El Bueno y el Malo
| El Bueno y el Malo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | 28 October 2022 | |||
| Studio | Easy Eye Sound (Nashville) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:41 | |||
| Label | Easy Eye Sound | |||
| Producer | Dan Auerbach | |||
| Hermanos Gutiérrezchronology | ||||
| ||||
El Bueno y el Malo( "The Good and the Bad" ) is the fifth studio album by Ecuadorian-Swiss bandHermanos Gutiérrez,consisting of brothers Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez. It was released on 28 October 2022 byEasy Eye Sound.Theambientinstrumental rockalbum was recorded by producerDan Auerbachin his Nashville studio.
Musically, it centers on the brothers' guitar interplay, with additions ofpercussion,drums,electric keyboards,andstrings.The album was praised by critics, who compared its sound primarily toEnnio Morricone'ssoundtrackfor namesake filmThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly.It was nominated forAlbum of the Yearat the2023 Americana Music Honors & Awards,and was part of Auerbach's nomination for theGrammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classicalat the65th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and release
[edit]The album was released on 28 October 2022, byEasy Eye Sound,with distribution handled byConcord Records.[1][2]Its titled, translated in English to "The Good and the Bad", was named after the 1966 filmThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly,and was inspired byEnnio Morricone'ssoundtrack for the movie.[1][2]
Recording
[edit]The duo, consisting of real-life brothers Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez,[3][4]recorded atDan Auerbach's Nashville studio Easy Eye Sound.[1]Auerbach said that he got a "powerful sensation" when he first heard the brothers' music which made him instantly want to work with them.[2]He described their music by saying "You have to recalibrate yourself when you listen to their music. You gotta get down in there to be able to hear it all. They have this supernatural brother bond and I don't think they even realize how into these rhythms and deep down into these songs they exist."[2]Their first day in studio was the first time they had met Auerbach in person.[3]In recording them, Auerbach added limited guitar and percussion, but his goal to preserve their sound meant adding too much would throw off the balance they had already perfected.[2]The title track was recorded 20 minutes after the duo arrived at the studio, with Auerbach having pressed the record button without telling the brothers to capture them as they worked out the song.[1]
Style
[edit]The duo's sound centers on the interplay between Estevan'selectric guitarand Alejandro'slap steel guitar,[1]with the two switching betweenleadandrhythm guitarroles.[2][3]The duo'sambient[4]instrumental rock[3]sound takes cues most notably from Ennio Morricone,[1][3][5]with other noted influences includingRy Cooder(especially his score forParis, Texas);[1][5]theWestern filmscores ofNico Fidenco,Alessandro Alessandroni,andLuis Bacalov;[1]andLatin American musicfrom the 1950s and 1960s, including notes ofMexican cumbia.[1]They are backed bystringsbyMatt Combs;congas,shakers,triangles,and otherpercussionby Sam Bacco;electric keyboardsby Mike Rojas, and drums byJay Mumford.[6]Auerbach joins on guitar on the song "Tres Hermanos".[1][5]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Louder Than War |  [5] |
| Mojo | [7] |
PopMatters's Evan Sawdey calledEl Bueno y el Malothe third-best ambient album of 2022, praising the brothers' "unmissable guitar interplay" and summarizing by saying its name "references the Good and the Bad, but it feels misleading when every track here is of excellent quality."[4]Similarly,Louder Than War's Gordon Rutherford said there was no ugly nor bad in the album, only "the good and, at times, the very good", and made a favorable comparison toCalexico's 2022 albumEl Mirador.[5]AllMusic's Thom Jurek wrote that the "gorgeous" album "will present a greater opportunity for listeners to encounter the nomadic, atmospheric sound world of Hermanos Gutiérrez. Don't miss it."[1]Variety's Jem Aswad called it "the kind of album you can put on and leave on all day, and the relatively amorphous nature of the songs helps make it not feel repetitive", and particularly recommended it for fans ofKhruangbin.[3]Mojo's Jim Irvin made the same comparison to Khruangbin.[7]
El Bueno y el Malowas nominated forAlbum of the Yearat the2023 Americana Music Honors & Awards,losing toTyler Childers'sCan I Take My Hounds to Heaven?[8]For his collected work in that period, includingEl Bueno y el Malo,Auerbach was nominated for theGrammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classicalat the65th Annual Grammy Awards.[9]
Live
[edit]The duo performed onNPR Music'sTiny Desk Concerton 31 January 2023, playing the title track, "Tres Hermanos", "Thunderbird", and "Pueblo Man".[10]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "El Bueno y el Malo" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Hermosa Drive" | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Los Chicos Tristes" | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Thunderbird" | 3:28 |
| 5. | "Cielo Grande" | 2:56 |
| 6. | "Tres Hermanos" (featuringDan Auerbach) | 3:21 |
| 7. | "Pueblo Man" | 2:48 |
| 8. | "La Verdad" | 3:58 |
| 9. | "Los Amantes" | 2:36 |
| 10. | "Dorado Valley" | 3:26 |
| Total length: | 33:41 | |
Personnel
[edit]Hermanos Gutiérrez
[edit]- Estevan Gutiérrez –electric guitar,bongo(2, 4–10),cowbell(6),bass guitar(7)
- Alejandro Gutiérrez – electric guitar,slide guitar,gut-string guitar
Additional musicians
[edit]- Sam Bacco –conga(1–7, 9, 10),maracas(1–3, 5–7),tambourine(1, 10), triangle (3),castanets(4),timbales(6)
- Mike Rojas –electric piano(2, 6, 8, 10)),Hammond B3(4), bass (8, 9)
- Jay Mumford– drums (2, 4, 8, 10)
- Matt Combs–strings(3)
- Dan Auerbach– guitar (6)
Technical
[edit]- Dan Auerbach – producer,mixing engineer
- M. Allen Parker –recording engineer,mixing engineer
- Jonny Ullman, McKinley James, and Tyler Zwiep – assistant recording engineers
- Caleb VanBuskirk –audio engineer
- Ryan Smith –mastering engineer
Charts
[edit]| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Americana Albums(OCC)[11] | 3 |
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghijklJurek, Thom."El Bueno y el Malo- Hermanos Gutiérrez ".AllMusic.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^abcdefFreeman, Jon (28 October 2022)."How Hermanos Gutierrez and Dan Auerbach Made a Chill-Out Album for the Ages".Rolling Stone.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^abcdefAswad, Jem (28 October 2022)."Hermanos GutiérrezEl Bueno y el MaloIs a Vividly Morricone-esque Take on Instrumental Rock: Album Review ".Variety.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^abcSawdey, Evan (28 November 2022)."The 10 Best Ambient Albums of 2022".PopMatters.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^abcdeRutherford, Gordon (22 October 2022)."Hermanos Gutiérrez:El Bueno y el Malo- album review ".Louder Than War.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^Apice, John (26 October 2022)."Review: Hermanos Gutierrez –El Bueno y el Malo".Americana Highways.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^abIrvin, Jim (November 2022)."Hermanos Gutiérrez -El Bueno y el Malo".Mojo.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^Grein, Paul (20 September 2023)."Tyler Childers, Bonnie Raitt & More Win at 2023 Americana Honors & Awards: Full List".Billboard.Retrieved9 March2024.
- ^"2023 Grammy Awards: The full list of nominees and winners".NPR Music.5 February 2023.Retrieved2 March2024.
- ^Contreras, Felix (31 January 2023)."Hermanos Gutiérrez: Tiny Desk Concert".NPR Music.Retrieved19 June2024.
- ^"Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.Retrieved March 2, 2024.
