José González – Vestiges & Claws – Album Review

It’s ten years since the release of Veneer (2005), José’s first and break through album. The song ‘Heartbeats’, a cover version of a song by The Knife, became an international success and fronted several advertisement campaigns. Since then he released one album as José González, the 2007 ‘In Our Nature’. That is not to say he has been resting on his laurels, as he has featured on several collaborations including the band Junip with Tobias Winterkorn and Zero 7. This new album is similar in form and style to what has gone before, but possibly due to the long wait between albums, there is something warm and refreshing about it.

The album is almost exclusively acoustic guitar and José’s own voice. Guitar forms the over whelming majority of the instrumentation, a complex plucked sound, sometimes with solo guitar but on other tracks several guitars play alongside each other. The vocals are often layered or with harmonies making for a rich full sound. The Forest has a lilting clarinet which comes as a shock in amongst this world of guitar and vocal sounds. There is very little in the way of traditional percussion or drums, with it featuring a variety of layered claps, snaps, clicks and other subtle sounds.

It’s all part of the delicate wafting sound he aims to create that draws the listener in, making you pay attention and becoming something quite absorbing. While this album will be unlikely to win him many new fans, it will come as a welcome addition to the catalogue for his long standing followers and will serve as the soundtrack to many late night parties.

Find out more about José González here.

1. With The Ink Of A Ghost
2. Let It Carry You
3. Stories We Build, Stories We Tell
4. The Forest
5. Leaf Off / The Cave
6. Every Age
7. What Will
8. Vissel
9. Afterglow
10. Open Book