"A Perfect Storm" by José González

It is not random.

"A Perfect Storm" by José González

https://jose-gonzalez.com/

"Against the Dying of the Light " by José González

A new song from José González from a new album to be released March 27th, 2026, both titled "Against the Dying of the Light!" José says of the narrative:

"Against the Dying of the Light is a song reflecting on humanity in 2025; about accepting who we are and what led us here, since the past can’t be changed. Then about refocusing our attention on the challenges ahead, like pervert incentives and algorithms that aren't in line with human flourishing.

And even though we have enormous opportunities with new technology that can eventually design and copy itself, we don’t have to build it right away if it has the potential to make us obsolete. We can rebel against these replicators, rebel against the dying of the light."
- José González

Accept who you have become
Where you're from
All things set,
all things gone

Relax your judging mind
Let what's been just be
There's no reset, no rewind

Embrace who we could be
the future you
The future me

Disconnect from every algorithm
Every perverse incentive
That drags you down

Let's rebel against the replicators
Against the dying of the light
Kill the codes that feed the hate
Keep the codes that make you thrive
Celebrate the fu**ing fact that we're alive

https://jose-gonzalez.com/

Currently listening to...

...the absolutely haunting "Hints" by José González (previously here), in honor of the 20th anniversary of the release of his debut album "Veneer."

While the crowd is waiting for the final kiss
The one which allows them to sleep well
We'll walk along our own path
The one which will lead us to our own bliss

But we need hints
Before we get tired
But we need hints
Before we get tired

Now we need hints
Before we lose pace
We need a hint
To know we're on the right track

We need hints
Before we get tired
But we need hints
Before we get tired

Now we need speed
Before we lose pace

We need a hint
To know we're on the right track

http://jose-gonzalez.com/

"Swing" by José González

Here is "Swing," a fun, bouncy new song from José González (previously here), taken from the upcoming album "Local Valley" out September 17, 2021.

Video director Mikel Cee Karlsson about  "Swing":
"I was thinking of ideas for ‘Swing’ when I stumbled upon a scientific paper that focused on the behavioral patterns of birds and their movements in the sky. I found the natural choreography of the birds really beautiful. Like a form of dance, shaped for survival.

"That gave me the idea to for an alternative kind of dance video, using everyday scenes and set in a common place, like an average Swedish beach. I wanted to see what natural choreography I could find there. In the basic interaction between people, animals and objects. Trying to highlight specific movements and patterns in order to find some banal, but beautiful and iconic little snapshots from everyday life, and make them dance."

Swing your belly, baby
Move your body, buddy

https://jose-gonzalez.com/

"Head On" by José González

"Head On' by José González (previously here).

 
Yes.

González says, "I'm thrilled to share with you 'Head On'. I wrote it as a combat song or a list of instructions...a manual. I mean both ‘straight ahead’ and head ON - as in switching on your mind. It was inspired by Fela Kuti’s 'Zombie' and the way I used to write lyrics for my hardcore band.

Video director Cee Karlsson says: 'The animations for ‘Head On’ are based on a cellular automaton called ‘Game of Life’ created by mathematician John Horton Conway. ’Game of Life’ has emergent properties, meaning that complex forms can arise, or evolve, through simple individual parts. Without any designer, plan or intent. In the video, we used visuals from ‘Game of Life’ as an analogy for the flow of information; bits of information forming patterns. Adapting. Evolving. Mutating. Like memes, or mind viruses; positive, neutral or negative. Traveling from mind to mind in a never-ending war of ideas that we all participate in and are influenced by.'"

 

Action
Reaction
Stay with it
Hang on
Engage
Disengage
Deal with it head on

Head on

Inhale
Exhale
Wave coming
Undertow
Speed up
Go slow
Put on your new boots and deal with it
While marching on

Head on

Speak up
Stand down
Pick your battles
Look around
Reflect
Update
Pause your intuitions and deal with it head on

Head on

Rent seekers
Value extractors
Corrupt oligarchs
Power snatchers
Pervert incentives
Ludic loops
Nepotism
Tribal troops

Deflate
Escalate
Hit the sweet spot
Ignore the hate
Forget your miracles
Forget your god
Join forces and deal with it head on

Head on

http://jose-gonzalez.com/

"Visions" by José González

José González (previously here) has treated us to another beautiful, profound song. Watch the earth fly by, but watch out for the spanner in this video for "Visions" from his forthcoming album "Local Valley," due out September 17, 2021.

Visions
Trying to make sense of the now
Trying to make sense of the past
To show us how

Visions
Imagining the worlds that could be
Shaping a mosaic of fates
For all sentient beings

Visions
Cycles of growth and decay
Cascading chains of events
With no one to praise or blame

Visions
Avoidable suffering and pain
We are patiently inching our way
Toward unreachable utopias

Visions
Enslaved by the forces of nature
Elevated by mindless replicators
Challenged to steer our collective destiny

Visions
Look at the magic of reality
While accepting with all honesty
That we can't know for sure what's next

No we can't know for sure what's next

But that we're in this together
We are here together

https://jose-gonzalez.com/

"El Invento" by José González

This one sideswiped me...I was not quite prepared for the brevity and the absolute, tender beauty in such simplicity.

