How We Operate

Gomez | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ATO Records
• ASIN: B000EQH2QU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,128 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There's always been something a little mysterious about Gomez. Yet no one would mistake them for a dream-pop or shoegazer act. The UK quintet relies too much on acoustic instrumentation (violin, mandolin, harmonica, etc.) and rocks too hard to qualify. In fact, they've never been part of any "scene," British or otherwise. Their debut for Dave Matthews's ATO label, after live set Out West, isn't an about-face and it's unlikely fans will feel betrayed by the shift, but it does represent the most direct expression of their artistry yet. It's as if they peeled away a layer or two in order to reveal more of the pop band beneath the off-kilter country-rock trappings. No doubt producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters) was an invaluable aid in that process: vocals are cleaner, arrangements tighter, mood more upbeat. How We Operate, their fifth studio recording, is Gomez on "Girlshapedlovedrug," (to name one of the more arresting tracks). Overall, it's a more cohesive effort than 2004's underrated Split the Difference. On the downside, there's more filler, like "Woman! Man!" with its "Sha-la-la-la woman!/Sha-la-la-la man!" chorus. Catchy? Definitely. Deep? Not so much... but Gomez has earned the right to let their inner Monkees come out to play. Plus, on the sprightly "Cry on Demand," they make fun of their "serious" image ("Boo-hoo/boo-hoo"), proving that this is one band that knows exactly how they operate. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

For How We Operate, their fifth studio album, Gomez didn't set out to reinvent the wheel. Oh no. The British quintet just wanted to change the blueprint for a different sort of rounded object: Their own records. Gomez have been playing together for a decade now. But their friendships date back even further; Ian Ball (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Olly Peacock (drums) have been friends since they were still in short pants, while the rest of the lads rallied around as the duo progressed through academia. Drawing on their disparate tastes, which ranged from Nirvana to Woody Guthrie, Motown singles to barbershop quartets, they honed a one-of-a-kind sound that incorporated all their influences around their shared point of reference:

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They never fail me, July 14, 2006

By 

Amanda Tan "viciouslips" (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How We Operate (Audio CD)

The world is divided into those who were on the Gomez train ride since the early 90s and those who hopped on sometime after the new millenium and decided to buy into the misleading sarcasm of "influential pop critics". Blame the British media for being anti-Americanism during the blossoming years of ultra-Anglophilism - the years when anything that didn't sound even remotely British or Britpop-like were deemed rubbish.

Gomez started being experimental and that in itself was a mistake. People laughed when they talked about the varsity union in Whippin' Picadilly. Critics hurled when they heard the David Blaine influenced tunes from Machismo. Nothing Ian Ball & Co. ever did since the beginning of their careers have gone right.

But let's just say that 8 or 9 years on, Gomez is more refreshing and interesting that anything Liam Gallagher can vomit out of his acoustic soul. Britpop is dead, everything that you ever knew about Britpop has been taken underground by Teenage Fanclub. Gomez are still here though, and that in itself speaks volumes.

Perhaps the only mistake Gomez have ever done is to released records at times when different musical mainstreams are taking place. Perhaps they should have released 'How We Operate' back in the guitar heydays of jangly pop. Perhaps Liquid Skin would see better times if they released it now in this electronica frontier. Poor Gomez. Getting their musical timeline all wrong. Let's line them up and have a media cult gathering bonfire Shot Shot.

'How We Operate' is solid, the music is interesting, the singing beats the hell out of Brandon Flowers, the lyrics are fun and keeps you coming back everytime. There's a good balance of loud and quiet, a fusion of charming bits and that's all you really need in an album, right?

There are one or two rubbish tracks (Cry On Demand, haha!) but which album released since 1979 doesn't have a couple of those?

Listen to 'How We Operate' without comparison to any of the band's previous efforts. Don't let critics tell you why you shouldn't like Gomez. Take it for what it is - a genuine guitar-laden pop/rock album with no frills. You'll come to a realization that it's a whole lot better than some of the ambient-laden monochromatic new age junk out there.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Time is Overrated, January 4, 2007

By 

Sandy "Sombra del Monte" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How We Operate (Audio CD)

I didn't think much of this album the first time I heard it. I thought it was "okay." But, having dusted it off and listened again...what was I thinking when I first heard this? This is really an excellent album, easy to listen to all the way through. Again and again. Love, love, love at second sight!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the one!, May 2, 2006

By 

Lance Fan "Lance Fan" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How We Operate (Audio CD)

I've loved Gomez from their first album, but thought they kinda lost their way a little in between, at least for my taste. But this album is by far their best yet, catchy melodies, great lyrics, tight arrangements, and the alternating lead singers keep you guessing. What a great album! I ordered it based on a couple of tracks I heard and loved, now I love the whole album. If you're a Gomez fan, this is the one to have -- if you're new to their music, you will buy everything they've recorded after listening to this one. Good going, guys of Gomez, it's amazing!