You've got to try them to love them. (Liquid Skin - Gomez)

Member Name: pooky

Product:	Liquid Skin - Gomez
Date:	15/12/00 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Diverse songs, good music.

Disadvantages: Not as original as their debut.

Unheard of, Gomez release debut album "Bring it on" which accidentally wins Mercury Music Prize.

Everyone loves Gomez.

Media backlash begins.

No one likes Gomez. Gomez are not cool.

This may seem a little cynical but everyone raved about "Bring it on" and then suddenly the praise stopped. Everyone decided that they weren't exeperimental anymore, they just nicked it from the Americans. Their songs weren't important because they didn't have a deep meaning behind them.

And so to the follow up which won't relight the fire of praise that Gomez deserve but will still demand attention due to the success of their debut. "Liquid Skin" manages to be a little bit less and a little bit more than 'Bring It On". Indeed it is somewhat ironic that the first single from Liquid Skin "bring it on" is the one that could have most confortably come from the debut of the same name. And while its inclusion does Liquid Skin no harm, it is nevertheless one of the album's low points. Composed, as it is, from what seems like two distinctly different songs pasted messily together, the two halves never make a comfortable whole and herein lies the crux of Liquid Skin's triumph over it's predecessor. Bring It On (the album) was shambolic and experimental, at some points sounding as though the group were in the studio making up songs as they went along. In contrast, the majority of the follow up has more focus and a tidier sound, something which the songs undoubtedly benefit from.

The immense diversity of Gomez's music remains. The last two tracks 'california' and 'devil will ride' are songs for the open road, loud, brash and fun to sing along to. 'we haven't turned around' is a song of timeless beauty and 'hangover girl' and 'revolutionary kind' are fun and funky. Although the album falters slightly along the way with th
e aforementioned 'bring it on' and also 'fill my cup', both of which add little to fine selection of songs that shoulder them.

What has changed is the construction of the songs and the production. Songs seem to have been assembled with more thought and care. Still composed of a plethora of sounds, voices and instruments, but all of which are used in harmony rather than battling to drown each other out from the mix. Increased production has also left the songs sounding cleaner and more professional.

So what remains is an album with all the depth and complexity of their last album but presented in a more accessible manner. Like all fine albums this one will grow over time, revealing new layers upon every listen. That may sound overly metaphoric but there is far too much going on in each song for it to be taken in and appreciated all at once. Anyone who couldn't stand Gomez a year ago will unlikely find any joys with this offering but if you have yet to hear anything but glimpses from radio play then do yourself a favour and check out one of the best indie/rock albums of recent times.

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