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Virtual Sushi Radio
Yes! It's here! A new Rodrigo Y Gabriela album has graced us with its presence!
For those of you unfamiliar with Rodrigo Y Gabriela, they are a Mexican duo based in Dublin with a very unique sound. On their older albums they really stepped up their rhythmic guitar game with the use of hitting the wood of the guitar and strumming with no tones (along with extremely quick strumming with interspersed chords, of course). Their sound is characterized by catchy melodies and a musical intensity that speaks for itself.
This new album really takes an interesting turn in that they incorporate many more genres into their repertoire. In one song, "11:11," the song shifts between acoustic guitar in the mexican style, jazz, Carlos Santana-esque electric guitar soloing, and traditional African music. There is an overall very noticeable infusion of jazz in this album, and in comparison to their Advance Music album they really reached out in collaboration with other artists.
There aren't so many new tracks on this album, a lot of them are reinvented studio versions of past songs (which given how much they differ from the original is perfectly fine). One which caught my attention was the new cut of "Ixtapa," my personal favorite track from Advance Music. The original featured a violin solo in the Hungarian style. This version features a lot of traditional Latin Jazz-type brass, but then throws a curveball with a sitar solo from Anoushka Shankar. Their ability to innovate with other musicians really shines on this album!
"Ixtapa"
This album has something for everyone, and really flaunts its exotic flare. I recommend it to anyone looking to spice up their music collection with something conversation-worthy!