Music Monday-8/11/2014 Gomez

John Says,

It’s hard for me to believe but there was once a time in my life when I sought out new rock’n’roll bands to listen to.  I still try to an extent.  I like Arcade Fire when I hear one of their songs.  I like them when my wife plays me one of their songs.  But I can’t get through an Arcade Fire album.  You can pretty much insert most bands/solo artists from the last ten years into that category for me.  Still…I do try.

But back in 1998 I was hot for new music.  I bought all of the music rags.  One of the big ones for me was MOJO magazine. Their December 1998 covered featured a band called Gomez, who had just won the Mercury Music Prize for that September for their debut album, Bring it On.  On the cover of MOJO Gomez was hailed as “the band we’ve all been waiting for.”  On that phrase alone I bought their debut album, and have been a huge fan ever since.

The basics:  Gomez formed around 1996 and for nearly twenty years (twenty years?) has had the same members: Ian Ball (vocals, guitar), Paul Blackburn (bass), Tom Gray (vocal, guitar, keyboard), Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitar), and Olly Peacock (drums and other assorted instrumentation).  The band is a fine mixture of blues, folk, rock, indie, with a mix of low-fi/psychedelics.  Think The Beatles mixed with The Band with just a touch of Beck.  In fact, Gomez is one of the few bands around to sport three lead vocalists (Ball, Gray, and Ottewell), and four members of the band are tasked with writing their songs.

For me, it’s the band dynamic and comradery of the five members that keeps me coming back for more.  It’s the close, intimate songwriting and the harmonies.  Christ, it’s the fun that I find in a Gomez album.  How many bands these days sound like they’re having fun?

Gomez have released seven proper albums: Bring it on (1998), Liquid Skin (1999), In Our Gun (2002), Split the Difference (2004), How We Operate (2006), A New Tide (2009) and Whatever is on Your Mind (2011).  They also have a live album, a couple of compilation discs, and a few Eps out there.

They are also a fantastic live act.  My wife and I saw Gomez in the summer of 2012 at Terminal 5 in New York City.  Everything that could’ve gone wrong with that show went wrong.  The opening act had to bail, and Ben Ottewell lost his voice.  I sneezed on some chick and she threw a fit.  But the rest of Gomez carried on and brought the fans a fantastic show.

For your listening pleasure I give you a 14 song Gomez primer to find and enjoy on your own:

Do One, Notice, We Haven’t Turned Around, Whippin’ Piccadilly, Charley Patton Songs,  Revolutionary Kind, Options, I Will Take You There, Get Miles, Catch Me Up, How We Operate, Tijuana Lady, Get Myself Arrested, and Sure Shot