Having devoted a large part of his young life to making an ear-bloodying racket in various punk and hardcore bands, Sweden’s José González decided to opt for a life of peace and quiet. The 25-year-old Gothenburg native (of Argentinean parentage) thus took up the acoustic guitar and, by signing on for lessons in flamenco, tapped into his Latino heritage. On the evidence of his debut LP, the guy’s a natural.
“Veneer” is a strikingly accomplished entré into the singer-songwriter field and sets González head and shoulders above his predominantly wet, wan-voiced, tiresomely confessional peers. Comparing a newcomer to Nick Drake is not only shorthand for any artist of an unplugged bent with a liking for the minimal and the sweetly mournful, but also practically a guarantee of third-rate, dilute talent. In this case, however, it merely hints at González’ extraordinarily ability.
In its coupling of beautifully bereft vocals (suggestive of Drake, Elliott Smith and Chet Baker) to nimbly picked, classical and flamenco guitar patterns, “Veneer” is fresh and promising as an Arctic spring, delivering melodic purity, mesmeric rhythmic drive and a stark emotionalism in 11 subtle, yet oddly urgent tunes. Like bittersweet, snap-frozen treats waiting to be thawed by the singer’s vocal warmth, they crystallize his sentiments through an obliquely expressed poetry that is both intensely personal and universally recognisable.
Every track here provides cause to faint clean away, but highlights are “Hints”, which suggests James Taylor reared on bossa, “Crosses” and “All You Deliver”, both of which recall Iron & Wine (the latter tune sees González borrowing Sam Beam’s habit of beating out the rhythm on the body of his guitar with his finger tips), the mournful, trumpet-toned “Broken Arrows” and “Save Your Day”, which, when played live, surely risks washing away any venue’s foundations in a flood of unprompted, collective tears.
“We need a hint to know we’re on the right track,” murmurs González in “Hints”. Señor, consider any doubts on the creative front hereby conclusively scotched.
