np: "Airstream Driver" - Gomez
Really, how does a band go from winning the Mercury Prize to being one of the most bland purveyors of mid-tempo ballads around? Gomez has had such a disappointing career arc. This British band bust onto the scene with a refreshing debut album that artfully mixed the of-the-moment Britpop with American roots music, lovingly crafted with a pop sensibility inherited from the greats (it wasn't weird to see the Beatles used when referring to the band). Bring It On won the 1998 Mercury Music Prize over such worthy runners-up as Massive Attack's Mezzanine and The Verve's Urban Hymns. Liquid Skin and In Our Gun followed the formula and expanded upon the band's sound to interesting results. Not every song worked, but when they did ("Rhythm & Blues Alibi", for example) - they were fantastic. Two more middling albums, an interesting B-sides collection, and a surprisingly rocking live album followed. Thanks to the crossover appeal of breezy hit "See the World" the band finally latched onto the American mainstream, but it seemed to come at the expense of some of the more engaging approach of their early career.
So here we come to 2009 and their latest album, A New Tide, and the downward spiral continues. Seems the band loves the new audience brought to them by "See the World", as they've decided to exclusively pander to that side of their sound. The disc is packed with mid-tempo ballads that sacrifice any of the experimental, playful nature they've displayed in the past. Which, you know, whatever, but hardly any of these songs are half as good as "See the World". In fact, except for a few exceptions ("Airstream Driver" being my favorite) the tunes are far more bland, sliding right in one ear and out the other.
Such a shame to see a band squander away potential like these guys.
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