Jose Gonzalez

Swedish singer/songwriter José González is a star in his native land. His album Veneer was released there in the early 2000s and has achieved gold status. Far from the pop album you might expect from such a statement, the album is an entirely acoustic affair that reflects a childhood spent listening to equal parts bossa nova, classical, and post-punk by the likes of Joy Division. Touchstones for González's sound include Nick Drake, Paul Simon, Red House Painters, and Elliott Smith, all artists who are literate, quiet, and melancholy but also create memorable songs as well. Veneer was released in the U.K. by Peacefrog in 2003 and was a critical success there; it was released in the U.S. by Hidden Agenda in the fall of 2005. His U.S. prospects were aided by the appearance of his song "Crosses" in the season-ending episode of The O.C. The title track from his 2006 Stay in the Shade EP also appeared on an episode of that show. The EP showed a move away from the bedroom sound of the first album but still maintained the same high level of songcraft and performance. In 2005 González joined with Elias Araya (organ, Moog) and Tobias Winterkorn (drums) to form Junip, releasing an EP at the end of the year with a full-length to follow in 2006. The year 2007 saw him returning to his solo career with the album In Our Nature.