Gomez | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Gomez are a five-piece British act consisting of Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitar), Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Paul Blackburn (bass, guitar), Olly Peacock (drums), and Ian Ball (vocals, guitar, harmonica). Emerging during a time in which the majority of up-and-coming British bands were either retro-pop (à la Oasis), trip-hop (Portishead), or space rock (the Verve, Radiohead), Gomez were one of the few to feature bluesy influences. The Southport boys debut for Virgin Records, Bring It On, received praise from rock critics on both sides of the Atlantic and received the distinguished Mercury Music Prize for 1998s Album of the Year, edging out such stiff competition as Massive Attacks Mezzanine and the Verves Urban Hymns. Gomez completed an inaugural U.S. tour opening for Eagle-Eye Cherry in October 1998, while the press still offered praise (Spin magazine called Bring It On "a damn beautiful album," giving it an eight out of ten rating). Liquid Skin followed one year later and went platinum in England, and the rarities/B-sides compilation Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline appeared in 2000. A third studio album, In Our Gun, was released in spring 2002. Another hiatus saw Ian Ball relocating to Los Angeles while still working with the band at its new studio in Portslade, England. The dozens of tracks recorded during this time were whittled down and fashioned into Split the Difference, released in May of 2004. By that time, Hut, the groups original label, had gone under, leaving Gomez signed to Virgin (Huts distributor). Despite all the critical acclaim, the bands album sales never seemed to match Virgins expectations, and the two sides parted ways later that year. In 2005, Gomez signed with ATO Records and released Out West, the groups first live album. How We Operate arrived in May 2006, and the band rounded out the year by assembling a retrospective collection of singles, rarities, and unreleased tracks entitled Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004. Gomezs members were spread across two continents by this point, leading to a three-year gap between How We Operate and the bands sixth studio release, A New Tide, parts of which were recorded individually by the various bandmates and then merged online. Ben Ottewell took some time after its release to launch a solo career, with 2011s Shapes & Shadows marking his first major release outside of the band. Months later, the band released another studio album, Whatevers on Your Mind, with Phantom Planets Sam Farrar sharing production duties with the bandmates themselves. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 16 Title: Bring It On Released: 1998-04-13 Tracks: 28 Duration: 1:56:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Get Miles (05:17) 2 Whippin’ Piccadilly (03:12) 3 Make No Sound (03:28) 4 78 Stone Wobble (04:23) 5 Tijuana Lady (07:10) 6 Here Comes the Breeze (05:30) 7 Love Is Better Than a Warm Trombone (03:31) 8 Get Myself Arrested (04:05) 9 Free to Run (04:33) 10 Bubble Gum Years (03:22) 11 Rie’s Wagon (09:10) 12 The Comeback (00:44) 1 Here Comes the Breeze (06:08) 2 Brother Lead (04:38) 3 78 Stone Shuffle (03:27) 4 The Way You Do the Things You Do (03:02) 5 Stag O Lee (02:58) 6 Whippin Piccadilly (03:15) 7 Ries Wagon (05:29) 8 Who’s Gonna Go the Bar (05:06) 9 Steve McCroski (04:06) 10 Wham Bam (03:04) 11 Flavors (03:18) 12 Old School Shirt (03:32) 13 The Cowboy Song (01:16) 14 Whippin Piccadilly (Turbo version) (03:19) 15 Pussyfootin (03:53) 16 Pick Up the Pieces (05:26) |
| Bring It On : Allmusic album Review : On their debut album, Bring It On, Englands Gomez introduce their original take on bluesy roots rock. Unlike Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, this isnt amphetamine-fueled freak-out music but similar at times to Becks acoustic-based work (One Foot in the Grave), with more going on vocally. The band has a total of three strong vocalists, who can switch from pretty harmonies to gutsy blues outpourings in the blink of an eye. The band manages to cover a lot of ground convincingly on Bring It On, which is unusual, since it commonly takes bands the course of a few releases to hone their sound. The three British singles released from the album are definite highlights -- "Get Myself Arrested," "Whippin Piccadilly," and "78 Stone Wobble," the latter containing a beautifully haunting acoustic guitar riff similar to Nirvanas unplugged version of the Meat Puppets "Plateau." All the praise that Gomezs debut received is definitely not hype. The album is consistently great, as proven by such tracks as "Tijuana Lady," "Love Is Better Than a Warm Trombone," and "Get Myself Arrested." | ||
