Jose Gonzalez • down the line

Jose has a new album coming out, a documentary in the works and sold out shows everywhere.
I'm glad to hear In Our Nature is still acoustic and minimal.
It's the tired old dilema for me. the artist wants to grow and not play acoustic heartbeats for ever, but that's what I want to hear (not that song specifically, but anything from veneer really.) I dread it when an orchestra is involved or a backup band, I mean... you just made the acoustic guitar exciting again for me. I'm sure you can support an orchestra, you deserve it, the music deserves it, but maybe it just feels forced too often.

Like the latest Iron and Wine. I wasn't a fan of the Calexico collaboration, but then again I'm not really into Calexico, so it could have just been that... but even then it was disappointing. I haven't heard the latest yet, and a lot of time has passed since The Creek so he should take this where ever it's going to go, but I will miss the acoustic quiet of previous efforts. So quiet it seems like the record it over and I can actually hear the crackle of the grooves. I have to get up and go check if I need to flip it over yet.

Speaking of grooves....I have seen two different versions of this 7", or lets say three different seven inches supporting the new album. This one is from a shop I really never heard of, but they are the only place carrying these 'swedish' editions, which are limited to 500 copies

This item will be released on October 10th, 2007 José González - Killing For Love 7"
Swedish edition.
A. Killing For Love
B. Smalltown Boy (Non album track)
500 Copies made.

This item will be released on November 10th, 2007 José González - Down The Line 7"
Swedish edition.
A. Down The Line
B. Instrumental (Non album track)
500 copies made.

Boomkat is carrying the wider distributed 'Down the Line / Small Town Boy' 7", which you could probably get from any good import place, Peacefrog is also carrying this directly for 4 pounds. (It does say this cannot be exported to the US, but we'll see about that)
These are both going to be impossible, but I had to tell someone about them. Good luck, I'd love to hear that instrumental track sometime. Now he really has to have a cover every album, it's not just a joke anymore...small town boy is a bronski beat cover, can't say I remember the original or even this band, but I think this guy was in the communards? I swear I had that tape in high school.
I actually found a bunch of vinyl from high school recently and a few choice picks were the Bill and Teds soundtrack and Celibrate the Nun, 808 state vs david bowie...wow I loved remixes apparently.
I was shocked to actually find a few things I wanted...tons of old Cure albums and New order.


From Boomkat:
I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said all of you have heard 'Heartbeats' - if you haven't there's a good chance you've been exploring the North Pole or possibly sleeping for the last couple of years as it's a track that has been buzzing around the airwaves relentlessly. Luckily we absolutely loved it from the moment we heard it, and even now after a million plays it still sends shivers down my spine. The album received almost universal acclaim and had impressive sales figures to match - making it all the harder to deliver that all-important follow-up. 'Down the Line', happily, is really quite terrific and instead of trying something radically different José has simply done what we all wanted and carried on writing flawless introspective pop music with the kind of warm heart he is so well known for. Those of you who have seen him play live in the last year will probably already know this song, and as soon as I heard it I remembered every strum - that's the power of his songwriting. Much like classic singer/songwriter material from the 1960s and 70s there's something that just feels utterly timeless about this music. Being the nice Swedish gentleman that he is there's even a luscious exclusive track 'Smalltown Boy', a cover of the Bronski Beat track of the same name. How generous is that? Excellent stuff...