Additional personnel: Grace Elison (vocals); Tony Looby (alto & baritone saxophones); Rob Charles (tenor & baritone saxophones); Tony Robinson (trumpet, trombone, valve trombone, brass, organ); Dajon Everette (celeste, percussion); Danny Thompson (double bass); Graham Wakefield (samples).

Personnel: Tony Looby (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Rob Charles (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Tony Robinson (trumpet, valve trombone, organ); Dajon Everett (celesta, percussion); Claire Lewis (programming).

Audio Mixers: Gomez; Miti.

Recording information: Batsford Manor; Real World Studios.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Steve Fellows; Dave Hadley.

Gomez is back with their third proper album, following the B-sides and rarities collection Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline. The time off has served them well, as In Our Gun has all the elements that made their debut so great, and then some. The album starts strong, with "Shot Shot sporting a great up-tempo Gomez groove with some tasty sax touches that show up on several tracks. As the album unfolds, it seems the Gomez boys have been listening to quite a bit of dub. There is also a bit more in the way of electronica influence and sound processing on some tracks, but Gomez never forget they're a rock band. In fact, one of their strongest assets is their ability to absorb and integrate musical influences and still sound like no one but themselves. Even though "Ruff Stuff"'s odd synth sounds and the weird psychedelic interlude in "Drench" haven't been heard from these guys before, there's no mistaking that it's Gomez. They cover a lot of musical territory, from ballads like "In our Gun" and "Sound of Sounds" to "Army Dub" to the rousing closer "Ballad of Nice and Easy," with all the effortlessness displayed on Bring It On. Great songs, cool arrangements, and excellent production; In Our Gun is another winner from Gomez. ~ Sean Westergaard

British darlings Gomez first came to public attention in the late '90s with their combination of contemporary Britpop and '60s psychedelic rock. To be fair to this quite modern band, a slight resemblance to the odd Traffic tune was about the extent of their flirtation with psychedelia. IN OUR GUN seems to find Gomez moving further away from those '60s roots without abandoning them altogether. Burbling synthesizers rub shoulders with jangling acoustic guitars, and Radiohead jostles with the Beatles for the reigning vocal influence. While there are a couple of stray Middle-Easternisms and other remnants of hippiedom to be found here, IN OUR GUN is more akin to the way the Beta Band channels those same spirits via modern electronica. Like Coldplay or Brits manque Smash Mouth, Gomez sounds like they've got just enough of their parents' records in their collection to maintain a sense of history without leaving Britpop's borders too far behind.