Gomez Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
The punters -- and critics -- should get over it: Gomez will more than likely never again be the loud and proud, wildly distorted experimentalists of their 1998 Mercury prize-winning debut album, Bring It On. All those years and (six) albums have molded this quintet into a band of sharp songwriters who've chosen to write in more conventional rock song forms and polish their sound. Consequently, while the British critics and fans that once lauded them have since written the band off as a "sell out" whatever that means, American audiences and radio have embraced them. While this music isn't immediately challenging on the surface, there's a lot here, far more than reveals itself in a casual listen. From the jump, Gomez was deeply influenced by heavy songwriting acts like the Band, as well as Tom Waits and the best of the post-punk groups. The ability to hone a song lyrically and produce it in such a manner that it extends both the song and the listener is no mean trick. Produced by Brian Deck, A New Tide isn't so much a departure of the band's last ATO album, How We Operate, as it is a deepening of the vein that inspired those songs, and a much more experimental way of creating in the studio. Beautiful pop hooks at the end of "If I Ask You Nicely" spread the upright bass and organ's lyrical frame which commences the tune, offering listeners a seamless pop song that is as sophisticated as it is catchy. It is balanced by the echo-laden layers of National Steel guitars and cello that introduce "Win Park Slope," a place where the blues meet shakers, piano, and other strings and loops in a gorgeous, languid, and nocturnal love song where all is not as it appears. "Natural Reaction," with its beautiful three-part harmonies and mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars is an accessible, yet intimate and very complex structure for an Americana-flavored pop song. "Very Strange" goes back and forth between a country, cut time love song and a bony rocker. The dynamics shift, textures stretch the melodic frame to the limit but never abandon it. A New Tide is an extremely consistent, drenched-in-sonic-pleasure listening experience. These men are all relatively young and have become such confident songwriters and recording artists, it's a wonder they don't top the charts here: they sound unlike anyone else and need no bombast or hype-drenched press releases or magazine articles to create a buzz around them. Gomez simply do what they do, quietly sharpening, expanding, and refining the craft of writing and recording great songs and great albums. This is an excellent next step. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
How We Operate is Gomez's first studio offering on the ATO imprint, and it's a (mostly) quiet stunner. Produced by Gil Norton and recorded in London, the album is a deft collection of well-molded pop songs that sound of a piece. They're full of ingenious little hooks, fine singing, poetics and to-the-point lyrics, and cool guitars. After popping this disc into the deck and hitting "play," it may be tempting to do a double-take at the cover for a moment, given the music the band has released in the past. But that sound -- with Tom Gray's evocative voice at the front -- is unmistakable. This is the sound of a band sitting around facing one another and concentrating on writing and executing songs that stand the test of time, using multiple songwriters of equal gift and merit. In five or ten years, How We Operate will not sound any more dated than, say, Ronnie Lane's Anymore for Anymore; in other words, not at all. The world doesn't shatter with this set, the vision of rock's future salvation (a load of crap they were shouldered with by the manic, next-big-thing-of-the-week of Brit music tabloids with their debut Bring It On) from its current dregs -- how else could a record by Wolfmother actually get released and promoted? -- doesn't occur. But what does is that this quintet, who has so gradually come into its own via a stubborn insistence on sticking to its own principles, has grown immeasurably and become a unit of utter confidence and consistent vision that insists on excellence and will settle for nothing less. Gomez's adherence to the principles of good songwriting craft -- melody, harmony, rhythm, and lyrical economy -- serves them, and ultimately the listener, in spades. This is not some weepy, introspective sheaf of tunes that are full of overburdened metaphors stretched to the breaking point. The opener, "Notice," begins quietly and unhurriedly, with an acoustic guitar, a whispering bassline, and a brushed snare, as the vocalist tells an expressionistic story about opportunity, wasted, grasped, reckoned with in both life and love, with lies told, ignored in denial, and forgotten. The electric guitars kick in on the chorus, and the drums begin to pop. The verse is repeated and eventually