The Memory Band
Findlay Brown
Marissa Nadler
Ellis Island Sound
Klima
Aril Brikha
Little Dragon
David Alvarado
Dan Bell
Norma Jean Bell
John Beltran
Chris Brann (Wamdue Kids)
Max Brennan
Recloose
Dan Curtin
Roy Davis Jr.
Detroit Escalator Company
Gemini
Jos? Gonz?lez
Marc Hellner
Robert Hood
Jello
Paul Johnson
Neil Landstrumm
Kenny Larkin
Joe Lewis
Alton Miller
Moodymann
Anthony Nicholson
Lucien - N - Luciano
Ian O'Brien
Theo Parrish
Marco Passarani
Luke Slater
Stasis
Suburban Knight
Ron Trent
Glenn Underground
Underground Evolution
Nouvelle Vague
Readymade FC
Charles Webster
Remix Series
HerbertPlaid
Playgroup
Albums |
Release Date |
|
| 'In Our Nature' | 24/09/07 | |
| SIGNED 'In Our Nature' | 24/09/07 | |
| Veneer | 25/04/05 | |
Singles / EPs |
Release Date |
|
| In Our Nature Remixes | 15/09/08 | |
| Killing For Love | 07/04/08 | |
| Teardrop | 05/11/07 | |
| Down The Line | 10/09/07 | |
| Hand on your Heart | 03/07/06 | |
| Crosses | 10/04/06 | |
| Heartbeats | 09/01/06 | |
| Stay In The Shade | 15/08/05 | |
| Crosses | 14/03/05 | |
Relying simply on his own masterfully eloquent classical guitar and a voice that marries mature assuredness with poignant delicacy, Jos? creates an inimitable sonic world whose allure is all but irresistible. His achingly emotional melodies and thought-provoking lyrics - all sung in perfect, crystalline English - combine in a manner at once familiar (think Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, Will Oldham) and exotic (shades of Brazilian Tropicalia, flamenco, even the odd vestigial trace of Pampas tango). From these disparate sources Jos? has conjured a unique and bewitching signature that is all his own.
Born in 1978, Jos? was bought up in a house that teemed with all kinds of music. His father, is also a singer whose natural taste for Latin American music competed happily with American and UK pop classics; the eclecticism immediately rubbing off on his young son, ?We had a guitar at home that I toyed with?, Jos? recalls. ?One summer dad gave me a thick yellow book filled with Beatles? chords, and another with bossa nova classics. I spent the entire summer picking out songs. That?s how I got the basics?.
After these fledgling dalliances, Jos? followed his own path, initially playing bass in Big Black inspired punk combo Back Against A Wall, before flirting with hardcore in Gothenburg?s Renascence and dipping into indie rock with the unlikely sounding Only If You Call Me Jonathon? But these rites of passage only led him back to the classical guitar, and, after a series of lessons in flamenco playing, the beginnings of a very personal style. ?I want (the guitar) to be more than an instrument,? he reveals, ?I?ve played classical music for some time, as well as flamenco. The flamenco is special in its touch and rhythm, often with a monotonous feel to it. My guitar playing is a mix of all that: bossanova, Beatles, flamenco and classical.
Vocally, Jos? admits to the influence of some appropriately intimate-toned forebears: Chet Baker, Elliott Smith, Geoff Farina and Songs:Ohia?s Jason Molina among them. He?s also happy to point out the positive effect on his music instilled by listening to such disparate artists as Cat Power, Tortoise and Joy Division.
Although he had a (now highly collectable) limited edition solo single out as long ago as 2001 (and another that year as part of the Gothenburg group Junip) , Jos??s recording career only really began in earnest in 2003 with the aforementioned success of ?Crosses?. That opening gambit was introduced to the UK via the AGENDA label, which followed on to the critically acclaimed debut album, Veneer, released on Peacefrog in May 2005.
Recently, Jos? has been going from strength to strength- from Sony Bravia bouncing-ball ads to inspirational performances on the Twisted Folk tour, the melancholic tendrils of which have reached as far as Radio One where Zane Lowe and Jo Whiley's radars have picked him up as a definite one to watch.
Jos? Gonz?lez?s story is rare in modern pop ? a heartening case of the artist resisting the vicissitudes of musical fashion to carve out a unique, intimate style that is all his own, then defiantly following his muse all the way to the top of the charts.
