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Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline Label: Virgin Genre: Alternative File Under: B-sides that fly Rating: 78
 
 When young bands begin to get overwhelmed with the pressures of the recording and touring grind, their labels often talk them into putting out a "rarities" CD. This allows the musicians to kick back for a while, and it puts "product" out into the marketplace, even if it's, at best, only for diehards or, at worst, not worth releasing at all. But with Gomez, promising British mood-rockers that they are, fans have nothing to worry about. Not only is this "collection of previously unreleased material, rarities, and B-sides" far better than most such discs, but, quite frankly, it's also superior to most regular albums. "Bring Your Lovin' Back Here," the beautiful "Wharf Me," and the psyched-out "Emergency Surgery (Remix)" all work remarkably well, both as songs and as mind-bending soundscapes. With its delayed guitar and vast sound canvas, the nine-minute "Buena Vista" recalls mid-'80s U2 and Simple Minds, while the live BBC session of "Rosemary" shows that these guys can whip up some snarling guitar excitement alongside their seductive, more low-key stuff. On Gomez's two studio albums, it has seemed that some of their best sonic experiments are also good songs, so to speak. Although this disc contains a few cuts that are nothing more than a good laugh ("S--tbag," the country/techno "The Cowboy Song"), more often than not, it demonstrates that Gomez has started in an intriguing place and is getting better all the time.
Speaking of which, the final cut is a slightly fuzzed-out version of The Beatles' "Getting Better." It's a little too reverent to knock anybody out, but there are moments when you realize that Gomez isn't intimidated by the challenge of reworking the Fab Four. Pretty damned impressive. (Note to diehards: A limited edition of this disc will include the five-song Machismo EP. Be the first on your block to own one.)
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