Search - Gomez :: A New Tide

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Ronin F. Costa | Pittsburgh | 05/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a brilliant album, people, by one of the great bands of the last decade and possibly beyond. The trick is, just like with all Gomez offerings, you really have to listen to it several times in multiple contexts to truly appreciate it. They are so simple on the surface, just a bunch of talented musicians writing and playing often intensely personal songs with catchy beats and creative arrangements. But on many songs there is another layer below, reminiscent of the best work of John Lennon or Neil Young, that somehow manages to combine a jaded outlook with a sense that things can always change for the better. On this record, the best example of this is Ian Ball's Win Park Slope, which on one level is a wistful piece about a career that could have been different if not for critics obsessed with winning prizes and whatever else. But on another it's a nice statement that the band intends to keep creating its music regardless of the noise. This is my favorite track, but all songs, from 1-11, have merit, with Ben Ottewell's Natural Reaction and Little Pieces and Tom Gray's If I Asked You Nicely (the only track that he leads) and of course Ball's Airstream Driver, a classic radio song (of all their great songs will this finally be their hit!), leading the way."