 | Album: 2 of 16 Title: Liquid Skin Released: 1999-09-13 Tracks: 11 Duration: 55:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hangover (03:27) 2 Revolutionary Kind (04:32) 3 Bring It On (04:10) 4 Blue Moon Rising (04:48) 5 Las Vegas Dealer (03:55) 6 We Haven’t Turned Around (06:29) 7 Fill My Cup (04:39) 8 Rhythm & Blues Alibi (05:03) 9 Rosalita (04:05) 10 California (07:24) 11 Devil Will Ride (06:56) |
| Liquid Skin : Allmusic album Review : In the wake of Brit-pops 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. Gomezs 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 groups second album, Liquid Skin, to be a great breakthrough. They may be disappointed to find that its not. Instead, Liquid Skin is a cleaner, more streamlined version of the debut; its 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 Jams No Code, in which Americas best traditionalist band of the 90s strove for a glorious, pan-ethnic mess and pretty much succeeded. Liquid Skin doesnt rival No Code, not just because Gomez isnt as passionate, but also because Pearl Jam didnt 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, thats 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 didnt get with them the first time. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 16 Title: Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline / Machismo EP Released: 2000 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:16:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Shitbag 9 (00:30) 2 Bring Your Lovin’ Back Here (03:36) 3 Emergency Surgery (03:05) 4 Hit on the Head (01:24) 5 Flavors (03:12) 6 78 Stone Shuffle (03:27) 7 We Haven’t Turned Around (X-Ray) (03:17) 8 Buena Vista (08:59) 9 Shitbag (01:03) 10 Steve McCroski (04:33) 11 Wharf Me (03:21) 12 High on Liquid Skin (02:23) 13 Rosemary (05:50) 14 The Cowboy Song (01:16) 15 Getting Better (03:38) 1 Machismo (03:36) 2 Do’s and Don’ts (02:08) 3 Touchin’ Up (04:35) 4 Waster (03:03) 5 The Dajon Song (13:28) |
 | Album: 4 of 16 Title: Machismo E.P. Released: 2000-05-01 Tracks: 5 Duration: 26:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Machismo (03:36) 2 Do’s and Don’ts (02:08) 3 Touchin’ Up (04:35) 4 Waster (03:03) 5 The Dajon Song (13:28) |
 | Album: 5 of 16 Title: Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline Released: 2000-09-25 Tracks: 15 Duration: 49:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Shitbag 9 (00:30) 2 Bring Your Lovin’ Back Here (03:36) 3 Emergency Surgery (03:05) 4 Hit on the Head (01:24) 5 Flavors (03:12) 6 78 Stone Shuffle (03:27) 7 We Haven’t Turned Around (X-Ray) (03:17) 8 Buena Vista (08:59) 9 Shitbag (01:03) 10 Steve McCroski (04:33) 11 Wharf Me (03:21) 12 High on Liquid Skin (02:23) 13 Rosemary (05:50) 14 The Cowboy Song (01:16) 15 Getting Better (03:38) |
| Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline : Allmusic album Review : Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline is a collection of B-sides, outtakes, and live radio sessions courtesy of Gomez. Interestingly, this collection allows Gomez to better define themselves as a band by allowing them to indulge in some of their more experimental tendencies. "Emergency Surgery" is a fine example, with its treated vocals and electro-dub musical setting. The freaky loops and overall bizarre production of "Steve McCroski" belie its live in the studio origins. Production touches are more subtle on "Flavors" but still give an other-worldly feel. The familiar is rendered unfamiliar with "We Havent Turned Around getting a radical reworking with the X-ray mix. The vocal track takes center stage, accented by a bowed bass loop and Mellotron reminiscent of the intro to "Strawberry Fields Forever." "78 Stone Wobble" from Bring It On becomes "78 Stone Shuffle" when played live in the studio; the lyrics are the same, but the song has been reinvented. "Bring Your Lovin Back Here" gets back to that "classic Gomez" sound, as does the eight-plus minute "Buena Vista," despite its Flock of Seagulls-esque guitar intro. The Beatles "Getting Better" is also included, and sounds much better (and more like Gomez) in its entirety than excerpted on that commercial. Despite the fact that this is a collection of odds and ends, Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline holds together remarkably well as an album, due to good track selection and intelligent segueing; in fact, some of the songs actually run together quite smoothly, with no break between songs. Rarely does a rock band forge such a strong identity so early in their career. This collection shows Gomez to be an extremely self-indulgent band, but their instincts are so good they pull it off without a hitch. (Initial pressings include the five-song Machismo EP as a bonus disc.) | ||
