Gomez
How We Operate
(ATO)
First Appeared in The Music Box, April 2006, Volume 13, #4
Written by John Metzger
With the release of its fifth proper studio effort How We Operate, it immediately is apparent that Gomez still hasn’t managed to shrug off the growing pains that not only kept it from reaching its full potential on Split the Difference but also more seriously marred the underperforming concert set Out West. There’s good news, though, in that the outfit also hasn’t lost any additional ground. Part of the problem plaguing the new collection is that, at times, the music sounds labored — as if the band is trying too hard to win over an American audience that it isn’t likely to captivate.
Gomez’s charm consistently has been its eccentrically eclectic style, which has allowed it to make a splash among jam band aficionados as well as fans of introspective singer/songwriters. In toning down its quirky tendencies in order to achieve a greater following, as it does on portions of How We Operate, it significantly reduces the potency of its material. The title track, for example, becomes mired in its arena-friendly, Dave Matthews-inspired appropriations, while tunes like Charley Patton Songs and Cry on Demand simply run out of stream before they’ve concluded. In addition, Gomez’s utilization of strange transitions and blues-y undercurrents largely has given way to a more streamlined blend of folk, pop, and rock. On Hamoa Beach, the ensemble cops Squeeze; on Girlshapedlovedrug, it fuses Modern English with Travis; and on Woman! Man!, it turns its attention to The Zombies and Donovan.
Fortunately, Gomez’s knack for crafting sturdy melodies and slathering them
with shimmering harmonies and subtle effects remains intact, which is what keeps
even the most straightforward fare on How We Operate from becoming
utterly mundane. Considering that the group remains capable of twisting its
influences in a knot — Tear Your Love Apart, for example, stuffs The Monkees’ brand of ’60s sunshine inside a casing of Clash-y punk and Doors-ian
darkness — there’s hope that Gomez one day may fulfill the promise it displayed
on Liquid Skin and In Our Gun. 
Of Further Interest...
O.A.R. - Stories of a Stranger
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain
How We Operate is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box