jose goddamn gonzalez

i've been listening to jose gonzalez's in our nature. like listening a lot. the whole album through at least three times a week for the last two months.


gonzalez is swedish by way of argentina and a former bio-chemist (how cool is that?). apparently the record was inspired by the richard dawkin's the god delusion and peter singer's practical ethics. which is cool (if you ask me the world needs more ex-scientist writing songs about atheist manifestos) but that's not really why i dig it so much. if you asked me i really probably couldn't tell you why i like it so much. it's not really the kind of album that usually hits me hard like this.

the album is really sparse. just this guy and his guitar. every once and a while you get some hand claps or some female back up but for the most part its just mr. gonzalez strumming along forever. my favorite albums don't tend to be this straight forward (taking tiger mountain, street hassle, sandinista!) but here it works. there is something really beautiful about this kind of simplicity.

the first track "how low" starts with this low chugging guitar riff. gonzales's voice fits very well with stark instrumentation. he's very plain spoken and intimate without coming off as schmaltzy. he sounds very much like a man here do a job and one that both knows and does it well. the second song "down the line" is also a highlight. the track show cases his classical spanish guitar style. one of the few tracks to have any real sense of urgency. when he sings "don't let the darkness eat you up!" he actually sounds worried that it might.

it would be stupid not to mention the wonderful cover of masive attacks's "tear drop". i know people may give me shit for this but he may have actually improve on the original. it sounds much more organic and full of life with out the dated trappings of early 90's trip hop. he makes the song his own and i'm sure it will become mix tape fodder for any one who gives it a listen.

the last track "cycling trivialities" sums up what i believe is a wonderful world view. the narrator is pleading with a friend or lover to ignore the small problems in life and enjoy what you have or as my mom used to say "don't sweat the small shit." i call it happy nihilism. both this song and album plead with us to slow down enjoy life. in our nature reminds us the real tragedy of life is how much of we miss while busy with little things that really don't matter.

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