José González (previously here) sings the all-too short "El Invento," his first song in Spanish, inspired by the questions his young daughter asks about the world.

http://jose-gonzalez.com/

"Leaf Off/The Cave" by José González with The String Theory

Take a listen to this glorious live version of "Leaf Off/The Cave" by José González, with The String Theory. Just lovely. The sentiment of this song is needed now more than ever.

Make the light lead you out
Make the light lead you out

Why can't you take the leaf off your mouth
Now that you have the facts on your side?
Take a moment to reflect where we're from
Let reason guide you
See all tracks lead you out from the dark
See all tracks lead you out to the stars

Why can't you take the leaf off your mouth
Now that you have the facts on your side?
Take a moment to reflect where we're going
Let reason guide you
See all tracks lead you out from the dark
See all tracks lead you out to the stars

Make the light lead you out
Make the light lead you out

Why can't you take the leaf off you're mouth
Now that you have the facts on your side?
Take a moment to reflect who we are
Let reason guide you
See all tracks lead you out from the dark

How the light feeds life
What makes up you and I
What it takes to thrive
What we need to survive
How we flourish and die
What it means to be alive
What it means to be alive

Make the light lead you out
Make the light lead you out

https://jose-gonzalez.com/
https://wearethestringtheory.org/

Happy National Day Of Reason 2018!

Celebrated the first Thursday of every May, today is the National Day Of Reason. It is more important now than ever to promote reason and truth since we seem to be living in a time when so many don't care about facts or reality or obvious consequences.

The National Day of Reason was created by the American Humanist Association and the Washington Area Secular Humanists in 2003. In addition to serving as a holiday for constitutionalists and secularists, the National Day of Reason was created in response to the perceived unconstitutionality of the National Day of Prayer.

The National Day Of Reason site says:
"A consortium of leaders from within the community of reason endorsed the idea of a National Day of Reason. This observance is held in parallel with the National Day of Prayer, on the first Thursday in May each year. The goal of this effort is to celebrate reason—a concept all Americans can support—and to raise public awareness about the persistent threat to religious liberty posed by government intrusion into the private sphere of worship. The National Day of Reason website is co-sponsored by the American Humanist Association and the Washington Area Secular Humanists. The Day of Reason also exists to inspire the secular community to be visible and active on this day to set the right example for how to effect positive change. Local organizations might use “Day of Reason” to label their events, or they might choose labels such as Day of Action, Day of Service, or Rational Day of Care. The important message is to provide a positive, useful, constitutional alternative to the exclusionary National Day of Prayer."

And to celebrate National Day Of Reason, here is a lovely video of José González (previously here, here, here, and especially here) singing his song "Leaf Off/The Cave" live at a Sunday Assembly meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The Sunday Assembly website says:
"The Sunday Assembly was started by Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, two comedians who were on the way to a gig in Bath when they discovered they both wanted to do something that was like church but totally secular and inclusive of all—no matter what they believed.

The first ever Sunday Assembly meeting took place on January 6th 2013 at The Nave in Islington. Almost 200 people turned up at the first meeting, 300 at the second and soon people all over the world asked to start one.

Now there are over 70 Sunday Assembly chapters in 8 different countries where people sing songs, hear inspiring talks, and create community together.

Why do we exist? Life is short, it is brilliant, it is sometimes tough, we build communities that help everyone live life as fully as possible."

So, as Sanderson Jones says in the video, let's "live better, help often, and wonder more" today and every day!

Let the light lead you out
Let the light lead you out

Why can't you take the leaf off your mouth
Now that you have the facts on your side?
Take a moment to reflect where you're from
Let reason guide you
See all tracks lead you out from the dark
See all tracks lead you out to the stars

Why can't you take the leaf off your mouth
Now that you have the facts on your side?
Take a moment to reflect where we're going
Let reason guide you
See all tracks lead you out from the dark
See all tracks lead you out to the stars

Let the light lead you out
Let the light lead you out

Why can't you take the leaf off you're mouth
Now that you have the facts on your side?
Take a moment to reflect who we are
Let reason guide you
See all tracks lead you out from the dark

How the light feeds life
What makes up you and I
What it takes to thrive
What we need to survive
How we flourish and die
What it means to be alive
What it means to be alive

Let the light lead you out
Let the light lead you out

For more information about The National Day Of Reason, visit the website:
http://nationaldayofreason.org/

For more information about Sunday Assembly and to find a chapter near you, visit:
http://www.sundayassembly.com/

And to learn more about Jose, visit:
http://jose-gonzalez.com/

The Poetry of Rock n' Roll: "Cycling Trivialities"

To observe National Poetry Month, once a week I featured lyrics of rock n' roll or pop songs that also double as exquisite poetry (previously here, here, and here--with a very special installment here). Let's close the month with some tender lyrics from the marvelous José González. This song, "Cycling Trivialities" (previously here) speaks to understanding the priorities of this existence, of understanding something larger than the next step...and how to be tender with yourself and allow yourself to exist within a bigger framework.

