In Our Nature

アルゼンチン人の両親を持ちスウェーデンで育ったシンガー・ソング・ライターJOSE GONZALEZ。2007年にリリースされた2NDスタジオ・アルバム『IN OUR NATURE』がヴァイナル再発!
英国だけで43万枚という驚異的なセールスを記録したデビュー作『VENEER』に通ずる魅力はそのままに、アルゼンチン・フォルクローレ、1960年代の英国ポップ / フォークからの影響を反映させた作品です。

Rolling Stone (p.74) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "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." Uncut (p.90) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Enchanting....[With] dog-eared melancholy....If his life has got easier, those blues still remain, and they serve him well." Magnet (p.96) - "Gonzalez is a romantic at heart, given to an array of lyrical possibilities even as his music ripples with the taut simplicity of someone strumming alone in his bedroom."

Jose Gonzalez earned himself a lot of fans with his first album, Veneer. Songs from it were placed in TV shows and featured in ads, he appeared on Top of the Pops and played festivals, and became a sought-after guest vocalist for electronic artists (Zero 7, Savath & Savalas, Plan B). His intimate, tender sound featuring just his voice and a skillfully played acoustic guitar struck a chord all around the world. The long lag between the recording of Veneer (which was originally released in Sweden during 2003 and only widely available in 2005) and the release of the follow-up, 2007's In Our Nature, might lead fans to think that time might bring about a change in Gonzalez's sound. Those fears prove to be groundless. Despite teasing some changes with a fuller, more arranged sound featuring a backing band on the 2006 EP Stay in the Shade, In Our Nature is a near sonic clone of Veneer, right down to the cover of a classic electronica track (this time it's Massive Attack's "Teardrops"). This is great news for people looking for more of the same quiet, stark, but beautiful songs and performances, but if you were looking for some kind of change or progression, you're out of luck unless you listen quite intently and get past the smooth surface. What you'll find are more political lyrics (like on the opening "How Low," which shoots verbal daggers at war-mongering world leaders), more passionate vocals, some more forceful guitar playing, and a general sense of urgency and unease bubbling underneath the prettiness. It may take a few listens before the record reveals itself as a relative cauldron of restrained emotion, but it's worth the effort. Or you could choose to let the moody songs and melancholy atmosphere relax and sooth you. Either way the record is sure to please the fans who latched on to Veneer. ~ Tim Sendra

前作『Veneer』で不動の人気を獲得し、スコット・ヘレンからジャイルズ・ピーターソンまでを虜にした天才シンガー・ソングライターが待望のセカンド・アルバムをリリースです。あまりにも清廉なギターの音色、耳触りの良いソフトな歌声……それ以外に何が必要だというのでしょうか。余分なものを削ぎ落としたからこそ心の奥底まで沁み込んでいく素晴らしい一枚で、マッシヴ・アタック“Teardrop”のカヴァーもハマリすぎ!
bounce (C)富田 純司