José González
Heartbeats

It seems like a given to me that all adverts are inherently awful; manipulative, often pseudo-artistic attempts to con you into buying things you more often than not have no need or use for. Nevertheless, even for an uber-cynic such as myself, there is something to be admired in Sony’s latest, a slow motion scramble of coloured bouncing balls doing what they do best down the slopes of San Francisco. The ad’s primary benefit, however, has been to provide me with a reference point from which to launch into a tirade towards people I know regarding the greatness of José González, who's debut album ‘Veneer’ was one of the most special pieces of music to be released in 2005. ‘Heartbeats’ exists as something of a centrepiece to the album, a cover of The Knife’s pounding electro original, González keeps the rhythmic hook, transforming it into the backbone of something of a modern folk classic. Like the album, an essential for anyone with even a passing interest in music, folk or otherwise. Or adverts.