Split The Difference

Amazon.co.uk Split the Difference arrives more than five years since Gomez's Mercury Prize-winning debut, yet finds the British five-piece working firmly within their well-worn formula. So, it's pretty much business as usual here, though they've turned up the 60s psychedelia up a bit ("Silence", in particular, sounds tailor-made for the Blow-Up generation). But old fans will be happy to hear the same blues-tinged, three-part vocal harmonies that continue to distinguish Gomez from their peers. "Me, You and Everybody" is a laid-back singalong that's mellow without the melancholy, while "Catch Me Up" bounces along at a jaunty pace. At its best, Split the Difference almost catches some of the glory of Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Where Ya Going?", for instance, has a dirty, sliding guitar riff that's as close to swamp-ridden as five English boys can possibly get. This is something that needs to be both encouraged and developed in later releases, and proves that Gomez are not a band to be written off yet. --Robert Burrow Product description Gomez - Split the Difference - CD