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Stylus Magazine

There is very little on Operate that sounds like anywhere Gomez have been before.

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Billboard

The finest and most listener-friendly album of Gomez's 10-year career.

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Entertainment Weekly

[Gomez] sheds most of its psychedelic trimmings and bluesy wailing for a disc of tight, mature Chris Martin-style pop-rock. [28 Apr 2006, p.137]

All Music Guide

How We Operate is strong, focused, and a complete pleasure to engage; its maturity and confidence is beyond anything they've released thus far, and the experimentalism brought into play on their other albums is here.

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PopMatters

This is a really great album.

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NOW Magazine

They easily incorporate traditional folk elements like Nick Drake with contemporary indie rock and cinematic string arrangements that often soar above many of their songs' humble openings.

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Mojo

With no weak link, you can drop the needle anywhere. [Jul 2006, p.106]

Paste Magazine

Gomez has been transformed from a likable but shambling outfit into a focused pop-rock group while retaining the iconoclastic character that mad it intriguing to begin with. [Aug 2006, p.85]

Under The Radar

How We Operate shares the same ramshackle vibe as their early works, presented with the precision of a band that's been at it for years. [Summer 2006, p.89]

Filter

Think of it as a musical Botoxing: the twitches are gone, but the end result seems a bit superficial and expressionless. [#20, p.99]

Amazon.com

It's as if they peeled away a layer or two in order to reveal more of the pop band beneath the off-kilter country-rock trappings.

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Delusions of Adequacy

Everything has been stripped to the core, with the focus on creating a tight album from beginning to end.

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Alternative Press

How We Operate shuffles between exuberance and wistfulness like a drunk stumbling through a crowded bar--and yet, oddly enough, it's also onoe of the more coherent albums in Gomez's career. [Jul 2006, p.192]

The Guardian

This is Gomez edging their way back to their best.

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Prefix Magazine

There aren't any real missteps, but neither is How We Operate a step forward.

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ShakingThrough.net

How We Operate earns points for stylistic adventurousness but, unlike In Our Gun, doesn’t meet its self-imposed challenge with the strongest batch of tunes.

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musicOMH.com

How We Operate remains a very episodic album, containing a handful of great moments but no truly great songs.

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Q Magazine

No great leap forward. [Jul 2006, p.113]

Pitchfork

Anyone who enjoyed Gomez for their more adventurous traits will be left in the cold by How We Operate.

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Uncut

Only emphasises their problems. [Jul 2006, p.92]

New Musical Express

Combin[es] the chummy West Coast country pop of The Thrills with the plink-plonk pub piano philosophising of Embrace. [3 Jun 2006, p.33]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 34 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Joseph K gave it a9:
Nearly perfect.

Joshua L gave it a9:
Gomez continues to show off their talents with this new CD combining elements from all their other CD's while still showing us that they always have some new trick up their sleeve. It's "classic" rock with that funky idie twist we all love Gomez for.

Reuben F gave it an8:
A return to form for a band that once had the potential to be the best in the Indie scene - perhaps they still can be? Their trade mark laid back sound and sophisticated arrangements are well represented in this album. None of the songs really jump out at you, but they have a beautiful quality sorta similar to early REM in appeal.

Otto Z gave it a7:
These guys don't know how to make a bad album. But this is certainly not the best. Some clunky songs, a lot of high school style lyrics bring it well below their normally high bar. Of course, some standouts here that make it worthwhile.

Sal P gave it a10:
When we talk about Gomez its just about a band who love to do their music and they always give their best shot.HOW WE OPERATE is a complete album,great songs all over and a work that is a recap how tgeymatured over their 10 years carreer.This is al album for the fanbase,they dont care to gather more audience...you can see it at their gigs,there is passion and love for music from them and from the fans...its great

Jac gave it a10:
This album is amazing.

millie m gave it a10:
Jeez -- I guess this album was bound to get mediocre reviews because it's upbeat and accessible and therefore a great "sell out". Pay no attention to Pitchfork. This is a fantastic pop album: smart, sweet, well-produced, diverse, and (it seems to me) more emotionally authentic than previous Gomez records. Yes, it's a departure for Gomez (particularly the huge Tom Gray influence) but it's entirely possible to adore both How We Operate and In Our Gun.

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How We Operate

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