Gomez Album: “Split the Difference”

For those of you that have heard Gomez before:

Back with their fourth album, Gomez has created another masterpiece of texture and sound. Unlike previous efforts, however, Split the Difference has a much higher quantity of upbeat songs. That's not to say that the old Gomez is not there anymore.

It's present in songs like Me, You and Everybody and Meet Me in the City. Songs like Catch Me Up, Where Ya Going and Chicken Out might surprise you with how much they don't sound like their previous work, but there's no denying they're from Gomez. Two tracks don't work all that well. Extra Special Guy is in the vein of Rough Stuff, with the lyrics destroying an otherwise ok song, and There It Was is a snoozer much like Sound of Sounds was. All in all, however, this album has Gomez branching out without them loosing their sound. Split the Difference is definitely a triumph of an album.

For those of you that haven't heard Gomez before:

Gomez is probably the best band that most people have heard but never heard of before. They've been in commercials (performing Getting Better for the Phillips Magnavox), movies (in the background in American Beauty, Gone in 60 Seconds and in the previews of Walking Tall) and on TV (MTV uses them for background on many of their shows). They don't get much play on the radio, though, and so they largely spread by word of mouth. The biggest criticism of Gomez has been about how inaccessible they are. Many of their best tracks reach into the 5-7 minute range and don't have as much hook or drive as many of today's more popular rock. While long meandering tracks had their heyday in the 70's, today most of the songs being played now tend to be short and simple. Songs incorporating many ideas have given way to songs playing one idea to death.

Some of the problem is that Gomez is hard to categorize. They aren't Punk (of any era), but they also aren't hard Rock (as many of the distortion driven post-grunge bands are). They aren't neo-folk (as in Jack Johnson and Ben Harper) or garage rock (as in the Strokes and the Hives). The best description might be British Traditional Rock, but even that doesn't apply all that well to Gomez. The only way to truly categorize them is to say they're good.

Gomez has finally responded to this new landscape by shortening their songs and picking the tempo up a bit (they still incorporate many ideas into each track). The result is their most accusable album to date. While there are no tracks that will explode onto the scene and saturate the airwaves, most of the tracks are instantly likeable and all of the tracks get better on each subsequent listen. Many of the songs, like Catch Me Up and Silence, will hook you on the first listen. They have Others, like Meet Me In the City and Sweet Virginia, hearken back to the old Gomez and will take a few listens before you really get into them. In the end, however, Gomez should win many people over with this gem of an album.

For everybody:

Whether you're just now discovering Gomez or you've been a fan for a while, Split the Difference will not disappoint. It is one of the best rock albums this year.

Seeing as the reviews of this album have been mixed, I think that fans must recognize the fact that each Gomez album has been somewhat of a departure from the prior. Whilst the intitial awe-inspiring briliance of Bring It On floored me, it took a while to realize there was no practical reason for which Liquid Skin should sound the same. Furthermore, In Our Gun was an enormous departure from the first two, in that it incorporated more of a darker side with a beasties-inflected rhythym.

Now we have Split the Difference which, not so suprisingly, is another chapter. The songs may be tuneful and you can sing along to them, but so are Whippin' Piccadilly, Get Myself Arrested, Tiajuana Lady, We Haven't Turned Around, and Ping One Down (I could go on further).

Maybe Ben is your favorite singer. Or Ian. Or Tom. It doesn't really matter. The fact that they make beautiful music that is more enjoyable and danceable than most everyone does. The new songs sounded great live in February (before the album was even available) and still do. Sweet Virginia has to be one of the greatest, most belated answer songs in a long time. Extra Special Guy is funny yet earnest. And Catch Me Up is one of the best singles of the year.

Buy it, burn it, give it to your friends.

I think this might be their best yet.

As with all Gomez albums, the first listen is slightly dissappointing. Then they grow and grow on you. I can't stop listening to this album every morning. The band sound like an updated young version of all my favourite artists in one: Hendrix, Beatles, the Who, Radiohead, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Led Zeppelin...all mixed up with a cheeky grin.

The musicianship and arrangements are spot on. The drumming is especially imaginative and energetic this time.

It's more 60s pop/rock than the others before. Fewer blissed out moments than the previous albums, but perfect for listening to loud as a cheery wake up call in the morning.

My favourite album ever.

British rockers Gomez have had to live with the hype of their acclaimed 1998 debut album "Bring It On" (which won multiple awards). Since then, they have searched and tried to live up to that acclaim, with mixed results, and now here comes their 4th album, and it's great to see that Gomez is finally, truly back in the saddle!

"Split the Difference" (13 tracks, 50 min.) is a return to the all out rock'n'roll that brought the acclaim. The album starts off with a blasting "Do One" and doesn't let up from there. "Where Ya Going" reminds me of early-Pearl Jam, just great. "Silence" (a UK single) is almost a pop song (and I mean that as acompliment). "Catch Me Up" (another UK single) just rocks great. "Sweet Virginia" (not to be confused with the Rolling Stones tune of the same name) is a gorgeous ballad. There is really no bad song on the album. If there is a weak track, it's the closer "There It Was".

For those of you who fell in love with Gomez' debut, this is the true and worthy follow-up. For those of you new to Gomez, this is one of the better 2004 albums so far, please check it out!

Dont give up on it. Much like In Our Gun, it took me a few listens to really appreciate it. To be honest, the first couple listens I really didn't like it and was rather disappointed. Now I am a believer. Gomez is one of the best bands around and gets better with age.