comes to a ringing series of crescendos that are restrained yet powerful enough to hold the listener in its grip. "See the World" could have been written by R.E.M. before they started bullsh*tting and thinking they were more than they were. One can also hear an optimistic Jay Farrar in here. The bright, down-home acoustic guitars, the "sha-la-la" chorus, the exhortation to go out and get more from life, and the gorgeous meld of electric guitars and backing vocals are simply a joy to listen to. This doesn't mean there aren't rockers here. Far from it. Tracks such as "Hamoa Beach" that start out acoustically develop into sonically overdriven forays into margin-challenging guitar pyrotechnics. "Girlshapedlovedrug" has a hook to die for in its intro, and the volume level continues to rise from there without the harmonically taut, bright, sparkling Ottwell vocals and ramped-up six-strings. "Cry on Demand" has a knotty, angular lyric line, but rounds itself in the rollicking chorus and between verse fills. "Charley Patton Song," doesn't deal with the blues whatsoever, despite its title. Instead, there is an atmospheric, floating, dreamy quality to its sophisticated verse structure that never leaves out the end-of-line hook. There are strange sounds in its background that sound like a cembalom or hammered dulcimer chiming above the rest of the instruments, and a simple organ line that shimmers underneath it all. The bridge changes the nature of the entire track, Gomez pretends to let the tension out of the bag for a short bit and enters into dissonant interplay between drums and detuned guitars. The album almost whispers to a close on "Don't Make Me Laugh," where a gentle country groove unhurriedly glides in and offers the singer a breezy window to observe his unwillingness to compromise himself for another opportunity with a lost love. There are rock overtones that begin to bleed in the instrumental bridge, tension once more rises before being given the air to breathe and float away as the cut comes to a leisurely close amid almost jaunty strings and a slide playing in the high register. How We Operate is strong, focused, and a complete pleasure to engage; its maturity and confidence is beyond anything they've released thus far, and the experimentalism brought into play on their other albums is here, though the textures, tempos, and frameworks are significantly other. Above all, this is most certainly a Gomez record, one they couldn't possibly have created earlier; its maturity and confidence offer a new dimension to a sound that's already full of complexity, paradox, and a pronounced, now intractable, identity. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Despite the fact that they were signed to a label before they ever played a live show, Gomez quickly became known as a great live act due to their solid musicianship, ability to create new arrangements on the spot, and no-nonsense, energetic performances where the band seem to be enjoying themselves as much as the fans. Apparently, they had wanted to release a live album for some time, but could not reach an agreement with Virgin, so when Gomez and Virgin parted ways following the release of Split the Difference in 2004, the time seemed right. They played a three-night stand at San Francisco's famed Fillmore in January of 2005, signed with ATO, and released Out West in June of the same year. The set draws from all four of their albums (leaning heavily on the first album) with a couple choice covers thrown in. Most of the tunes are similar to their studio counterparts, just rocked up a bit in a live context with an extra emphasis on guitars. In fact, the guitars are louder and more forceful on nearly every track, and the crisp recording really lets you hear the details. "Here Comes the Breeze" and "Bring It On" especially benefit from more guitar, and both "Here Comes the Breeze" and "Whippin' Piccadilly" get kicked up a notch or two by Olly Peacock's ferocious drumming. They do a stomping cover of Tom Waits' "Going Out West" and an interesting cover of Nick Drake's "Black Dog," which segues nicely into "Free to Run" and on into "Ping One Down." There may be a fan favorite or two missing from the set list, but the selections are excellent overall, and it's nice to have a sample of what they sound like live, whether you've missed them to this point or just want a great-sounding souvenir. