Rodrigo y Gabriela: Mettavolution review - Ticket to a parallel universe

Drawing from Buddhist teachings, Rodrigo y Gabriela developed the narrative for their fifth studio album, Mettavolution. Founded on “a selfless understanding of reality”, and armed with their acoustic guitars, the vivacious pair reconfigure the tones of global fractiousness through charged instrumentation tempered with stirring chords on this commanding record.

Their story is a fascinating one and reads like the plot of an independent film with a blockbuster twist. They moved to Dublin 20 years ago, starting out as Grafton Street buskers before dominating Irish charts and performing for Barack Obama.

Under the supervision of producer David Sardy, Mettavolution covers a great breadth of genres with the fervent intensity of Rodrigo’s lead guitar and Gabriela’s rhythmic counterpart. Terracentric’s energetic melody incorporates bluegrass slides while Krotona Days pays homage to their metal origins.

Central to its anatomy is a cover of Pink Floyd’s epic 23-minute long Echoes, the beating heart of 1971’s Meddle. Shaving five minutes off the original meandering arrangement, the Mexican musicians maintain the chillwave mood and seductive guitar riffs in their stunning reinterpretation.

To escape everyday strife, Mettavolution provides a ticket to a palatable parallel universe.