FILE UNDER: Gomez Version 2.
CORPORATE LINE: For How We Operate, their fifth studio album, Gomez didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel. Oh no. The British quintet just wanted to change the blueprint for a different sort of rounded object: Their own records.
“As a creative partnership, and as friends, we had to regroup and make a career-defining record,” says Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboards). Longtime cohort Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitar) concurs. “The last album” — the 2004 studio set Split the Difference — “was pretty rocking, and reflected the live show a lot. With this one, we wanted to focus on songs, melodies and words, rather than volume.”
Gomez — which also features Ian Ball (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Paul Blackburn (bass, guitar), and Olly Peacock (drums) — have been playing together for a decade now; they celebrate the tenth anniversary of their first gig in October, 2006. But their friendships date back even further; Ian and Olly have been friends since they were still in short pants, while the rest of the lads rallied around as the duo progressed through academia. Drawing on their disparate tastes, which ranged from Nirvana to Woody Guthrie, Motown singles to barbershop quartets, they honed a one-of-a-kind sound that incorporated all their influences around their shared point of reference: A deep, abiding love for creative music of all stripes.
THE GOOD:
“See The World” – Ben Ottewell’s voice is gorgeous. Its gruff vibrato is undeniable making this a song you’d expect to hear at a battle of the bands in the hills of West Virginia.
“How We Operate” – Again Ottewell’s bluesy voice makes you listen as he hits the chorus and the rest of the band meet him with the same vigor.
“Girlshapedlovedrug” – Honestly, this is the only song Ian Ball sings that has ever turned me on. He nails it. This could be a hit here in America. Maybe Gomez will finally make their mark in the States.
THE AVERAGE:
“Notice” – This doesn’t sound like Gomez. It sounds like a band trying to write a hit and bring a little of the Gomez flavor. It doesn’t have that untamed spirit of the Gomez we’ve long admired.
“Hamoa Beach” – As with “Notice,” Ian Ball’s vocals don’t measure up to Ottewell’s power or urgency. Often Ball sounds like he is a pop singer that has joined the Dave Matthews band.
THE BAD:
“Woman! Man!” – A throwaway song that should have been left behind for a B-Side.
FRANKLY: Gomez joined Dave Matthews ATO record label and interestingly his style has rubbed off on Gomez. They go for a richer sound without all the gimmicky sound effects. Also, this is the first album, which I know of, Gomez actually used a producer. The album sounds fuller and more focused than any Gomez release to date.
+ Rae Gun
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