Gomez
Split the Difference
(Hut)
Until The Coral burst on to the scene three years ago, Gomez were the principal rag and bone men of British rock, carting around their bits of musical junk and somehow arranging it all into gleaming, catchy pop.
The five piece's winning formula - which owes a fair bit to Beck's ramshackle Odelay! days - hit an immediate high note when their 1998 debut, Bring it On, bagged them the Mercury Music Prize.
Despite bearing closer resemblance to the Milky Bar Kid than a Credence Clearwater-era groover, Ben Ottewell's voice of gravel and devilish slide guitar transported the listener to the deep swamps of the southern US, while around him hung a pop/rock sensibility that has barely been tinkered with since. Split the Difference alchemizes Gomez' typically psychedelic folk-rock, with the opening trio setting things up particularly well.
