2cellos [+digital booklet]

2cellos [+digital booklet]

Product Details

• Original Release Date: June 10, 2011
• Label: Masterworks
• Copyright: (P) 2011 Sony Music Entertainment
• Total Length: 42:53
• Genres:
• ASIN: B005BUZJ6O
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
  • #1 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Classical
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    This review is from: 2Cellos (Audio CD)
    I first heard of 2Cellos when Amazon Germany e-mailed me saying that their debut album was available for preorder. 2Who? 2Cellos, like violinist David Garrett before them, seek to blend classical with rock. Luka Šulic & Stjepan Hauser have lined up twelve songs ranging from U2 to Michael Jackson, Sting to NIN, even a dash of Guns n' Roses. However, what makes them unique from their competition is that these songs are totally unaccompanied other than Luka and Stjepan's blazing bows. That's right; no fancy orchestras, no studio wizardry, no overdubs...just...two cellos. If that sounds a little awkward, it really works in the context of most of the songs. Croatian cellists Luka and Stjepan go beyond their classical roots and evoke any number of effects from their cellos, including rapid-fire bowing, pizzicato, and percussive slaps (think flamenco guitar). They bounce the melodies back and forth like a musical badminton match, seamlessly picking up lines from each other. The two have an amazing chemistry, even more so live (which is how they were first discovered after uploading one of their duets to YouTube and landing a guest spot on Ellen).
    
    "Smooth Criminal" is obviously one of the most high-profile of the songs here, if only because David Garrett did a stellar violin cover on David Garrett (ditto for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Rock Symphonies). As these tracks are all acoustic, it can't compete with the tension of the original recording (or the opening drums and strings on David's version of "Smooth Criminal"), but it holds its own (the opening aggressive bowing is kind of painful; imagine a cello with laryngitis, and that's the kind of tone they're pulling out in the intro). I actually thought Luka and Stjepan's cover of "Human Nature" was more impressive, capturing the soft, dreamy feel of the chorus. I preferred the slower songs like "Fragile" and "Hurt" more than the rock-influenced songs, but that's a personal preference.
    
    Undoubtedly, there will be comparisons between David Garrett and 2Cellos, if not for the "stringed instruments play rock" angle then the similar (if not identical) song choices that both groups have recently recorded and performed. They're both young, very handsome, and a little edgy (2Cellos in particular both look like they could be the leads in The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season), all of which will appeal to a wider range of fans than a strictly classical repertoire would. Both groups pay homage to influential bands with slightly different approaches. I found the acoustic cello-centric approach fascinating; in the absence of studio effects, Luka and Stjepan are forced to create their own soundscapes using nothing more than the cello.
    
    I really enjoyed their debut album, and look forward to hearing much more from 2Cellos in the near future!