Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
In my first #RockBlock selection for Jose Gonzalez, I briefly described the hyper-awareness with which his fans enjoy his music. Aside from his acoustic guitar and voice, there’s rarely anything else to distract us. So we are hyper attuned to those two elements. Of course, there are exceptions, particularly Jose’s work on movie soundtracks. But the stark, clean approach of his music is what’s most appealing. In many ways, “Cycling Trivialities” is a treatise of this approach to music.
Few bands break the 8 minute barrier, but those that do usually do so in a highly memorable way. Zeppelin. Dylan. Neil Young. Even The Stone Roses. But when Jose Gonzalez did it, the length came out of nowhere. It was unexpected. But in true fashion, the artist was trying to make a point. The entire In Our Nature album is about the human condition. And on “Cycling Trivialities”, he used the entire 8 minutes and 9 seconds to hammer home the theme of his song. It’s a brilliant listen and a transcendent experience live in concert.
“All this time you were chasing dreams. Without knowing what you wanted them to mean.”