Jose Gonzalez's debut album is an intimate work of quiet beauty. The son of Argentinian parents, but born and raised in Sweden, his music is similar to the half-Venezualan, half Texan Devendra Banhart, but less surreal. Opener 'Slow Moves' sets a mood that persists throughout the album - hushed, sometimes strained vocals and guitar playing that is immediately noticeable for its subdued precision, hinting that beneath the controlled surface of his songs, an intense passion writhes. Only occasionally does he increase the intensity of his attack ('Remain', 'Hints'), where his understated picking becomes displaced by spikey immediacy. It is partly the quality with which Gonzalez plays that enables him to go unacompainied for the majority of the album: 'Remain' and 'All You Deliver' are augmented by slight bongos; handclaps add extra punch to 'Lovestain' and a lone trumpet appears at the end of closer 'Broken Arrow', but these are the only accompanying instruments on the album.

Lyrically, Veneer's concerns are the standard singer/songwriter sort - they evoke a melancholic mood, Gonzalez singing of failed relationships ("You left a lovestain on my heart", 'Lovestain'). The album's production is raw enough for it to be lo-fi, Gonzalez produced and engineered it himself, and he allows his music room to breathe; double-tracked vocals enhancing an already echo-heavy aesthetic.

Fans of Nick Drake, Elliott Smith or M.Ward will find much to enjoy in Veneer. As with many albums by singer/songwriters it is not revolutionary - Gonzalez is a succesor to the aforementioned artists, but he does not build on their work nor imitate it. He has his own style, but this is firmly fixed within the singer/songwriter genre. Interesting to note, however, is that two of Gonzalez most endearing songs are not included on this album - 'Hand On My Heart' and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. Like 'Heartbeats', which is on Veneer, they are covers - the first is a Kylie song and the latter by Joy Division. These covers are sublime, and if the quality of Gonzalez's own songs can mirror these then his next album should be a true delight - when judged in relation to these two songs it would appear that on Veneer Gonzalez has not yet achieved his potential.

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