Liquid Skin (20th Anniverssry Edition)

ゴメスの1999年アルバム『Liquid Skin』の20周年記念2LPエディション!
180g重量盤ブラック・ヴァイナル。

Rolling Stone (10/14/99, p.125) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...[a] deceptively casual vibe that hangs like humidity....The studio shadow play complements the core sound....Gomez's boho blues don't just shamble. They walk the walk." Spin (11/99, pp.191-2) - 8 out of 10 - "...a more confident continuation of [their debut BRING IT ON]....The Brit quintet continue to cross-stitch eclectic Americana with fibrilating electronica, dealing brief histories of black pop one moment, the best rehab rock ever the next..." Entertainment Weekly (9/24/99, p.146) - "...Simultaneously trippy and earthy songs...are shot through with a timeless, folksy impressionism. Better yet, all this tough-and-tender beauty comes complete with melodies and hookss." - Rating: A Q (1/00, p.85) - Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1999." Q (10/99, pp.112-3) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...more focused and, ultimately, better....pushes them towards a sort of semi-greatness....It shouldn't fit together (no Gomez song should in theory) but it does..." Alternative Press (11/99, pp.100-2) - 3 out of 5 - "...effectively communicate with a redundant artform and, ironically, it will win hearts and will be perceived as a new, vital force....a fabulous album..." Magnet (1-2/00, p.71) - "...[It's] best songs are built to last in a classic-rock kind of way....LIQUID SKIN is the sound of a new kind of urbanized, ultramodern blues..." CMJ (1/10/00, pp.4-5) - Ranked #13 in CMJ's "Top 30 Editorial Picks [for 1999] - "...a soulful and free-spirited group...evoking the timeless melodic and instrumental sensibilities of their blues, rock and folk forebears, while retaining their own organic musical identity." Mojo (Publisher) (1/00, p.31) - Ranked #24 in Mojo Magazine's "Best of 1999." Mojo (Publisher) (10/99, p.98) - "...the hidden strength of its tunes, the subtlety of its arrangements and the eloquence of its lyrics will eventually pull you in....it's obvious that Gomez have matured with unexpected speed..." NME (Magazine) (3/23/02, p.36) - 7 out of 10 - "...Make no mistake - LIQUID SKIN is a good album..."

In the wake of Brit-pop's unraveling and the legitimization of prog rock by Radiohead and Spiritualized, Gomez was seen as the future of Brit-rock upon their debut. Bring It On was caught between those two poles: traditionalist on one hand, yet striving for a larger goal. Gomez's secondhand appropriations of American music, crossed with ambling arrangements and a hazy atmosphere indigenous to home recordings, won them a larger audience who expected the group's second album, Liquid Skin, to be a great breakthrough. They may be disappointed to find that it's not. Instead, Liquid Skin is a cleaner, more streamlined version of the debut; it's clear that the band made the move from the garage into a professional studio. In doing so, they wound up with a dead ringer for Pearl Jam's No Code, in which America's best traditionalist band of the '90s strove for a glorious, pan-ethnic mess and pretty much succeeded. Liquid Skin doesn't rival No Code, not just because Gomez isn't as passionate, but also because Pearl Jam didn't sound as self-conscious or predictable when they decided to stretch out. Throughout the record, Gomez betrays their age, playing music that they believe to be experimental or rootsy, but not quite going far enough in either direction. This was true of Bring It On as well, but the cleaner sound and improved focus brings these factors to the forefront. And, frankly, that's not such a bad thing, either. In this context, they might not seem as adventurous (and, therefore, important), but they do bring back varying strands in interesting ways. They still seem to be trying too hard, and treading water in doing so. Still, Liquid Skin will satisfy fans of the first record, just as it will undoubtedly frustrate those who didn't get with them the first time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine