Monday 07/04/08 Jose Gonzaeles, Death Vessel @ The Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh

From the platinum sales of his debut album 'Veneer' to last year's populist follow up 'In Our Nature', Jose Gonzales has shrunk away into the background, no longer part of the zeitgeist, yet still a commensurate, bankable performer who stands alongside Volvo and Ikea as one of the great Swedish exports. With his classically-inspired delivery and songs addressing the human condition, the minimalist acoustic timbres and universal themes stay true to his love of Cuban maestro Silvio Rodrigeuz and Jose appears every ince the modern Cat Stevens. 'In Our Nature' revealed an artist whose songwriting was a force to match his musical prowess, yet there's the contrasting history to Jose Gonzales that found him playing in hardcore punk bands and more recently collaborating with the band Junip and with greater familiarity, Zero 7. Jose's' singer-songwriter persona remain separate, however, and whilst performances at itunes festival with Stephanie Dosen hint at a suitable associate, there's still little or no signs of duetting with other singer-songwriters. 

First up though comes a highly complementary warm-up act in the guise of Sub Pop's neo-traditonal folk artist Death Vessel, aka Joel Thibodeau, performing solo tonight with his well-honed guitar delivery of wistful, melodic folk signatures and Joel's high pitched and highly effeminate vocals. Mesmerising from the off with 'Deep In the Horchata', an arresting testament to a soprano vocalist, perhaps even pre-pubescent sounding with comparisons to Joanna Newsom's vocals not far adrift. With hoots of "...mayhooo..." amidst the verse "...losing our voices and guts we had to spill/ now that you've dropped the A-bomb...", Death Vessel is an intriguing, androgynous act whose gonads have enabled him to define an act beyond the pale. Showcasing tunes from the 2005 debut album 'Stay Close', Joel follows through with 'Later In Life' with its' "...if the weather is fine..." daintiness, as the wittily titled Appalachian folk of 'Tidy Nervous Breakdown' raises the clap-happy antics in the audience, followed by the Ray Lamontagne/Bon Iver sound-alike of 'Sculpin', Proving a pure if effeminate act, difficult to place yet a genuine article, 'White Mole' proves an hypnotic moment as finger-clinking gets the audience engaged for the humdinger ditty of 'Gusty', remaining rhythmic to the last with 'Lake View', an artist whose stylish holds in his guitar work and bewitching vocals prove a rare treat.

Making an unassuming entrance and opening with the instrumental 'Suggestions', there's little dalliance as Jose Gonzalez launches into the rousing and well-tested 'Heartbeats', "...we were in love...", a hasty rendition of The Knife's song he's made unmistakably his own and reason to fall in love with 'Heartbeats' once again. 'Hints' followed by the time changes of 'Folds' shows how hard Jose has been working at the pit-face with his guitar work. Remaining coy throughout and only addressing the audience out of politesse, 'All You Deliver' follows with the crispness of guitar replaced by a fuzzier sound with more sonic flair and guitar taps, water dripping sounds as Joel Thibodeau and another compadre accompany on lite percussion and bongos with the merest of keyboard squiggles.