Customer Reviews

In Our Gun

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know this may look like a bad review, but it isn't. Everyone on Amazon just goes to their favorite albums and gives them five stars and ruins the whole system for objective shoppers.

Gomez is no doubt a great band, and they show it in several places on this very mature and experimental album. The lyrics have always been compelling and the melodies seem to mature with every release, but unfortunately these aspects get buried under a deluge of electronic beeps and whistles. The songs themselves could really shine in an acoustic setting, where the electronica elements might be abandoned (or at least toned down) in favor of their unique blues ballads. I like Gomez, and I am glad this CD has become part of their collection (and mine) because it shows their growth and maturity in the song-writing trade. As soon as they get into a studio and realize they don't need to mature anymore is when Gomez will start pumping out five star discs every go round. A good album by this band is better than the best album by most.

A great album, but not their best (which has yet to be released).

Before Gomez came along in 1998, there were really only three types of Britpop music: 1) the Beatles "homage", used by bands like Oasis and Pulp, 2) the trippy space-rock, like Radiohead or the Verve, and 3) the overused techno method, that the Charlatans have recently implemented. But five guys from Liverpool changed all that, proving that you could be an indie rock band, and use styles like blues, soul and reggae in your music. Their third real album after the entertaining, but slightly flat B-sides collection Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline, In Our Gun sees Gomez using their three years off well, implementing numerous innovative tunes that will surely make countless bands jealous. Instead of putting out the first tunes that came to their fingers, like they did in the mediocre Liquid Skin, they've experimented with 30s-esque country, modern-day dub, 80s electronica and various other now-underused techniques. The album starts off well with "Shot Shot", a tune obviously aimed at fans of their previous releases, but with a superb jazz saxophone that somehow works well with the vocal stylings of Ben Ottewell Tom Gray and Ian Ball. It straight away changes direction in "Rex Kramer", a superb O Brother, Where Art Thou?-esque tune that surely, along with the aforementioned album, signals a comeback for bluegrass music. As the album goes on, noticeable influences turn up, with Beck and Pavement feeling prominent on "Even Song", "Ruff Stuff", "Drench" and titular track "In Our Gun", while both "Ping One Down" and "Army Dub" seem straight out of a Lee "Scratch" Perry record. Despite the fact that there is definitely a noticeable change in Gomez' latest tunes, die-hard fans will enjoy it if they're open-minded enough, while casual listeners will surely be in awe at what a modern day band can achieve.

Do not be fooled. This cd stills contains music from the gomez you love and pay tribute to, the only set back is that its buried beneath electronic arrangements, aggressive bass lines and catchy beatbox loops.
This record drifts away from the past ones in the way the Beatles did, more than the way Radiohead did, even though the sound of the record is more electronic than acoustic.
If you listen closely, youll be able to hear that this record is actually a journey in an old hippie van which starts out as the three singers meet (after the first 3 songs) and then moves on to the trip, from the foggy corners of UK neo-electronic culture, through a dessert (full of mystique) and off into a warm island in the pacific (very enjoyable). Not that the music really has those kind of influence, but its more or less the route the mood sets.
A. If you are a Gomez fan you will not be dissapointed.
B. I you are a music fan, youll appreciate all the arrangements the samples, the production, the mix and the tunes.
C. if you like popmusic or nonexperimental music then youll find this album hard to understand.
If you are either A or B please listen to this cd 2 times in a row the first time you put it on and you will know what im talking about.
It takes a little time to understand what the album is about, but you will get it, after you stop juddging.
Trust me, Gomez will take you again on a wonderful journey, like on their previous albums, except this time, its a different route, none the less more interesting!

First I must admit that I was very, very excited to hear what the new gomez album would sound like after the gradual progression of the first two, and the wonderful b-sides collection. As I figured Abandon Shopping Trolley Hotline was definitely a hint with what was to come. Songs like emrgency surgery, buena vista, steven m., would have easily fit in well on this disc. Gomez's energy on this album is just flat-out awesome. I was scared that this disc would dissappoint, because the first two LP's were so well done, but there was no fall off on this one. It is different though, from the first two, just like Liquid Skin was different from Bring It On, Gomez is not a band to settle on any one sound. In Our Gun has a lot more of an electronica flavor to it, but the new sound does not distract but rather adds to the great song writing. The album is very layered which makes one want to come back for multiple, multiple listens.
Bottomline: If you like previous Gomez,then this album is up to the quality, if you are new to Gomez,buy any of their albums they are all of superior music

I'm consistently staggered by the way Gomez refuse to get stuck in any one genre, and still manage always to sound like themselves. Yes, there's a slightly heavier dose of electronica on this record, but Gomez have beeing threatening to go that route since the very beginning -- remember the wheezy synthetic drum bit on "Whippin' Piccadilly," off the band's first record? And in any case, "electronica," in Gomez's able young hands, doesn't mean "soulless." "Rex Kramer" may start off sounding like DISCO, but once Ben Ottewell's chesty roar kicks in, it's blood-n-guts time.

