The Beat Surrender

The fact that Gomez do not have greater universal appeal is one of the many unanswered mysteries in the world, like – Why can’t cars just hop sideways into parking spaces? How do ITV manage to cover sport so badly? Why do people think being given a Blackberry from work is a GOOD thing? And stuff like that.

Mercury music award winners for their debut album, Gomez seem to have remained just below the radar of the mainstream, which on reflection, is just good news for all of us who like them. As a result, instead of selling out the Millennium Dome or Shea Stadium, we get to see them at the Leeds Academy or the Sheffield Octagon – which has eighty sides you know.

Their latest album, A New Tide, continues to support the view that the band are incapable of releasing a dodgy album, even if they really put their minds to it. But they just don’t seem to get any bigger and are probably still best known for the audacious Whipping Piccadily – you know – the one that goes – boo, budadaboo, budaoboo, budaboo, in the middle.

One of the many great things about Gomez is that they continue to share the vocals around the band and seem to have a set formation – with Southport’s Ian Ball opening up Track one – Aim.

Now this is a little difficult for me to say, but I’m going to say it, this bloke has a dreamy (possibly even horny?) voice. Laid back and laconic, he effortlessly opens the album with a typically relaxed tune. Now it turns out also that Ian Ball, not unlike Alan, is an Evertonian. I’m generally against gigs in stadia (you listen out for how many people say stadiums) but it would be great to hear him crooning Everton classics like ‘We’re on the march with Moysey’s army’ or ‘The Baby’s not yours’ at Wembley or somewhere.

Next up is Ben Ottewell, who is probably the outstanding voice in the band. He sounds a bit like Fozzie Bear but has a warbly, definitely non-caucasian quality to his voice which is distinctive and also unforgettable if you get to see the band live. Little Pieces doesn’t stretch his abilities entirely, but still keeps the album bubbling away nicely.

Third but not least comes Tom Gray. Possibly the least naturally gifted vocally of the three, but it turns out that ‘If you Ask Nicely’ is the best of the opening triumvirate. Annoyingly catchy and more-ish, the sing-a-long chorus will have you hooked in no time. Tom is an outstanding performer in person and makes up for the fact that the other 2 lads have the slight edge in god-given talent with a zealous enthusiasm for what he does. That’s what it looks like to me.

Now second guessing exactly which tracks Gomez will release as singles is as tricky as working out a certain fat Spanish waiter’s rotation policy, but it sounds very much like Win Park Slope could be among the first from A New Tide. It sounds as though just a little extra attention has been paid to what proper music reviewers may refer to as ‘production values’. What I mean is that the string arrangement at the start stands out and the female vocals, serenely supplied by Amy Milan, are an unusual and welcome twist (especially for a band with people queuing up to sing).

As the album meanders languidly on, the Gomez lads are really hitting their straps now (as an Aussie Rugby League commentator might say). The music is wholly inoffensive and constitutes easy listening not as a genre but is just dead easy to enjoy and get into.

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