Veneer

by

José González

Edit

When it comes to Folk, recent years have been bountiful with great new and original artists. Whether you think of Sam Beam, Polly Paulusma or Devendra Banhart, just to name just a very few great and distinct voices.

Folk is reinventing itself and, as the Kings of Inconvenience's first album announced, "quiet is the new loud." In that vein, "Veneer" -Jose Gonzalez's debut- should be considered another omen of Folk's unending trove of beauties, and proof that this is someone to keep tabs on.

Jose Gonzalez is a resident Gothenburg, Sweden, the son of Argentinean parents and, as the result of this album, this year's "best new artist" Swedish Grammy winner.

The story goes that his father gave Jose two books of guitar tunes -one of Beatles' songs and the other Bossa Nova- after which point he picked up the instrument, studied Flamenco and Classical guitar, developed an interest on Joao Gilberto and Joy Division, and started to compose his own material.

Speaking of his songs, the comparisons already abound, some are too generic -are we going to associate anyone who picks up an acoustic guitar and sings in a hushed voice with Nick Drake?- while other may misguide you. For instance, there's indeed a touch of early Paul Simon, parallels to Iron & Wine and even a hint of Mark Kozelek, in Gonzalez' style.

Still, when it comes to influences, I find stronger forces shaping his sound. Namely, the spirit of Joao Gilberto's intimate gems and the apparent inheritance of Argentinean melancholia ... all good things, of course, but not telling the full story about this guy.

Gonzalez is more than a faithful copyist. What he's done is embodied his influences deeply, and brought a very personal tone to these -all self-penned- songs. His voice and his remarkable guitar playing manage to conjure up quite distinct moods, from song to song, although the instrumentation never grows beyond the sound of the man and his brilliant guitar, with the exception of some moving trumpet work on the gorgeous "Broken Arrows."

In terms of the songs themselves, there's plenty to appreciate and be swept by, from the subtle bossa nova of "Remain" to the more edgy "Lovestain" or the tender harmonies -all voices courtesy of Gonzalez himself- of "Heartbeats."

As great the preceding songs are, to me, the gold lies in "Crosses," "Deadweight In Velveteen," "Broken Arrows" and -my personal favorite- "Stay In The Shade." In each of these songs, Gonzalez' guitar excels, and his voice seems the only other sound that could be appropriate to elevate their magic.

In Europe, they have already realized the gift this album is, hopefully there will be a similar reaction in the States, that could lead to a domestic edition, and eliminate the high-price barriers of import costs.

All in all, this is one the most remarkable recordings I heard this year, whether you are thinking of new artists or new shades of Folk, and whatever you end up paying for it will not be reason for disappointment.