Hermanos Gutiérrez flying with the condor

Entitled “Los Ojos del Condor” (“The eyes of the Condor”), the latest album from the Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez is out now on Easy Eye Sound. Their seventh, it was once again produced by label founder and superfan Dan “Black Keys” Auerbach.

Given the twin roots of the brothers – Swiss father, Ecuadorian mother – it is only natural that their beautifully warm and airy desert sound, whilst suggesting a strong Ry Cooder/“Paris, Texas” influence, also hints at Latin American musical traditions. Now, with “Los Ojos del Condor”, the brothers have delved much deeper into their South American background. To this end, Alejandro, usually on slide guitar, has learnt to play the charango, the small ten-string lute synonymous with Andean sounds. Estevan, meanwhile, used the nylon-string guitar gifted to him as an eight-year-old by his father throughout. “Our musical history has always been about Ecuador, this heritage, these roots”, the brothers told the online publication Consequence of Sound. “But we always loved that foreigner perspective as well, discovering a culture you aren’t part of. We just love how our dad, a Swiss guy, really had this admiration for South America and the culture.” After finishing the recording process of the album, the brothers travelled to the Andes, bringing with them their Super 8 cameras. The photo used for the album cover – two women climbing an Andean hill, accompanied by two small llamas – came from that trip.

Hermanos Gutiérrez
Easy Eye Sound