Cycling Trivialities

Too blind to know your best
Hurrying through the forks without regrets
Different now, every step is like a mile
All the lights seem to flash and pass you by

So, how's it gonna be
When it all comes down
You're cycling trivialities

You don't know which way to turn
Every trifle becoming big concerns
All this time you were chasing dreams
Without knowing what you wanted them to mean

So, how's it gonna be
When it all comes down
You're cycling trivialities

Who cares in a hundred years from now
All your small steps, all your shitty clouds
Who cares in a hundred years from now
Who'll remember all the players?
Who'll remember all the clowns?

So, how's it gonna be
When it all comes down
You're cycling trivialities
So, where's this leaving me
When it all comes down
You're cycling trivialities

http://jose-gonzalez.com/

"Let It Carry You" by José González

Oh my, how I love the music of José González (previously here, here, and here). This track, "Let It Carry You" is from his most recent release "Vestiges & Claws." And it is profound and joyous...profoundly joyous? Joyously profound? Yes...let it carry you.

http://jose-gonzalez.com/

Eyes In Space with José González

José González (previously here and here) has been working on a solo album, "Vestiges & Claws," for the last seven years and it is finally due this February 17th, 2015--I'll be counting the days. And for the song "Every Age" from the album, González collaborated with Eyes In Space and the development team at Assembled In Sweden to create an astounding video.

The Eyes In Space collective is trying to let everyone feel The Overview Effect (I referenced The Overview Effect in my survey of "The Ninth Wave" by the great Kate Bush here).

Eyes In Space says:
"Seven billion people on Planet Earth, of which only 536 are lucky enough to have seen Space. Eyes In Space aspire to change this, taking every one on a personal journey to roam the cosmos. The collective’s maiden voyage allows everyone to wander space freely using immersive 360-film to create an endless, all-sensory experience. The galactic journey is accompanied by José González’ newest release. Eyes In Space is a global collective established to mesh artistic experiment with scientific innovation to open new worlds. Space is the collective’s first destination."

Please do yourself a favor and go to the site Eyes In Space have set up to watch this video in a mind-boggling INTERACTIVE 360° version in which you can turn the camera with your mouse. Look up at space, down at the ground, or gaze at the horizon, the space between us and infinity. It is stunning.

http://www.eyesinspace.com/
http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/

http://www.assembledinsweden.com/

"Walking Lightly" by Junip

Here is a beautiful live version of "Walking Lightly" from Junip, filmed in a garage...with the heavenly voice of Barbarossa backing José González. I saw them play this live on June 1--read about the show here.

http://www.junip.net/

"Line Of Fire" by Junip

Oh, I am absolutely thrilled that there is a new Junip song (I love it), and a new release on the way! It is so good to hear José's gorgeous voice on some new material. On my recent trip to France, I got into a José González groove and listened only to his solo music the entire time I was there...which worked out really well...

The new release drops at the end of April.

http://www.junip.net/

Currently listening to...

...a live version of the gorgeous "Cycling Trivialities" by José González with The Göteborg String Theory.
I am back from France now, and I was on an exclusive José González kick the entire time I was there...
His music touches the deepest part of me. It is vital, meaningful, and poignant...and makes me weep.

Too blind to know your best
Hurrying through the forks without regrets
Different now, every step is like a mile
All the lights seem to flash and pass you by

So how's it gonna be
When it all comes down you're cycling trivialities

Don't know which way to turn
Every trifle becoming big concerns
All this time you were chasing dreams,
without knowing what you wanted them to mean

So how's it gonna be
When it all comes down you're cycling trivialities
So how's it gonna be
When it all comes down you're cycling trivialities

Who cares in a hundred years from now
All your small steps, all your shitty clouds
Who cares in a hundred years from now
Who'll remember all the players
Who'll remember all the clowns

So how's it gonna be
When it all comes down you're cycling trivialities

So what does this really mean
When it all comes down you're cycling trivialities
Cycling trivialities
Cycling trivialities

http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/

Currently listening to...

... the achingly beautiful "Sensing Owls" by the amazingly talented José González. I am in Paris right now. It is currently grey and cold and romantic and this is the sound of the city for me. I wonder if there are owls in Paris. There must be...



You're not using a designated driver
To show you around
The folders are a bit too ordered
The sailors seem a bit too bored
Mountain tops seem nice from a distance
Close: rough and not so smooth
So these streets have been walked upon for centuries
I'm sensing owls, aren't you? Aren't you?

Come on, come out from where ever you are

http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/