"In Our Gun" collapses the last twenty years of pop music into one record. Listen with headphones. Several times. Then watch the papers for word of a U.S. tour -- they are, if you can believe this, even better live.

In our Gun finds Gomez utilizing today's advancing technology to weave another great album. I applaud this whole-heartedly. Even if the album was by and large mediocre (which it's definately not), I would still respect Gomez for not sticking to their trademark rootsy sound. I love every album they've released, including this one.

"Shot Shot" opens the record with an instant declaration of their new direction; a nice rocker. Other highlights include:

"Rex Kramer"...yet another song named after a character from the movie "Airplane" (the other is "Steve McCroski" from the Shopping Trolley album).

"In our Gun"...a peaceful, melodic number...

"Sound of Sounds"...Simply unreal, and my favorite song here. Ben Otwell's vocal harmonies are nothing short of breathtaking.

There are several more. Overall, the album is an impressive collection from a band that deserves every accolade it's received. Gomez continues to put out one great album after another. Buy them all...you'll thank me later.

This album is still classic Gomez. It has all their trademark blues and roots music, unique vocalists and jam sessions. The only real difference is the layer of electronica they added. I know this isn't everyones favorite sound but I found it refreshing. As the rest of the music world eats itself, Gomez has altered their sound to give it a fresh new feeling. Even though some parts, like the heavy catchy bass grind at the end of "In Our Gun", feel like the belong in a different song, these interludes give the album a spastic attitude similar to their previous efforts. Altogther a fascinating step taken by one of the most creative bands I've ever heard.

This is true: In Our Gun is not as good as Gomez's brilliant, awe-inspiring debut, Bring It On. And on first listen, I began to believe what I'd been reading in the British press that perhaps Gomez was resting on its creative laurels. Well, after listening to the album for an entire weekend, it's going to be hard for me to stop continuing to listen to this album. It really does catch you with its intricate weavings of sound collage, and each song offers some kind of surprise. It ranges from in your face (Shot Shot, Ruff Stuff) to incredibly tender (Sound of Sounds, largely due to Ben Ottwell's achingly true vocals). Ballad of Nice & Easy has now become my theme for the Spring of 2002. All 'n all, a very welcome addition to the Gomez catalog.

I've heard only a few songs from Gomez prior to this album. Now that I've had a chance to listen to this entire album, I have to admit that all of the hype they've received in the past is well-deserved. They are an immensely talented group with three excellent vocalists. This album contains a very WIDE range of songs.....everything from Ian-Brown electronica sampling to Widespread Panic/Phish jams. Please do yourself a favor.....buy this album and listen to the entire thing in one sitting. You won't believe your ears.

Every review I read about Gomez goes like this: "Hey, they won the Mercury Prize...." I also know that John Lee Hooker confessed that he liked the music of Bring It On. But who cares in the end? (...) What have you done for me lately? I am lonely! Plus the fact that Gomez was just this obscure band to us in America that sounded as if they were from New Mexico but were not. I mean these guys wrote "Tijuana Lady" right? I saw them play with the glam-outfit Placebo once in a dim hotel in Times Square and Gomez appeared like roadies in comparison. There was nothing exciting about them. They looked like unhappy students who were embarrassed by being on stage. From the American perspective we were wondering why those critics ever liked Gomez and Gay Dad.

The same people in Britain who built Gomez up in 1998, said they were crap by the time of their second album, Liquid Skin. It seemed as whatever the boys did wasn't going to be accepted as well. Gomez then put out a double CD of b-sides that wasn't bad at all. After four years in the thick of things Gomez seemed like a band that will not quit. With their three lead singers and progressive rock style and a tendency for studio trickery, it was difficult to put a name on this monster. You could just sit back and enjoy: if you don't like one song, you're bound to like something coming up.

So we come to In Our Gun with little expectations. "Shot Shot" goes from an acoustic folk guitar to odd English funk. Everything is in the right place, for real. Songs like "Ruff Stuff" and "Detroit Swing 66," are about coming off drugs and crashing. Looking desperate and looking for help. Gomez has a sense of creating narratives and creating personal emotions. The song "Rex Kramer" is apparently a song about a character in the movie "Airplane." This first part of the album introduces their eerie arrangements and superb musicianship. Gomez are as weird, energetic, and funky as ever.

Then in the ballad "In Our Gun" things slow down in a very melodic and political moment. Once things get quiet even this song breaks out in a bass guitar riff that gets the feet moving. "The Sound of Sounds" is probably the best track on the album that shows how nice Gomez can be to the ear. It shows one example how they are getting better as songwriters. This album is not without invention. It never lets up at 50 minutes long which seems like a perfect length for a CD nowadays. Gomez possesses much freedom and optimism. They may not be the most exciting band to look at. No one is going to be blinded by the frontman. We don't have to see the video or see the dance moves to get Gomez. We just have to let them operate on their own level and be in anticipation of a punch. In Our Gun may be the one that they are remembered for.

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