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Feb 20, 2015Ultimately, it's this ability to stop you in your tracks and hold you with the warmth of his voice as you contemplate your existence that makes Vestiges & Claws such an arresting, uplifting joy.
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MagnetFeb 19, 2015This is an album with a lot of parts to fall in love with. [No. 117, p.58]
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Feb 17, 2015Assessed independently, Vestiges & Claws’ progressions may be modest, but its adjustments cohere into a record of uncommonly evocative capacity.
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Feb 17, 2015The record is littered with painstakingly layered guitar parts, mellifluous melodies and clapping drumbeats that nod to Russell’s posthumous collection ‘Love Is Overtaking Me’.
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Feb 12, 2015Although the themes in the album vary hugely--uncertainty, fear, hope, regret--the quality and confidence of the music is consistent.
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Q MagazineJan 29, 2015This is graceful and elliptical songwriting. [Mar 2015, p.109]
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Feb 26, 2015Although Vestiges & Claws may wander close to guitar-based, folk-rock homogeny, González’s musings offer a cerebral reminder to enjoy figuring out what it all means.
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Feb 17, 2015Vestiges & Claws seldom seems cloying. Mostly, it sidesteps the mush factor to land on solid ground.
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Feb 9, 2015Having self-produced the record, he was able to maintain a certain level of rawness with these recordings. Strings buzz and ring throughout every track. When the drums come in, they feel large and demanding. His voice is hazy, almost like a speck in his own musical universe.
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Feb 19, 2015Unlike on his first two albums, González twists the volume knob up just enough here to sonically divert Vestiges & Claws from its predecessors (or bedroom pop pioneers Nick Drake and Elliott Smith).
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Feb 18, 2015Despite the adept lyrical approach, Gonzalez’ guitar virtuosity is still one of the main draws here.
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Feb 17, 2015Vestiges and Claws is simple on the surface, mostly composed of González’s voice and guitar with occasional percussion drifting in, but González makes these miniatures immaculate. They’ve been crafted over time and with care.
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UncutJan 29, 2015Timelessly scented, you can almost smell the joss sticks. [Mar 2015, p.76]
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Oct 2, 2015González gently expands his borders without abandoning the center.
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Feb 18, 2015Even when Vestiges & Claws exudes strain, González never gives the impression of truly challenging himself.
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Mar 11, 2015It’s a cerebral, sometimes sinewy sound, but one which leaves a lasting impression regardless.
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Feb 17, 2015An album that works better as a musical koan than it does a hip new collection of indie folk.
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Feb 17, 2015Swedish singer-songwriter José González's new album--which is just the third LP from the 36-year-old artist, in a 12-year solo career--sticks to the formula that has served him well in the past.
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Feb 17, 2015Play it soft, and it drifts into the background. Play it loud and something much more vigorous and compelling emerges.
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MojoFeb 13, 2015A few shuffling moments suggest Sunday pub lunch surrounding by Bugaboos, but when Gonzalez hits his meditative stride--Every Age's there-is-a-season stateliness, the post-rock smudges of What Will---he owns the room. [Mar 2014, p.98]
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Feb 13, 2015‘Leaf Off/The Cave’ and ‘What Will’ are the strongest of the 10 new strands to this web, yet it is hard to assign priorities to what is a consistently good album.
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Feb 13, 2015Ultimately, Vestiges & Claws is a solid return from González.... Though, as without a distinctive cover, his comforting, low-key style can at times become repetitive and forgettable.
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Feb 11, 2015Although it is by no means a bad record, it just represents the first time that he has lost the emotional power that has previously made him so much more than just a man with a guitar.
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Under The RadarJan 29, 2015Vestiges and Claws is a succinct evolution for Jose Gonzalez and his solo work, an album that promises much more for the next stage of his career. [Nov-Dec 2014, p.65]
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Feb 27, 2015The “that's life” solemnity that throbs in Vestiges quickly fizzles into a series of narrative incoherent niceties, and becomes a far more rewarding listen when lyrical fragments are taken out of context.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 21 out of 26
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Mixed: 4 out of 26
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Negative: 1 out of 26
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Feb 17, 2015