Whatever's On Your Mind

Gomez keeps up with the times

The English band Gomez is renowned for consisting of three vocalists and four if not all five song-writers – they are guitarist and vocalist Ian Ball, vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist Tom Gray, vocalist Ben Ottewell, drummer Olly Peacock and bassist Paul ‘Blackie’ Blackburn. From the very beginning, when the musicians released their debut album Bring It On at the end of the last century, neither critics nor fans could agree which style the talented guys were sticking to. There is place for most varied shades in their works, from blues to psychedelica, from folk to alternative. Yet there are not so many heavy songs in Gomez’ arsenal, but it has been always hard to call its music really light. This ‘creative mess’ has resulted into the formation of fan bases on both sides of the Atlantics, and today Ian Ball lives in Los Angeles, Olly Peacock in Brooklyn and the other three members have preferred their native England to the United States and the city of Brighton. As a matter of fact anyone can choose a country one likes, the point is to meet sometimes to record albums, yet Gomez proves to be a band keeping up with the times. It has recorded its seventh studio work Whatever’s On Your Mind remaining at home each and adapting the contemporary technologies: the guys were just sharing ideas online, made their corrections and prepared about eighty tracks, only the best of which got included into this wonderful and joyful album.

Something old and something new on Whatever’s On Your Mind

If the previous album, 2009’s A New Tide, was the mixture of mainstream and experimentation, in which it was possible to define a precise border between the two directions, the record Whatever’s On Your Mind in a certain way makes a step back to the beginning of the English quintet’s creative work when it was only trying to flirt with various genres. At the same time the fifteen year experience of matched work is obvious as well as the good knowledge of one’s strong points, and the new way of song-writing has proved to be the most productive one. The album opens with Options, a vivid emotional song built on a successful combination of a broken acoustic guitar, a major winds line, electro guitar and carefree vocals. The contagious composition I Will Take You There’s chorus is apparently inspired by pop love hits, but is never deprives it of an indie-number’s originality. The title track, a most beautiful ballad in which psychedelica marries blues and orchestra arrangement, conquers with splendid keyboards and violins, while the basis of Just As Lost As You is a desperate loneliness and longing for a simple human communication. Everyone inclined to being sentimental is sure to like another sad ballad Our Goodbye, whereas those a little bit more cynical or just optimistic-minded will appreciate the joyful mid-tempo track Song In My Heart. When one may already thinks that Gomez has completely forgotten that somebody in its line-up once played in a heavy band, the distorted guitars on Equalize come to the foreground, and though the song’s lyrics still have to do with feelings, it proves to be a good and profound bow towards alternative rock. The album closes with another bright number X-Rays with the elements of classic rock, old Smashing Pumpkins-like punk rock and a slight electronic flavor.

Pleasant as well as useful

There has not yet been a work among all of the Englishmen recordings that would combine contradictory feelings and most varied genres in such a harmonious way. The album Whatever’s On Your Mind is listened to at a breath and leaves the listener with mixes senses of celebration and love nostalgia. This work is definitely one of the most brilliant in Gomez’ discography and, most probably, serves as the beginning of its new chapter. Taking into account the fact that each of the band members has immensely enjoyed the new song-writing process as the guys have created perfect work conditions for them – each set comfortably at home, with his own ideas and inspiration – it is no wonder that they have prepared such a vast material. The best ten tracks have been selected from practically eight to be brought to studio, which means that the musicians can also record the rest of them any time they want and release five or six more albums. It goes without saying that such working for perspective deserves praise, and we are only left to guess when Gomez is going to finish performing with the remarkable songs from Whatever’s On Your Mind and get to work on its follow-up.