This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“We don’t know where we’re going,” claim Gomez — and it’s easy to see where they’re coming from.
For the past few years and albums, these U.K. eccentrics have been on an experimental tear, trying to escape the neo-blues pigeonhole they found themselves in after rootsy early fare like Miles Away. With their tellingly titled fourth full-length Split the Diffference, though, Gomez do indeed try to deliver the best of both worlds.
On the one hand, they’re still a bunch of young white geezers who sing like old black geezers — and their appreciation for American roots music is clearly evident in the lazy folk-blues of There it Was and their clattery cover of Junior Kimbrough’s Meet Me In The City. On the other hand, the strummy ’60s pop of These 3 Sins, the fuzz-busting electro-blues swagger of Where Ya Going? and the chunky post-grunge alt-rock of Chicken — not to mention their freewheeling, eclectic arrangements — make it clear these lads aren’t content to play by anyone’s rules but their own. So yeah, it seems they don’t know where they’re headed. But wherever it is, you’ll want to go along for the ride.
