Album Review by Mark Bayross
They are so damn clever aren’t they, Gomez? Despite possessing the kind of nerdy know-it-all student faces you can’t help but want to punch, they can effortlessly turn out a plethora of eclectic sounds and still keep a sense of identity about them.
After the patchy MACHISMO EP (despite the superb title track), ABANDONED SHOPPING TROLLEY HOTLINE is a collection of 15 out-takes and studio muck-arounds, including three radio sessions and a remix. It serves as yet another illustration of how bloody clever Gomez are: look, they can whack out an epic orchestral country rock techno ballad without even getting out of bed!
Unfortunately, I only have a four-track sampler to review, so I don’t know how the superbly-titled SHITBAG 9 sounds, but BRING YOUR LOVIN’ BACK HERE must sound bizarre in contrast. It’s typical Gomez – fuzzy guitars, soulful vocals, country twang. They still sound like Pearl Jam at a Westcountry hoedown.
Both FLAVORS and HIGH ON LIQUID SKIN are lo-fi bongos and acoustic guitar sketches, although the superb Moog sounds that permeate throughout (especially on the latter) add a spacey ambience. There is also a cover lurking here – a countrified take on the Beatles’ GETTING BETTER that drifts off into jazzy outer space.
Of course, the problem with out-takes collections is that they are usually just that: random ideas and half-formed concepts. The occasional advantage is that they sometimes offer a window into the side of a band we don’t normally see. While Gomez haven’t taken the opportunity of dabbling in thrash metal or gabba techno, there seems to be at least enough here to warrant a look in.
