Record Label: Bella Union
Genre: Indie
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

Wary of adult contemporary shmaltz, I was shocked by the rich, dark chocolatey goodness of this album. Take the moodiness of Elliot Smith and mix with the cold but textured aura of a laid-back Beck song, but add some genuine worldliness and warmth, and that’s Robert Gomez.

His press kit has a mysterious, gypsy quality to it with references to time spent in the circus, learning guitar tricks from ominous Turks, Cubans and Spaniards, and touring the world with a bittersweet song in his heart.

I don’t know what his story is, but it comes out in the music. The music is pleasingly melodic and accessible and yet it’s comfortably numb, almost narcotic. Gomez strikes a perfect balance between melody and atmosphere, texture and softness. A good example is “Into The Sun,” which has a shuffling upbeat and hoppy melodies, but also sad violins and Gomez’s understated, haunted vocals. In addition, organs, strings, and accordians simmer in many of the songs, adding to the spooky sense of disembodiment.

You can almost chew on the atmosphere of the music, but there’s no sense of self-pitying sadsackery. These are mature, lulling, maybe even beautiful songs that can be the soundtrack to a blissful overdose.

Bottom Line: Melancholy indie done right.
Notable Tracks: Closer Still, Into The Sun, If I Could Have You Back, The Leaving, You Need Somebody
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