Gomez - Five Men In a Hut

Gomez doesn’t fit in the boxes in which music lovers like to place modern British acts. They’re not Beatles wannabes. They’re not the spacey Radiohead type, nor Robbie Williams (thank God). No, they’re a five-piece rock group that has some tinges of folk, blues, and country. They’re a group that caters to the Dave Matthews band crowd and yet they’re not DMB either, as one of their latest, and critically acclaimed albums, How We Operate, attests. No, like I said, they’re Gomez (Ben Ottewell, Tom Gray, Paul Blackburn, Ian Ball, and Olly Peacock, whose name would be good in soft-core porn films), and their 2-CD set of songs is a welcome introduction to those who might not know who they are yet. There are songs on the album like "Dire Tribe," a song that starts with odd beeps and laughter before developing into a humorous rootsy boot-slappin' tune, a la Black Crowes. "Champagne for Monkeys" is a shuffling little ditty that the Beatles might have made when high and had a few extra minutes in the recording studio. So, yeah, sure, there are some songs just thrown in as filler, and sure some of the lyrics are kind of simplistic, but there could be worse albums to listen to while you’re, say, washing your car on a summer day with the boom box keeping you company. Like listening to Robbie Williams. [www.gomeztheband.com]