 | Album: 6 of 16 Title: In Our Gun Released: 2002-03-18 Tracks: 13 Duration: 50:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Shot Shot (02:25) 2 Rex Kramer (04:30) 3 Detroit Swing 66 (03:55) 4 In Our Gun (05:14) 5 Even Song (04:44) 6 Ruff Stuff (02:28) 7 Sound of Sounds (03:56) 8 Army Dub (03:26) 9 Miles End (04:22) 10 Ping One Down (03:20) 11 1000 Times (04:34) 12 Drench (04:37) 13 Ballad of Nice & Easy (02:51) |
| In Our Gun : Allmusic album Review : 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 theyre 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" havent been heard from these guys before, theres no mistaking that its 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. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 16 Title: Split the Difference Released: 2004-05-17 Tracks: 13 Duration: 53:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Do One (02:40) 2 These 3 Sins (02:37) 3 Silence (02:55) 4 Me, You and Everybody (04:24) 5 We Don’t Know Where We’re Going (04:42) 6 Sweet Virginia (06:06) 7 Catch Me Up (03:47) 8 Where Ya Going? (03:41) 9 Meet Me in the City (03:11) 10 Chicken Out (03:32) 11 Extra Special Guy (03:31) 12 Nothing Is Wrong (05:35) 13 There It Was (06:14) |
| Split the Difference : Allmusic album Review : 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 Peacocks 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 Gomezs 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, theres 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. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 16 Title: Out West: Live at the Fillmore Released: 2005-06-07 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:40:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Get Miles (04:47) 2 Shot Shot (03:00) 3 Hangover (03:12) 4 Going Out West (03:25) 5 Here Comes the Breeze (08:55) 6 We Havent Turned Around (04:46) 7 Fill My Cup (03:55) 8 Do One (02:45) 9 Revolutionary Kind (11:05) 1 Bring It On (05:35) 2 Nothing Is Wrong (05:00) 3 Love Is Better Than a Warm Trombone (03:35) 4 Dos and Donts (02:55) 5 Black Eyed Dog / Free to Run (08:51) 6 Ping One Down (05:36) 7 Blue Moon Rising (07:36) 8 Get Myself Arrested (05:09) 9 These 3 Sins (02:38) 10 Make No Sound (03:53) 11 Whippin Piccadilly (03:35) |
 | Album: 9 of 16 Title: How We Operate Released: 2006-05-02 Tracks: 12 Duration: 51:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Notice (04:01) 2 See the World (04:03) 3 How We Operate (05:26) 4 Hamoa Beach (03:34) 5 Girlshapedlovedrug (04:00) 6 Chasing Ghosts With Alcohol (03:42) 7 Tear Your Love Apart (04:06) 8 Charley Patton Songs (05:13) 9 Woman! Man! (04:04) 10 All Too Much (04:33) 11 Cry on Demand (04:22) 12 Don’t Make Me Laugh (04:34) |
| How We Operate : Allmusic album Review : How We Operate is Gomezs first studio offering on the ATO imprint, and its 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. Theyre 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 Grays 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 Lanes Anymore for Anymore; in other words, not at all. The world doesnt shatter with this set, the vision of rocks 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? -- doesnt 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. Gomezs 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 doesnt mean there arent 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," doesnt 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 "Dont 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 theyve 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 couldnt possibly have created earlier; its maturity and confidence offer a new dimension to a sound thats already full of complexity, paradox, and a pronounced, now intractable, identity. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 16 Title: Five Men in a Hut: As, Bs & Rarities 1998-2004 Released: 2006-10-02 Tracks: 36 Duration: 2:26:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Whippin Piccadilly (Turbo version) (03:19) 2 Best in the Town (03:52) 3 Catch Me Up (edit) (03:40) 4 Ping One Down (03:20) 5 Tanglin (02:53) 6 Bring It On (03:55) 7 Champagne for Monkeys (03:38) 8 ZYX (03:16) 9 Step Inside (06:17) 10 Blind (04:18) 11 Pop Juice (04:23) 12 78 Stone Wobble (04:21) 13 Royalty (03:22) 14 Old School Shirt (03:31) 15 Air Hostess Song (05:08) 16 Sweet Virginia (06:02) 17 Mississippi Boweevil Blues (04:29) 18 Old China (05:11) 1 Rhythm and Blues Alibi (Pre-Mellotron version) (04:18) 2 Silhouettes (04:34) 3 Silence (02:55) 4 Butterfly (03:49) 5 Get Myself Arrested (04:05) 6 Dire Tribe (04:04) 7 We Haven’t Turned Around (06:29) 8 So (03:10) 9 Shot Shot (02:25) 10 Chicken Bones (03:01) 11 Flight (03:32) 12 Pick Up the Pieces (05:26) 13 Big Man (03:41) 14 Sound of Sounds (single version) (03:45) 15 Pussyfootin (03:53) 16 Coltrane (03:23) 17 M57 (05:41) 18 Diskoloadout (03:04) |
