Album review: José González – Vestiges & Claws

Gonzalez's message seems to be ultimately about fighting through, growth and the remnants of earlier selves that remain.

A handout album cover of José González ‘s "Vestiges & Claws" (Courtesy: José González)
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José González

Vestiges & Claws

(Mute)

Three stars

The latest album from Swedish-­Argentine José González was partly produced by the musician and singer in his kitchen and that intimacy is felt throughout Vestiges & Claws.

Across 10 arresting tracks, González plays his acoustic guitar with a graceful tranquillity, while considering “what it’s all about” in his aching tenor. His voice is at once fervid and fragile and, like Arthur Russell or Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, he often lightens his tone for emphasis.

On the lucid Open Book, he stretches towards falsetto with the words, "I have so much left to give", after whistling nonchalantly between the verses. On Let It Carry You, González sings about loosening "built-up tensions" over a rolling bass line and hand percussion.

A number of these songs have a pastoral air about them. The lead track, With the Ink of a Ghost, evokes the wistful, floral feel of Simon & Garfunkel. Every Age invokes the spirit of Woody Guthrie with its intent to "build a place where we all can belong".

González’s politics are grounded in humanism. His message seems to be ultimately about fighting through, growth and the remnants of earlier selves that remain.