
9 Dead Alive doesn’t elevate their craft to a new level, but expect the highlights to be shaking venues around the world in the meantime.
