Gomez - A New Tide Review

Posted by Jes Tones on 04.01.2009

British indie rockers Gomez release sixth studio album…however, it’s my first with these fellas. Did “A New Tide” compel me to keep Gomez streaming, or merely catch and release?

This quintet has been rocking out for over 10 years now, and yet I’m just now becoming acquainted with Gomez. The band’s debut album, “Bring It On,” beat out bands including Massive Attack and The Verve to win the Mercury Music Prize for best album in 1998. Did anyone tell me? No. I decided to check out this album because one of my friends kept flogging me with emails about going to a Gomez show with him and I was like “who the F-- is Gomez??”. Well, now I know. Gomez is:

Ben Ottewell--guitar/vocals
Ian Ball--guitar/vocals
Tom Gray--keyboard/vocals
Paul Blackburn--bass
Olly Peacock--drums

…and they have a brand-spanking new album out, and a CD release show tonight in New York City. Again, I reiterate my disclaimer above: I am approaching this album from a historically detached perspective--this is the first Gomez album I’ve listened to, which obviously puts me in no position to compare it to any of the band’s previous albums. Ideally, I would have gone out and bought all the previous albums before reviewing “A New Tide”, but, well, 411 just doesn’t pay me enough (er, anything) for that sort of thing. The way I see it, if Tide can stand on its own two feet, I’ll be incentivized to go back and check out its predecessors (and maybe you will too).



According to the band’s current label, Dave Matthews’ ATO Records, “early tracks” from Tide were “written and recorded individually and then merged online” because the members are now scattered across the US and UK. If by “early tracks” they mean, say, tracks 1-3, I’d be inclined to say this is not a good approach for Gomez. On the other hand, if by “early tracks” they mean the tracks the band finished first, well, I have no idea which tracks were finished first, but if they included tracks 4-11, by all means keep these boys separated!

Track Listing:
01. Mix
02. Little Pieces
03. If I Ask You Nicely
04. Lost Track
05. Win Park Slope
06. Bone Tired
07. Airstream Driver
08. Natural Reaction
09. Very Strange
10. Other Plans
11. Sunset Gates
*Bonus Track: Engine - available only on iTunes

Ultimately the album (and the band members) came together in recording studios in Chicago, IL and Charlottesville, VA, and incorporated a number of guest musicians, including vocals from Amy Milan (Broken Social Scene), bass from Josh Abrams (The Roots, Sam Prekop, Godspeed You Black Emperor!), cello from Oliver Krauss (David Gray, Paul Weller, Beth Orton) and various instruments from Stuart Bogie (Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra). The band also joined up with producer Brain Deck, also a musician, who has produced bands including Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine and Counting Crows. The result: an at times dense and layered, yet distinctively varied, sound, most notably on tracks 5, 6, 7 and 10 (“Win Park Slope,” “Bone Tired,” “Airstream Driver” and “Other Plans,” respectively, which were the clear stand-out tracks in my mind).

I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but again it’s true here: it was quite a hurdle for me to move past the first three (relatively bland) tracks and finally start enjoying A New Tide. Track 4 (“Lost Track”) also left me on the fence--I was initially drawn in by its simple, escalating melody, but then I felt lost by the abrupt and patchy interlude in the last minute of the song that felt more like an improvised ending to an otherwise unfinished track. But then the somewhat bluesy and lingering “Win Park Slope” came along and suddenly I was paying attention.

And just when I thought I might have a blues/rock album on my hands, “Bone Tired” interrupted, seemingly without pause between the prior track, and it was apparent that this was a band with real depth. Tired has the same Ray LaMontagne or perhaps David Gray-ish sound that was evident in “Lost Track” and even somewhat in “Little Pieces,” but here it was merely a comparison in postscript, a likeness drawn for the convenience of description, rather than feeling derivative. Tired left me uncharacteristically dreamy and somewhat melancholy, but the next track, “Airstream Driver,” leaves no room for dreaming or sleeping. (Think that one Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album that didn’t suck.)

“Natural Reaction” takes a step back, again invoking the likes of David Gray with its simple melody and lyrical focus, and both “Very Strange” and “Other Plans” follow its lead, with Strange picking up the pace a little, yet somehow still feeling like a drag, and Plans chiming in like a terminal lullaby (it’s been awhile since I’ve listened to them, but this track sounded a lot like a Death Cab For Cuties song to me…in a good way). The final track, “Sunset Gates,” is much the same, perhaps a bit catchier, but lacking in the temperate depth of the previous two tracks.

Just incase you’re wondering…
Upcoming Tour Dates:

Mar 31 - Bowery Ballroom, NY, NY [CD Release - Sold Out]
Apr 01 - The Haunt, Ithaca, NY
Apr 02 - Pearl Street Ballroom, Northampton, Mass.
Apr 03 - Music Hall of Williamsburg [Sold Out]
Apr 16 - Barrowlands, Glasgow
Apr 17 - O2 Academy, Leeds
Apr 19 - Junction, Cambridge
Apr 20 - Academy, Manchester
Apr 21 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
Apr 22 - UEA, Norwich
Apr 24 - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
Apr 26 - O2 Academy, Bristol
Apr 27 - O2 Academy, Oxford
Apr 28 - O2 Academy, Liverpool
Apr 30 - The Academy, Dublin
May 1 - Mandela Hall, Belfast
June 11-14 - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 2009, Manchester, TN

Ian Ball (who also has a solo record - “Who Goes There”) and Ben Ottewell each do solo tours on occasion as well. You can listen to the entire album (minus the bonus track) here and for your viewing pleasure, check out the live rendition of “Airstream Driver” below.

The 411: It took awhile, but ultimately I think Gomez has worked its way into my permanent repertoire. I won’t be listening to this album daily, but won’t forget it soon either. If you’re already a fan of the band, I doubt this album will disappoint you. If you are a newbie (like me), I urge you to check it out. And if you are reading this and have a favorite previously-released Gomez album, leave me a comment to tell me which one to check out next!

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]