Providing the soundtrack to a major TV advertisement can often be both a blessing and a curse for a previously unknown artist
Providing the soundtrack to a major TV advertisement can often be both a blessing and a curse for a previously unknown artist. Whilst the band or singer in question's profile will inevitably receive a massive, artificially induced boost, the artist themselves can become heavily burdened by the song they sold, or - even worse - get tossed into the eager mouth of the one-hit-wonder trashcan of history. Anybody remember jean-flogging Scottish rockers Stiltskin ? Thought not. Aqualung (aka Mat Hales) also rapidly faded after 'Strange & Beautiful' and VW briefly brought him to the mainstream.
Swedish singer-songwriter José González will be hoping to avoid a similar fate. Maximising the sales potential, even the sleeve of the single version of 'Heartbeats' features a shot taken from the Sony advert which the song soundtracks. Full marks for the marketing department then, but what of the music ? The first thing you need to know is that 'Veneer' is not, in fact, a brand new album. Originally released in Sweden back in 2003, the UK re-release comes on the back of the aforementioned 'Heartbeats'.
A lot of music gets described as 'stripped down', but González really does take things back to basics - a single classical guitar and Jose's unassuming but character-laden vocals form the only two elements from which these songs are moulded. 'Slow Moves', 'Veneer's' opening track, has immediate and powerful echoes of Nick Drake, and indeed strains of the late singer-songwriter's style can be found throughout the album; 'Remain' is urgent and haunting, its repetitive Spanish guitar phrasing and vaguely echoing vocals creating a sultry, hypnotic atmosphere.
The songwriting is strong throughout, but the tune which has caused all the fuss - 'Heartbeats' - is in fact a cover of a song by fellow Swedes The Knives. Nevertheless, González makes the song his own (well, and Sony's) .. mellow, pure toned and as soothing as a warm bath, there's also a sense of reserved power, of emotions held in check. Other notable tracks include 'Crosses', which is harder and more aggressively played, something like a male Cat Power, and the conventional but compelling 'Save Your Day'. But it's 'Hints' which is arguably the strongest cut; a stunning, discordant three minutes, with faraway vocals and the feel of a protest song.
Still, you could be the greatest songwriter in the world, and there remains a limit on the variance of song you can produce with only an acoustic and a voice. Wisely, the record is brought to a conclusion before the ennui sets in, with the paper-thin delicacy of 'Broken Arrows'. 'Veneer; proves that José González has the rare talent of producing simple, emotional acoustic songs without being overly sentimental; highly recommended.
~Chris Watkeys
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