Liquid Skin

I think Gomez frighten a lot of people. How can five English born and bred early 20-somethings sound more like the demented offsprings of the American bayou? For here is a group who fashion their compelling blend of swamp blues, Mexican-flecked guitar and richly textured music, from a background that speaks more of Eton than the Big Easy. Welcome, then, to the house of Gomez, where every nook and cranny is filled with odd instrumentation, off-kilter melodies and counter-melodies, and enough time changes for your average symphony.

Opener, 'Hangover' begins with a heavy bass rumble, as the Liverpuddlian shamans deliver another so-laid-back-it's-horizontal delta blues shuffle, with all three vocalists trading places behind the mic: Ben's throaty rasp contrasting nicely with Ian's languid tones and Tom's Lennonesque warblings. Indeed, the vocals come in for as much production dexterity as the rest of the instruments, from 'Bring It On''s otherworldly harmonies to the distorted campfire singalong of 'Devil Will Ride'.

Every Gomez track feels like three songs in one, such is their ability to weld tempos and styles with a magician's deft touch. Take 'Las Vegas Dealer', where the vocals come at you in waves, and the music ebbs and flows like a schizophrenic ocean of sound, sometimes all salsa and tequila, sometimes beer-filled bar-room blues. Or the fabulous 'Fill My Cup', where the gently shimmering breeze bursts into a supersonic, sub-metal gale without so much as a by-your-leave. By comparison, the almost straighforward 'Rosalita' is as beautiful as anything they have done before, and is magnificent in its (relative) simplicity.

Lyrically, too, they seem more astute, with 'Rhythm And Blues Alibi' lambasting the legions of musical also-rans who are content to plunder the past without a hint of either innovation or shame ("You shake your booty on the TV screen/ It seems to me you'll try anything twice").

Sure, they are aware of their musical heritage, but it serves merely as a backdrop for their hypnotic soundscapes, incorporating everything from thumping bass and drum loops, through hair-raisingly pristine balladry, to growling blues, and they have both the vision and the mastery to make these unlikely bedfellows seem like natural soul-mates.

Superb.