From the moment Sony Bravia featured Jose Gonzalez’s cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats” in their colorful, bouncing commercial in 2005, the Swedish-Argentine singer-songwriter’s career was never the same again. A viral video among music bloggers and advertising geeks praising its aesthetic– of which the accompanying song perfectly complimented the commercial’s brooding mood– Gonzalez accrued loyal fans who praised his minimalistic, earnest style, defined in his album Veneer.
Swedish directors Fredrik Egerstrand and Mikel Cee Karisson, who had worked previously with Gonzalez, saw potential in the introverted creative process of Gonzalez and joined to direct The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of José González, a documentary that has already begun touring the festival circuit in Europe. Using video diary, surveillance camera, concert footage, tour documentation, and animation, the directors follow Gonzalez throughout the recording of his second album In Our Nature over the course of three years. He reflects on everyday questions as well as on his role as a songwriter, seeking inspiration, and dealing with his life as a successful artist as he tours the world.
In what appears to be an insightful exploration of such a reticent artist, news of the documentary arrives just as Gonzalez is on the verge of releasing a full-length album with his band Junip who will begin touring the U.S. in November.
Watch the trailer for The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of José González: