Vestiges & claws

Description

In Our Nature, the Swedish folk singer-songwriter’s latest solo album, who is also a member of the duo Junip, was released in September 2007. Before that, it was Veneer that could be heard, as early as 2003 in Sweden, but in 2005 in North America. It was with Veneer that José González achieved immense success (700,000 albums sold), especially with his acoustic live cover of Heartbeats by The Knife, which was used many times on television and in film. González’s new album, Vestiges & Claws, was produced by González himself — to have complete control over its artistic production and avoid a sound that was too “polished” or “slick” — in his kitchen, as well as at Svenska Grammofonstudion, both located in Gothenburg, Sweden. González says of Vestiges & Claws that he preferred to aim for “somewhere between Shuggie Otis and Simon & Garfunkel.” The result is a less purist, less strict album, with inspiration drawn from “protest songs” and eccentric folk rock roots. Vestiges & Claws is also the first album in which the singer and guitarist includes only original material that revolves mainly around the themes of civilization, humanism, and solidarity; in short, a universal philosophy. It also features Brazilian musical influences from the 1970s, American folk rock, and the blues of the West African desert.