Artist: Gomez
Album: How We Operate
Label: ATO Records
Tracks: 12
Length: 51:39
Review By: Jacob Gehman

Unless you are a Dave Matthews Band fan you are probably aware of a definite attitude against their music. You may have to hide a giggle when you meet someone identifying them as their favorite band. So it is not a far stretch to understand why people immediately jump to Dave Matthews conclusions when they hear “How We Operate” and learn that it was released on the label run by Dave Matthews. They think with this “where there’s smoke there is fire” mentality. Which is fine when it comes to smoke and fire, but many-a-reputation has been ruined unfairly because people leap to conclusions by connecting the dots wrongly. If “How We Operate” was a normal Gomez album then no one would think twice about the Dave Matthews connection. However, Gomez do a good job of switching up their sound quite a bit on their new album and it’s obvious the change was not quite expected, nor met with loving, open arms.

I was never really familiar with Gomez until I received their last release, a double disc live album, for review last year. While I won’t say it knocked me off of my feet, it was enough to excite me when this randomly showed up in my mailbox. My first sampling didn’t do much for me so I shuffled the album towards the bottom of the pile. It was mellow, almost acoustic in places, and did not fit in with my preconception of what Gomez needs to be.

“How We Operate” is a classic example how perseverance can alter opinions. Once I got used to the idea of the overall stylistic shift I could focus on the songs themselves without worrying about what was dressing them. What I found made me quite excited, and still does whenever I listen to it.

The song details are what really excites me about this album. The perfect touches appear to have been added to each track. Whether it is a nice, roaming guitar solo, a string crescendo, an unexpected stop and go, Gomez has sprinkled their songs with little treasures that bring them alive. On the simpler songs the lead singer’s vocals make it intimate and catchy all at the same time.

To be fair, there are definitely a number of tracks which do a good job of rocking out. “All Too Much” is one of those and features one of the greatest choruses on the album. I could see that song becoming a summer anthem as a drive around. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of “Cry On Demand,” who’s pedestrian lyrics (“I wish I could cry on demand, boohoo, boohoo, boohoo”) and pseudo-alt-funk verse make it a skipper. It does feature a fun dual guitar, but that isn’t enough pull it up out of it’s mediocrity. Thankfully, that song is the very lonely exception that, if nothing else, at least gives the rest of the songs something to contrast against.

Gomez fans who are currently on the fence about whether to purchase this album should definitely take the leap and pick it up. Despite the stylistic shift coinciding with label change, the change may actually turn out to have produced an insanely good album. Different, but good. For the people who haven’t checked out Gomez before, this album provides some super sweet summer sing-a-long choruses that will get you through the dreaded heat.