Gomez

On their fourth studio LP, Gomez amplify their strengths -- bluesy vocal harmonies, three visionary songwriters, rootsy old instrument tones, and catchy lyrics -- for an album with a super-sized sound. There's also a slight emphasis on the British psychedelic pop of yesteryear.

Immediate acclaim has long-term disadvantages. Britain's Gomez reaped so much praise
upon arrival - including a Mercury Prize (a kind of English critics' Grammy) for their 1998
debut, Bring It On - that their pop-wise spin on American roots music now seems
underappreciated. It's also a little less fresh. In a White Stripes world, Bring It On's
chicken-shack-Radiohead inventions can sound self-consciously adult. Gomez st... More >