José González - Veneer - Clear Color Vinyl 2LP 20th Anniversary

Jose Gonzalez, a Swedish-born Argentinian singer-songwriter, released his debut studio album Veneer in 2003. This album took almost two years to be released in the US. Gonzalez's music - which usually consists of just an acoustic guitar and double-tracked vocals - has been calming and soothing his fans for 15 years. His cover of The Knife's "Heartbeats" is a standout track, featuring an expertly finger-picked guitar and stripped-down electro-pop. This cover is reminiscent of other great folk covers such as M. Ward's "Let's Dance," Iron & Wine's "Such Great Heights," and Frente!'s "Bizarre Love Triangle." The album includes songs like "Remain," "Crosses," "All You Deliver," and "Save Your Day." For fans of Nick Drake, Emiliana Torrini, and Zero 7 (Gonzalez provides vocals on their 2006 release The Garden), the limited edition 20th anniversary release of Veneer includes a 24-page booklet with a song-by-song guide and essays by Gonzalez. Additionally, it comes with a second LP containing previously unreleased intimate live recordings from the singer's 2003 performance at Gothenburg Concert Hall in Sweden. Only 3800 hand-numbered copies of the album have been released.