 | Album: 11 of 16 Title: See the World: Live EP Released: 2006-10-10 Tracks: 6 Duration: 28:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Shot Shot (02:55) 2 See the World (04:16) 3 Hamoa Beach (04:01) 4 How We Operate (08:59) 5 Chasing Ghosts With Alcohol (03:51) 6 Whippin Piccadilly (04:13) |
 | Album: 12 of 16 Title: Live Session Released: 2006-12-26 Tracks: 6 Duration: 30:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Get Miles (04:20) 2 Rex Kramer (06:01) 3 How We Operate (07:25) 4 A Song for Lovers in Between the Wars (05:37) 5 See the World (04:15) 6 Whippin Piccadilly (03:01) |
 | Album: 13 of 16 Title: A New Tide Released: 2009-03-30 Tracks: 11 Duration: 44:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mix (04:19) 2 Little Pieces (03:26) 3 If I Ask You Nicely (03:09) 4 Lost Track (04:03) 5 Win Park Slope (04:22) 6 Bone Tired (02:20) 7 Airstream Driver (03:58) 8 Natural Reaction (04:18) 9 Very Strange (04:45) 10 Other Plans (04:26) 11 Sunset Gates (04:58) |
| A New Tide : Allmusic album Review : 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 whove 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 isnt immediately challenging on the surface, theres 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 isnt so much a departure of the bands 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 organs 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, its a wonder they dont 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. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 16 Title: Live Series, Volume 1: Europe 2009 Released: 2010-03-09 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:12:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Revolutionary Kind (05:02) 2 Hamoa Beach (03:42) 3 If I Ask You Nicely (03:20) 4 Meet Me in the City (04:38) 5 78 Stone Wobble (03:23) 6 Girlshapedlovedrug (04:57) 7 Tijuana Lady (07:21) 8 Rhythm & Blues Alibi (05:38) 9 Bring Your Lovin Back Here (03:10) 10 Ruff Stuff (03:16) 11 Ping One Down (07:26) 12 Mix (04:27) 13 Silence (02:53) 14 How We Operate (09:31) 15 Airstream Driver (04:08) |
 | Album: 15 of 16 Title: Whatevers on Your Mind Released: 2011-06-06 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Options (03:38) 2 I Will Take You There (04:42) 3 Whatevers on Your Mind (03:42) 4 Just as Lost as You (03:10) 5 The Place and the People (05:22) 6 Our Goodbye (03:17) 7 Song in My Heart (03:18) 8 Equalize (03:01) 9 That Wolf (03:00) 10 X-Rays (04:35) |
| Whatever's on Your Mind : Allmusic album Review : Gomez has been a remarkably consistent band over the course of 15 years or so, managing to sound like no one but themselves even while their first several albums sounded quite different from each other. On the surface, it might appear that the wild experimentalism of their early days is gone, since Whatevers on Your Mind sounds of a piece with their two other ATO releases despite another different co-producer (Sam Farrar this time out). But a closer listen reveals that the experimentalism is still there, if perhaps a bit more refined. Just listen to the different drum treatments on the different songs, or the dub-like way the instruments drop in and out of the mix at times. Or how about the crazy breakdown in "The Place and the People"? And how the song moves from drum machine and buzzing electronics to solo piano and back? Or the nasty, fuzzed-out bass on "X-Rays"? And "Equalize" is just plain noisy (in a good way). The songs are split about as equally as possible between Ian, Tom, and Ben, with Bens tunes featuring some nice strings. The first few tracks have some added horns, while harmonium and bass harmonica add some nice textures to "Just as Lost as You." Once again, this probably isnt an album thats going to bowl you over and set the world on fire; its a grower. And it shows once again that Gomez know what theyre going for and how to achieve it. Its that strong sense of identity and intimate knowledge of their craft that produce such solid, distinctive albums. The fact that theyre also a powerhouse live act explains why this is a great band with such a dedicated following. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 16 Title: Live Series, Volume 3: Los Angeles Released: 2012-04-11 Tracks: 20 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Bring It On (?) 2 Hamoa Beach (?) 3 That Wolf (?) 4 See the World (?) 5 Just as Lost as You (?) 6 Little Pieces (?) 7 The Place and the People (?) 8 Shot Shot (?) 9 I Will Take You There (?) 10 Whatevers on Your Mind (?) 11 Get Myself Arrested (?) 12 How We Operate (?) 13 Our Goodbye (?) 14 Make No Sound (?) 15 Equalize (?) 16 Ruff Stuff (?) 17 Here Comes the Breeze (?) 18 Airstream Driver (?) 19 Options (?) 20 Devil Will Ride (?) |