When rock/metal rhythms are blended with acoustic, Latin chord progressions, various problems come to mind: the large decibel divide, disparate instrumentation and stylistic incompatibilities. Since the turn of the century, instrumental Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have explored the fusion of these apparently incongruous genres. The experiment has proven to be a most fruitful one; they are astonishing musicians, capable of exploring the lines in between genres, and thus fuse them.
However, Area 52 has multiple problems, the primary one being its raison d’être. Built upon the idea of reworking material from the past two albums, Rodrigo Y Gabriela (2006) and 11:11 (2009), they have done a George Lucas and altered what was already perfect. In place of gimmicky graphics is a large Cuban band. Consequently, the album has a jarring, frenzied feel, like two completely separate songs playing over one another. Originally, these compositions were written as an acoustic-guitar duo recipe, to which orchestral embellishments and flavours have done little to improve. Despite being an interesting thought-exercise in itself, these alternate versions would have been best left as b-sides or rarities.
There are still magical moments though. The refigured “Santa Domingo” and “11:11”, the most ‘thrashy’ tracks on the record, are rhythmically breathtaking, whilst the softer “Ixtapa” and “Logos” are truly beautiful in their own right. Of the nine tracks, the abovementioned four are the only ones that compare to, or conceivably surpass, their antecedents. As an experimental EP, Area 52 would have been a most noteworthy project.
