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José González
- Stay in the Shade EP
(Peace Frog)
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| Oh, curse my bitter and jaded nature! I was expecting another lame David Gray impression with a Latin twist, not this mini-masterwork of Nick Drake-ian brilliance! |
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No really, this is great. It’s the best thing I’ve heard in ages. Relying almost exclusively on his classical acoustic guitar and vocals, José Gonzalez is the antithesis of almost everything ‘pop’ stands for; honest, raw and genuinely moving. ‘Stay in the Shade’ is pure gorgeousness, if ever so slightly reminiscent of Drake’s ‘Cello Song’, but the real gem here is ‘Down the Hillside’. Rhythmically compelling yet pretty beyond words, it’s almost too wistfully sad to bear. The vocals hint strongly at The Beta Band’s earlier, more psycho-rurally frightening harmonies. No, I don’t really know what I mean, but I think that says a lot about this guy’s rather indefinable ability to communicate.
‘Sensing Owls’ and the closing ‘Instr.’ aren’t quite as spectacular, but Gonzalez’s reading of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Hand on your Heart’ (of all things) manages somehow to be the post-breakup experience embodied in musical form. It’s all so delicate and refined and to the point that I can’t stop banging on about how delicate and refined and to the point it is.
So, is this rubbish? No way José! It’s sodding ace – go and buy it, and get the debut album Veneer while you’re out. |
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| Dan Snowdon - 9/10 |
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Name:
Tom
| Date:
11/10/05 | Reply
I like this, though his lyrics are a bit on the basic side. The Kylie cover is astounding though. He should just make a career out of making beautiful acoustic covers of shiny pop songs with good lyrics.
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