Some of us only know 11:11 as the time of day you’re supposed to make a wish. The Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela, however, chose it as the title of their new album. With their humble beginnings as street performers in Dublin, Ireland, slow construction of a network of contacts, interests and connections there, and a lucky break touring with Damien Rice, they are the perfect example of a band whose story is as interesting and vibrant as the music itself.
As a musical pair, these two embody the classic rags-to-riches story that most garage bands and newly embarking musicians only dream of. Who knows, perhaps they chose the title because a few wishes came true for them along the way. 11:11 is a carefully crafted, rich tapestry of different musical styles and energetic rhythms that illustrates audibly Rodrigo Y Gabriela’s eclectic, well-traveled past. The quality of the music itself stands as proof they deserve the success and fame they have achieved both overseas and in the U.S.
Early on in their career, the pair only wanted to play cut-and-dry metal. Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero both got their start playing in a metal band Tierra Acida (Acid Earth), so their style is heavily influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin, Jimmi Hendrix and Metallica. This experience gives their music an edge absent from most typical Latin folk guitar. Although their style sounds very flamenco, the pair tries as much as possible to dissociate themselves from that type of music. According to Yahoo! Music, Gabriela maintains that “we don’t play it. The only similarity is that our music is guitar music and it’s very rhythmic.” The reality is Rodrigo Y Gabriela does not contain the theory or structure of textbook flamenco but of classic melodic metal.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela was always insistent on their devotion to the metal genre. Those who have heard them perform, though, kept insisting their music sounded Latin and eventually they gave in and came to embrace their own attractive, disarming, unique and — let’s face it — badass style, which they dubbed “Fusion Music.” What we end up with in 11:11 is Latin-style technique that comes only from hours upon hours of practice and perfection, and hardcore rock content that comes from a lifetime of worship of and fascination with metal bands.
The songs in 11:11 sound like simple, classic acoustic Latin at first, but if you listen long enough, you will realize that the content tells an entirely different story. For example, Gabriela’s section of rapid finger-tapping on the hollow shell of her guitar in the middle of “Santo Domingo” turns into a rollicking, breakout drum solo. Rodrigo’s constant funky riffs in “Buster Voodoo” ring of Jimmi Hendrix’s own groovy, electric guitar patterns. It is Pink Floyd if they had grown up playing bossa novas in the bars of Mexico City; it is Metallica by way of Santana, but without the vocals.
If the underlying fascination behind the construction of the album isn’t enough to sway listeners, then the incredibly fast rhythms, catchy and collected melodies and overall feisty energy of their tone will. This music is original, wonderful and all their own. Maybe there is something to the superstition that wishes come true at 11:11 — with their new album, Rodrigo Y Gabriela have certainly granted ours.
4 stars out of 5.
