José González is a rather hesitant, softly spoken man. It’s unsurprising in a way, since he is the man responsible for some of the most delicate songs to capture global audiences in years. ‘Heartbeats’, ‘Stay Alive’ and his complete reinvention of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Hand On Your Heart’ have secured him a place in that strange pantheon of singer-songwriters we’ll most likely listen to on rainy days while staring out the window reeling from a break-up. Speaking from his home in Gothenburg,Gonzálezis a friendly if distracted fellow, and as our conversation unfurls, his freewheeling attention span emerges as quite an ingrained character trait.
“There is a big kitchen I write in, with a window that looks out into my backyard,” Gonzálezcoughs down the phone. He has just finished breakfast, and by the sounds of it he is in the midst of a winter cold. “But it’s quite empty out there. Sometimes instead I’ll find myself at the front of the house, open the door and just look out onto the street. Watch as everything passes by, watch the day. Then I have to try and sit back down and try writing. I get distracted and find myself watching YouTube videos instead.”
Speaking with a singer of González’s ilk – one whose lyrics and bittersweet instrumentation give such a strong sense of thoughtfulness and accessibility – you can never anticipate how closely their music will match the person behind it. There is always a mask, but how firmly affixed it is can take time to understand. Though Gonzáleztakes great and clear pride in his recent work, it is evident he would rather skip the whole publicity wagon altogether.
“When I’ve been writing [new album] Vestiges & Claws, I’ve been informed by the first albums, but I’ve consciously been [finding] inspiration from new areas. Three other songs on the album, ‘Stories We Tell’, ‘What Will’ [and] ‘Afterglow’ are more inspired by Western African guitar playing. Some Latin American influences. And of course there’s Simon & Garfunkel, who I had listened to when I very first started playing acoustic guitar. But what I find myself listening to today is much more, well, electronic.”
He laughs a little sheepishly. They are some wide-ranging influences, and it will be legitimately interesting to see what his long-term fans think of this latest direction (especially given this is the first album which features solely original material). The reception to his songs is something that Gonzálezis happy to be removed from, but early reviews of the record have left him chuckling.
“There was one review where the writer kept talking about how the song ‘Leaf Off’ is all about death,” he laughs, “and to me it’s pretty uplifting. She kept referring to the light mentioned in the song like it was the light at the end of the tunnel, and how I think about death so much. It was pretty gloomy. It was like they thought I’d released my graveyard album. If I had to describe it myself…” he pauses, and suddenly sounds quite uncomfortable. “I would describe it as guitar and vocals. I don’t usually like to talk about myself so much. With interviews, well, I have some shortcuts. I can mention Simon & Garfunkel, that’s usually enough for them. I usually leave it up to other people to describe my music.”
Given he had mentioned Simon & Garfunkel not three minutes earlier, I’m not sure what to make of this revelation. Certainly, you can respect the desire not to force one particular meaning on a song – that is the province of the listener more so than the artist – but turning to other fields of interest meets a similar hesitation. Gonzálezstudied as a biochemist, and you can’t help but hope there is some bewildering and esoteric connection between this background and his music – how spectacular would it be to learn that ‘Heartbeats’ was composed according to the molecular rhythms of an actual human heart? Sadly, the two disciplines are at quite a remove. González’s fascination with biochemistry has not waned, however, and it is a field he still follows, if not to the same level of commitment.
“In the sense of going back to university or reconnecting with study, no. But in the sense of being interested in science in general, the broad range of areas where there is so much happening right now – I guess it’s almost more interesting than ever. [There are] so many things to be excited by, but I don’t have the time to really follow it all. Too many obligations. I always find myself getting interested in new science, though, before I get distracted and start following some other [matter] instead.”
I can now hear voices in the background, and it is clear that Gonzálezis hoping to wrap things up. It has been an unusual, though friendly chat, and before finishing I ask what he does in those rare times he is not recording, writing, touring or collaborating.
“I enjoy hanging out with friends, having a beer, talking. I like running in the forest. When I’m alone and I have a day off, there’s always something I’d like to watch or read. But mostly a lot of hanging with friends and drinking beer.”
Amen to that.
