Jose Gonzalez

Originally released in Sweden in 2003, Veneer slowly grew into a worldwide success via subsequent UK and US pressings and non-stop touring. Gonzalez' percussive finger-style guitar playing moves effortlessly between tension and calm, creating a sound that is at once plaintive and sublime. His cover of "Heartbeats," by fellow Swedes the Knife, was used in a Sony commercial, while "Crosses" appeared in an episode of The OC helping Gonzalez sell an astounding (for an indie artist) 700,000 copies of the record.