An established star in Scandinavia, Jos??s critically adored album Veneer is currently bedded down in the UK Top Ten while his single ?Heartbeats? continues to trouble the sharp end of the singles chart ? and it?s a similar story across Europe. It?s uplifting then, in an age of spin, hype and wall-to-wall hyperbole, to note that Jos??s music has required no lavish production (he records on basic equipment, at home), no exotic packaging or gimlet-eyed marketing strategies to make it cherished by thousands. For once even the Sun got it right: ??In a world of musical clones, the Argentinean Swede is a thrillingly original new talent?.
In purist rock connoisseur heaven, it should always be thus; but, let?s face it, when did the last genuine solo troubadour (as opposed to drippy acoustic balladeer) go so swiftly from critical acclaim and cult adoration to international stardom, while still retaining every inch of credibility? Even Bob Dylan had a few problems with the latter! Ultimately, Jos??s success restores faith in the power of the song and the lone vigil of the singer-songwriter, laying himself bare for our empathetic pleasure. That Jos? is still in his mid-20s makes his achievement to date doubly impressive - and his future one of appetising prospects.
Relying simply on his own masterfully eloquent classical guitar and a voice that marries mature assuredness with poignant delicacy, Jos? has been creating his inimitable sonic world since the late ?90s, though his recording career didn?t begin in earnest until 2003. His achingly emotional melodies and thought-provoking lyrics - all sung in perfect, crystalline English - combine in a manner at once familiar (think Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, Will Oldham) and subtly exotic (shades of Brazilian Tropicalia -
early Silvio Rodr?guez, Cuban Nueva Trova). His songs are so timeless - you feel like they?ve always been around - yet there?s a clean freshness to Jos??s music that makes repeated listening an endlessly revivifying delight.
Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1978, Jos? was bought up in a house that teemed with all kinds of music. His Argentine-born father?s natural taste for Latin American music was only rivalled by a penchant for American and UK pop classics ? and the eclecticism rubbed off on his young son. After these fledgling dalliances, Jos? followed his own path, initially playing bass in Black Flag-inspired punk combo Back Against The Wall, before flirting with hardcore in Gothenburg?s Renascence and dipping into indie rock with the unlikely sounding Only If You Call Me Jonathan? But these rites of passage only led him back to the voice and six-string, and, after a series of lessons in classical guitar, the beginnings of a very personal style.
Vocally, Jos? admits to the influence of some appropriately intimate-toned forebears: Chet Baker, Joao Gilberto, Eliot Smith, Geoff Farina and Songs:Ohia?s Jason Molina among them. He?s also happy to point out the positive effect on his music instilled by listening to such disparate artists as Cat Power, Tortoise and Joy Division.
After these tasteful and diverse influences had done their work, Jos??s rise was meteoric. After untrammelled Scandinavian success in 2004, Jos? signed to London-based indie Peacefrog, releasing his UK debut, the EP Crosses, in February ?05. Press hosannas and some jaw-dropping, heartstring-tugging UK shows set off the proverbial buzz and by the time the debut album Veneer was released in April, word had spread like wildfire. With the press salivating, radio went into meltdown, with more plays on BBC Radio 1 than a play-listed record! Sessions were recorded for everybody from XFM?s John Kennedy to Radio 4?s Loose Ends and there was also a rapturous live session for Radio 1?s Zane Lowe that culminated in a wondrously singular reading of Massive Attack?s ?Teardrop?
Touring in support of the album, Jose reinforced his magnetic qualities, tantalising his live following with another magnificent make-over ? Kylie?s ?Hand on your Heart?, which has to be heard to be believed. By the time he embarked on another major UK tour in February ?06, Jose had capped twelve months of incredible live shows including a support slot to the Dalai Lama in Sweden - which may just have pipped other bills shared with the likes of Arcade Fire and Juana Molina?
Meanwhile, another cover, ?Heartbeats? (originally by Swedish band The Knife and a Veneer highlight) was gaining wide currency thanks to its use in the high profile Sony Bravia TV campaign, helping usher it into the upper echelons of the UK chart in January 2006 (it was even a ringtone Number One!). Jos?? played ?Heartbeats? on Top Of The Pops in January and was the subject of a Channel 4 TV documentary titled Orchestra Of One in early February.
Still full of energy, Jos? is currently hunkered down with his other project, the band Junip, working with a premier league UK production duo (details to be unveiled in the very near future). The words ?world?, ?his? and ?oyster? spring to mind?
It might sound like hyperbole to say Jos? Gonz?lez stands poised to seduce the ears of the world, but, as we all know, Swedish musical exports have a habit of doing just that?
jose-gonzalez.com