Gomez - How We Operate

I was excited. Cake was coming to Tulsa. They are one of my favorite bands still active. I bought tickets for my wife and I, paying no attention at all to who was opening. They were two bands, Robbers on High Street, and Gomez. I had never heard of either, so when the concert started I had no idea what to expect. Robbers on High Street were forgettable, at least to me. Gomez, however, impressed me. I quickly became a fan, liking such fun songs as "Get Myself Arrested," "Get Miles," "Love is Better than a Warm Trombone," "Whippin' Piccadilly," and "Ping One Down." They even played a cover of Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog."

Gomez has a sound all of their own, and I noticed each of their albums have shown change and development from the previous one. How We Operate is no different. It opens with "Notice," which has soft acoustic guitars, strings, and just the right percussion accompaniment. It still sounds like Gomez, and I like it from the beginning. The song picks up after the first verse, and it shows a more poppy Gomez.

For further reading:
Gomez's homepage
All Music Guide's Gomez entry
Wikipedia's Gomez entry

"See The World" is probably my favorite on the album for its chorus. It's really uplifting, and has a good happy beat. It's another good pop song. The acoustic guitar work is brilliant, and the drums are well done as well.

For those who like the darker, experimental sound of Gomez it can be found in "How We Operate." The song starts with what sounds like banjo and pizzicato strings. This sounds more like something you'd find on their earlier albums. The band eventually joins in, and it's a good sound.

I first heard "Hamoa Beach" on XM radio, and it got me excited to find out there's new Gomez coming out. This song is another cheery song, and I really like the percussion on it. It's got a nice shuffling sound. The guitars have a nice twang to them too.

Lyric wise, "Girlshapedlovedrug" is a fun song. I also like "Woman! Man!" Neither is "Get Myself Arrested," but they're still both enjoyable pop love songs.

"All Too Much" has a simple guitar lick, and it leaves you unprepared for the heavy guitars and drums that join in at the pre-chorus, before they back off for verse again. But this time the verse is fuller, and when the chorus comes this time, it's a good rocking one. The composition of this song is well done.

It's a fun album. Some may say Gomez are taking that trend to radio-friendly pop songs, but I think these are GOOD pop songs. I hear enough of the older Gomez sound in it too.