Jose Gonzalez: In Our Nature : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Armed with little more than an acoustic guitar, an ultrasensitive soul and a spate of low-key tunes, Sweden's Jose Gonzalez managed to build an international cult following with his 2005 debut, Veneer. Gonzalez hasn't done much to snazz up his sound for his second album, In Our Nature, another mellow folk record that, at its best, sidesteps coffee-shop commonplaces. Gonzalez is still too low-effect for his own good, and it's hard to believe anyone other than hardcore fans is going to be much moved by murky poetry like "It's not what it seems/Vulgar when brought to light." Still, his pale, Nick Drake-style croon can be subtly hypnotic, as can Gonzalez's pretty, mildly surreal tunes. Rave-downs like "Time to Send Someone Away" and the rather gorgeous "Teardrop" are built on unconventional melodies that wander like idle thoughts and churning acoustic figures that recall Sonic Youth's milder riffs. Even if you feel like you've heard them before, those songs might just get under your skin a little.