2Cellos

by 2Cellos, Luka Sulic, Stjepan Hauser

Overview

Following in the footsteps of Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy, Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, aka 2Cellos, were discovered through YouTube, after six million people viewed their classical cover version of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." Now with a major-label deal under their belt, the classically trained musicians face the tough prospect of translating what could be seen a one-trick pony novelty into a full-length album. It's a task made even more difficult considering that, unlike violinist David Garrett's forays into classical rock, which add layers of orchestral production on top of his virtuoso skills, the two 24-year-olds' self-titled debut doesn't feature any other instruments. Luckily, the pair's masterful talents, which seem to produce sounds from a cello that otherwise wouldn't seem possible, more than make up for the lack of background support. Indeed, other than the deliberately sparse reworkings of Johnny Cash's rendition of "Hurt" and second Jackson interpretation "Human Nature," its 12 tracks very rarely feel as stripped-back as one might expect, as the duo replicates the twanging guitar hook from Dick Dale's Pulp Fiction theme "Misirlou," the crunching riffs of Nirvana's grunge classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and the lilting piano chords of Muse's "The Resistance," using a combination of plucking, bowing, and frantic strumming. While the bombastic treatments of "Smooth Criminal" and Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" have received all the attention, the whole concept is just as effective on the slower numbers, as they turn Sting's flamenco-tinged "Fragile" into a mournful Gypsy folk ballad and transform U2's "With Or Without You" into a poignant instrumental suitable for a soundtrack to a Jane Austen adaptation. The ambitious project only really falters on the one track, which on paper seems best suited to their craft, with their adaptation of "Viva la Vida" sounding surprisingly flat when compared to Coldplay's already string-soaked original. But 2Cellos is far from the classical karaoke affair one might have anticipated, as Sulic and Hauser have created an inventive first offering, with unique and innovative arrangements, that deserves to transcend their YouTube beginnings. ~ Jon O'Brien

Product Details

Release Date:	07/19/2011
Label:	Masterworks / Sony Music
UPC:	0886979101128

Tracks

1. Where the Streets Have No Name
2. Misirlou
3. Use Somebody
4. Smooth Criminal
5. Fragile
6. The Resistance
7. Hurt
8. Welcome to the Jungle
9. Human Nature
10. Viva la Vida
11. Smells Like Teen Sprit
12. With or Without You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

2Cellos   Primary Artist
Luka Sulic   Primary Artist,Cello
Stjepan Hauser   Primary Artist,Cello

Technical Credits

Kurt Cobain   Composer
Stjepan Hauser   Producer,Arranger
Larry Mullen, Jr.   Composer
The Edge   Composer
Dave Grohl   Composer
Duff McKagan   Composer
Jonny Buckland   Composer
David Lai   Management
Matthew Followill   Composer
Nicholas Roubanis   Composer
Matthew Bellamy   Composer
Trent Reznor   Composer
Steve Porcaro   Composer
Kirk Yano   Management,Executive Producer
Izzy Stradlin   Composer
Michael Jackson   Composer
Sting   Composer
C. Martin   Composer
Guy Berryman   Composer
Axl Rose   Composer
John Bettis   Composer
Jared Followill   Composer
Will Champion   Composer
Adam Clayton   Composer
Paul Hewson   Composer
Roxanne Slimak   Art Direction
Jennifer Liebeskind   Product Development
Mark Cavell   Executive
Bogdan Roscic   Executive
Leslie Collman-Smith   Marketing
Laura Kszan   Product Development
Miro Vidovic   Mixing,Recording,Executive Producer
Scott Farthing   Marketing
Lynn Lendway   A&R
S. Adler   Composer
I. Followill   Composer
Jay Franco   Mastering
Angela Barkan   Publicity
Saul Hudson   Composer
Cathleen Murphy   A&R
Filip Vidovic   Mixing,Producer,Recording
Anthony Followill   Composer
Long Vu   Design
Dean Bertoncelj   Cover Photo
Larissa Slezak   Publicity
Luka Sulic   Arranger,Producer
Matej Zec   Recording
Stephan Lupino   Photography
Krist Novoselic   Composer