Gomez - How we Operate

I first got into Gomez when they released Liquid Skin. I loved that album so much. So many great tunes, so much variety in the sound. My particular favourites on that album were Bring it On, Revolutionary Kind, Rhythm & Blues Alibi and the beautiful We Haven't Turned Around. One of the many great things about this band is the fact that they have two vocalists, a bit of a unique selling point in my book.

They followed up Liquid Skin with In Our Gun, which was a little more experimental than their previous albums but still had a broad range of styles. I was lucky enough to get to see them tour in support of this album and, while it wasn't one of the best gigs I have been to (Radiohead in Victoria Park on the Kid A tour wins easily!), it was really good fun. By this stage I was becoming a bit of a Gomez fan. I have to say I am not normally into so-called 'indie' music, but this felt different. There seemed to be a lot more depth in their songs compared to many of their contemporaries.

Split the Difference was their next album release. Produced by Tchad Blake (who also produced Binaural), this was a real departure as all their previous albums were self-produced. The album's sales were disappointing, however, and it was the last album to be released on the Hut label. Their new album How We Operate was released today. Produced by Gil Norton (who produced the Foo Fighters superb The Colour and the Shape - still their best album) I have high hopes that this will see a return to form (I am writing this on my first listen, and so far so good) as it will be jostling for position with the frankly superb Pearl Jam album!! If you are interested in picking up a Gomez album, go for Liquid Skin or Bring it On (their first album, I didn't get into it but you might!!) two of the best British albums of the past ten years