Most songs need lyrics to become popular. But don't try telling that to the Mexican instrumental duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. "Music was here before language," said Gabriela Quintero. "You don't need words to tell people something true or to convey your real feelings."
For proof, look to Rodrigo y Gabriela's video plays on YouTube. Each clip has drawn between 300,000 and 1.7 million views, while the duo has attracted nearly half a million monthly listeners to their Spotify station. By adopting a thrillingly aggressive approach to dual, acoustic guitar music, the pair have been able to headline scores of tours around the world over the past 15 years. Their latest and sixth studio album, "Mettavolution," is their first release in five years.
Nearly two decades ago, lead guitarist Rodrigo Sanchez and rhythm player Quintero devised a style inspired by the speed of thrash metal and the drama of traditional flamenco, with influences along the way swiped from samba, classical Spanish guitar and art-rock. Sanchez dominates the lead parts, using a conventional pick to pluck prickly melodies, while Quintero provides the brisk rhythm, informed by the bold strums of the Andalusian rasgueado technique. Rodrigo y Gabriela don't simply play their instruments. They attack them, knocking and pounding on the wooden bodies of their guitars as if they were drummers. They're just as assertive with their strings. They can pick at them like scabs, or rub them like deep-tissue masseurs, letting listeners feel the full, bruising texture of nylon against flesh.
