By AVA LIVERSIDGE
Brothers Alejandro and Stephan Gutiérrez comprise the latin instrumental group Hermanos Gutiérrez. On their sixth record Sonido Cósmico, the pair draws from all sides, embracing the psychedelic undertones of their Swiss home base and the effortlessly smooth guitar of the Latin world. The result is a deliciously groovy instrumental record that soars through the cosmos and back around again.
The 12-track traverse suspends listeners in space, avoiding abrupt rhythmic shifts or instrumental dynamism in favor of a more immersive listening experience. “It’s All In Your Mind” swings through the tranquil hum of repetitive melodic lines.
With the help of a good dose of reverb, the strings across this record sound as if they are plucked and then set free to reverberate in endless concentric circles, engulfing the galaxy, and caressing the ear.
“Barrio Hustle” harkens back to classic latin guitar soundscapes, pairing the classic clavé bounce with fuzzy synth lines and a heavily distorted electric guitar. The melding of the traditional with the experimental is what has always placed Hermanos Gutiérrez in a league of their own. “Until We Meet Again” paints a placid, old tale set to western twangs.
Title track “Sonido Cósmico” boasts a feeling of focusedness that really doesn’t come through on the freewheeling cosmic malaise that floats around the record’s first half. Pulsing — on a deadline or a mission — the title track delivers us through soaring string arrangements and the forward-marching warble of a rhythm guitar, to the metaphysical realm the record references.
On Sonido Cósmico, Hermanos Gutiérrez achieve sonic storytelling—both autobiographical accounts of a vast array of musical influences that have shaped their particular sound and tales set at the weird junction between Baja desert and cosmic drift. Check out Sonido Cósmico, out now on Easy Eye Sound.