VESTIGES AND CLAWS/LIMITED

Description

It is the quiet ones, they say, that you have to watch out for. It is particularly sage advice at the moment, when noisy and constant self-declaration and saturated ‘brand’ visibility has become the norm. But beyond the babble and glitter, some voices will always speak discreetly, with a serene eloquence and the certainty that comes from valuing the show, not just the prize.Sweden’s José Gonzalez is such a voice. He first came to prominence in the UK with the whispering, elegant folk pop, with classical and fingerpicking notes, of his album Veneer (2005), which has since sold over 430,000 copies in the UK alone. Two years later, In Our Nature was released, a deeper exploration of José’s influences (Argentine folklore, 60s American folk tradition and British pastoral folk-pop from the same era), on which he resisted the temptation to reinforce his introverted and seductive aesthetic. The albums reached the Top 10 and Top 20 respectively in the UK.