Gomez - How We Operate

Just as I was starting to wonder if breathtaking music dropped off the face of the earth, Gomez slapped me in the face with their newest release “How We Operate”. Gomez has made an intimate, energetic, but most of all optimistic alternative pop album that has had my attention from the moment it entered my cd player. After a few record company issues with the Virgin label the band signed on with ATO Records (co-founded by Dave Matthews). Not only that, the 5 members changed their dynamic a little by leaving the final say to their new producer Gil Norton ( Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape and Pixies’ Doolittle... need I say more?) which resulted in one of my favorite albums to come out of 2006 thus far. Honestly, I have heard of the band before this but regrettably had not picked any of their music up until now. The first track “Notice” really gives you a glimpse into the smarts that was put into this record. "Girlshapedlovedrug” is a melodic ballad about a girl who is irrational and somewhat of a bitch but the guy is so head over heels he can't help but love her. The title track “How We Operate” has a bizarre little banjo thing going on that is almost computerized at times. It sounds really interesting at first then picks up and turns into one of the best tracks on the album. Other gems to mention are “Don’t Make me Laugh” and “Chasing Ghosts with Alcohol”. Basically a last ditch effort to succeed as a band, Gomez threw everything they had into “How We Operate” and the finished product is something very special. I only hope the Gomez fan base doesn’t reject it for straying from their typical sound. Reminiscent of Guster, newer Bright Eyes, and Pete Yorn, this album delivers in a uniquely delicate way that is too comforting to resist. If you trust me at all (and I hope by now some of you do), you will get “How We Operate” and give it a shot. My favorite of ’06 thus far by a long shot.