In a world populated by sound alike nü rockers and pop princesses, Gomez is a breath of clean, cool, fresh air. Yet surprisingly their sound is nothing new. What the British band has done is meld straight ahead rock and roll with blues, Britpop, and various other similar rock genres. The resulting concoction is nothing less than brilliant and something creeping up on a classic.
Gomez was birthed in England in 1996 in a sea of retro rockers, Britpoppers, and trip-hoppers. The five founding members proved creatively powerful from the beginning with their 1998 Virgin debut Bring It On. The album found support in both Britain and stateside and actually landed the esteemed Mercury Music Prize for 1998 Album of the Year beating out other amazing nominees including Pulp (This Is Hardcore), Cornershop (When I Was Born for the 7th Time), Verve (Urban Hymns), Massive Attack (Mezzanine), Robbie Williams (Life Through A Lens) and Catatonia (International Velvet) among other acts.
While the band sounds like a one-man venture, Gomez is in reality the combination of five talented sets of hands. Ben Ottewell provides smoky, bluesy vocals and a guitar; Tom Gray fascinates with his own vocals, a guitar, and keyboards; Paul Blackburn gives good bass; Olly Peacock keeps rhythm; and Ian Ball fills in the gaps with additional vocals, guitar, and even the occasional harmonica. As already mentioned, this is atypical British music…especially for 1998. Most cleanly compared to the rawer works of Beck and possibly even the British answer to Blues Traveler, Gomez is an incredibly talented act as evidenced by their shimmering rock debut.
What is most appealing about both Bring It On and Gomez is free youthful abandon. The five member of the band were only about twenty years old when this amazing album was recorded in just six weeks. Despite their inexperience, Gomez has a unique and hungry blues-rock style that’s been all but forgotten in recent years in favor of more marketable and disposable acts. Bring It On is easily digestible, amazingly assembled, and possesses ridiculous amounts of replay value. It is a must own for rock fans, indie rock fans, and Britpop fans alike. Gomez should be the future of music…we’ll see if they can live up to their potential in the years to come. In the years following their debut, Gomez has released two more albums of new material (Liquid Skin – 1999, In Our Gun – 2002) in addition to an album of rarities and b-sides (Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline – 2000). While each album is exceptional in its own right, Bring It On remains the band’s career highlight.
Three singles were released to the public from Bring It On. Whippin’ Piccadilly, 78 Stone Wobble, and Get Myself Arrested helped Gomez to gain critical acclaim and a fan base. But the album proved (fortunately) to be much more important than those three aforementioned singles would suggest. Though don’t underestimate the power of those carefully chosen tracks.
Get Miles is a standout opening track. Thick, winding, drugged, this traditional blues-rock opus is a wonderfully appealing introduction to Gomez. It seems unfair to classify a band as sounding very much unlike their home country, but in the case of Gomez there’s no other way to describe them. They are extremely American sounding…in a good way of course. Subsequent listens will further entertain listeners. And as Bring It On continues it gets better.
One of the best alt-rock tracks of the 1990’s (did I just say that?), Whippin’ Piccadilly is experimental although in the same breath is absolutely comfortable and flexible. Listening to this track is an adventure full of emotional creativity. And while Gomez might seem on first listen to be some sort of kitschy throwback, they are a one of a kind entity unparalleled in music today.
The album continues down the road to utter brilliance with the under respected, sparsely produced Make No Sound. It is because of songs like this that listeners need to hear the album as a whole instead of just skipping to the singles. The vocals are amazing, the light and unexpected percussion are beautiful, the acoustic guitar is driving, and the cello is nothing less than dazzling. And in this case the lyrics are just as important as the music:
Said to her there's beauty
But all she sees is pain
And while 78 Stone Wobble was a hit single, it is less appealing than many other lesser-known tracks. Even Tijuana Lady is captivating with a lightly stroked guitar, echoing vocals, and a plodding yet harmonious melody. Here Comes the Breeze and Love Is Better Than a Warm Trombone are also of interest although it is the latter that is the most enjoyable with a bluesy, down home feel.
This same relaxed feel continues through to the impressive Get Myself Arrested. Gomez performs the track with a certain fervor not often found is more seasoned acts. They sound truly inspired, entirely interested in their material. This material hasn’t been tainted by distrust, pain, hate, or money. Bring It On is the “real deal.” Equally inspired and just as intelligent is Free To Run. Despite the fact that the band is so young in years, their music is more mature than most created by artists twice their age.
Bubble Gum Years is yet another radiant track. While on the surface, listeners will be confused by the lack of traditional structure, the song is in fact a lovely venture into experimentalism. Bordering on the psychedelic, Bubble Gum Year may be one of the most inaccessible tracks here despite the fact that without question this Gomez offering eclipses any effort by the majority of acts today. It feels old, it feels comfortable, and like the rest of ‘em it won’t ever feel dated.
The final two tracks provide a nice finish for this overall impressive album. Rie’s Wagon has all the makings of a new-blues-rock classic while The Come Back is a brief instrumental capped off with a swift trombone ending.
Gomez couldn’t have made a better impression. The fact is that rock music in the late 1990’s even through today has been in rough shape. Too many bands seem to fit a certain album-selling mold. There’s only so much of Crud—errr Creed—that one can listen to before regurgitating their lunch. Gomez is something new and different yet completely comfortable and absolutely appealing to all fans of alt-rock and blues-rock. This is the best American band to have debuted in the last five years…unfortunately they hail from the north of England.
Three words. BUY THIS ALBUM.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Get Miles
02. Whippin’ Piccadilly
03. Make No Sound
04. 78 Stone Wobble
05. Tijuana Lady
06. Here Comes the Breeze
07. Love Is Better Than a Warm Trombone
08. Get Myself Arrested
09. Free To Run
10. Bubble Gum Years
11. Rie’s Wagon
12. The Come Back
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