Artist: Hermanos Gutiérrez
Album: El Bueno Y El Malo
Label: Easy Eye Sound
Rlease Date: 28/10/2022
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Hermanos Gutiérrez may be based in Zürich, Switzerland but their sound and style are very much based in Latin America and old Western music.
You may wonder where this influence comes from as I myself did. Well brothers Stephan and Alejandro (who make up the project) were born of an Ecuadorian mother and Swiss father. The brothers were influenced heavily by Ecuadorian music of the 50s, 60s and 70s by relatives on their mother’s side and fell in love with the music, language and culture. This was then combined with a love of Westerns and the amazing soundtracks that accompanied them, particularly in the Spaghetti Western style.
All of these influences can be felt in their music, which has a completely unique sound and energy to it. The album presents the listener with a journey through a stunning sonic landscape that crosses multiple boundaries. There’s a very clear Latin guitar style the forms the basis for the tracks, delivering a stunning tone fully laden with emotion and passion. This is presented in a way that feels as if it could be accompanying a scene of a cowboy wondering alone through the desert with only his horse as a companion.
There’s a simplicity and a minimalism employed here that allows each element on the album to stand out that much more. Each piece of this offering is performed to perfection and sits right where it should in the mix for maximum effect. Each chord resonates perfectly out of the mix, and I feel that adding anything more to the album could ruin that effect. There’s a relaxing and comforting quality to the music that is hard to put into words but will be immediately felt upon listening to the album. At times the layering of instruments will almost feel as if there are hummed vocals in the mix, it’s a strange illusion in that sense and one that I had to listen back to multiple times to be sure wasn’t there and was actually happening in my head.
What is most impressive about the album is the level of depth and variety that the duo is able to create using so few elements. Even though each track contains the same elements, it really doesn’t feel that way, it feels like a complex story slowly unfolding. Most importantly things never feel stale, repetitive, or boring at any point, which speaks to the talent and passion of the artists.
While the whole album is worth your time, certain tracks do stand out. For instance, El Bueno Y El Malo (the title track and opener to the album) perfectly sets the tone for the album. Los Chicos Tristes is a perfectly captivating track that I always lose myself in. Tres Hermanos has an emotional tone to it that amplifies the unique beauty in the music. Dorado Valley is a perfect closer to the album, presenting a more relaxed offering for the listener to ease them out.
So, take some time out of your day and give El Bueno Y El Malo a listen, maybe two and get ready to achieve maximum relaxation. I guarantee that no matter what your music taste you will find something to love about this album. In fact I enjoyed the album’s title track so much that I covered it in my article 9 New World Music Songs That You Need To Hear last month, but felt that I had to give the full album the attention it deserved.
Listen to and order the album:
Bandcamp