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Split the Difference, the fourth album from Gomez, is a real return to basics for the band. The rampant sonic experimentalism that characterized In Our Gun is largely absent (although there are some excellent details down in the mix) in favor of some straight-up rock & roll. Working with someone outside the band for the first time, Gomez brought in Tchad Blake, and the result is their most straightforward rock album yet. The songs are lean, filled with great melodies, singalong choruses, and their trademark vocal harmonies. And there are some big sounds on this album, with some of the most muscular bass playing heard yet on a Gomez album, and killer guitar sounds: for instance, the super-crunchy overdriven guitar on "Where Ya Going?" that sounds more like a squall than a solo. Also, Olly Peacock's drumming should not go unmentioned, giving the songs just what they need, from the great shuffle groove of "These 3 Sins" to the driving "Where Ya Going?"; the man is a tasteful powerhouse. Gomez is a guitar band (count 'em, three guitar players), but they are nothing remotely resembling a jam band, despite having fans from that community. There is no endless jamming, or even prominent guitar solos to speak of. Actually, without really sounding like it at all, Split the Difference has the feel of Exile on Main St., in that it covers practically every kind of roots rock/rock & roll idiom with a certain effortlessness, all filtered through Gomez's strong personality. The Junior Kimbrough cover, "Meet Me in the City" drives this analogy home (not to mention "Sweet Virginia"), providing something of a similar change-of-pace interlude as "I Just Want to See His Face" off Exile, with both being positioned about two-thirds of the way into the album. The first two singles, "Catch Me Up" and "Silence" are catchy rockers, while "Sweet Virginia" (not the Stones' song) and "There It Was" should satisfy those who enjoy ballads like "Tijuana Lady" (which should not always be taken at face value with Gomez, by the way). Actually, there's not a weak song on the entire album. For those who have been waiting for Gomez to come up with something that truly rivals their amazing debut Bring It On, wait no longer. This one is great. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Gomez is back with their third proper album, following the B-sides and rarities collection Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline. The time off has served them well, as In Our Gun has all the elements that made their debut so great, and then some. The album starts strong, with "Shot Shot sporting a great up-tempo Gomez groove with some tasty sax touches that show up on several tracks. As the album unfolds, it seems the Gomez boys have been listening to quite a bit of dub. There is also a bit more in the way of electronica influence and sound processing on some tracks, but Gomez never forget they're a rock band. In fact, one of their strongest assets is their ability to absorb and integrate musical influences and still sound like no one but themselves. Even though "Ruff Stuff"'s odd synth sounds and the weird psychedelic interlude in "Drench" haven't been heard from these guys before, there's no mistaking that it's Gomez. They cover a lot of musical territory, from ballads like "In our Gun" and "Sound of Sounds" to "Army Dub" to the rousing closer "Ballad of Nice and Easy," with all the effortlessness displayed on Bring It On. Great songs, cool arrangements, and excellent production; In Our Gun is another winner from Gomez. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In the wake of Brit-pop's unraveling and the legitimization of prog rock by Radiohead and Spiritualized, Gomez was seen as the future of Brit-rock upon their debut. Bring It On was caught between those two poles: traditionalist on one hand, yet striving for a larger goal. Gomez's secondhand appropriations of American music, crossed with ambling arrangements and a hazy atmosphere indigenous to home recordings, won them a larger audience who expected the group's second album, Liquid Skin, to be a great breakthrough. They may be disappointed to find that it's not. Instead, Liquid Skin is a cleaner, more streamlined version of the debut; it's clear that the band made the move from the garage into a professional studio. In doing so, they wound up with a dead ringer for Pearl Jam's No Code, in which America's best traditionalist band of the '90s strove for a glorious, pan-ethnic mess and pretty much succeeded. Liquid Skin doesn't rival No Code, not just because Gomez isn't as passionate, but also because Pearl Jam didn't sound as self-conscious or predictable when they decided to stretch out. Throughout the record, Gomez betrays their age, playing music that they believe to be experimental or rootsy, but not quite going far enough in either direction. This was true of Bring It On as well, but the cleaner sound and improved focus brings these factors to the forefront. And, frankly, that's not such a bad thing, either. In this context, they might not seem as adventurous (and, therefore, important), but they do bring back varying strands in interesting ways. They still seem to be trying too hard, and treading water in doing so. Still, Liquid Skin will satisfy fans of the first record, just as it will undoubtedly frustrate those who didn't get with them the first time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
