I remember seeing someone dressed in a suit looking like a lunatic

I really love Bring It On by Gomez but I hardly listen to it anymore. It embodies such a time and place in my life that the music barely carries any meaning outside of it. Songs like "Whippin' Piccadilly" and "Get Myself Arrested" aren't the free flowing jams they seem to be. Instead, they take me back to Iowa in the summer of 1999 and I have visions of corn fields and school board meetings.

See, when I graduated from college I was desperate for a job, any job. At the last minute, an internship opened up at a weekly newspaper in Iowa (Why it was so last minute is a long story. Let's just say it involved a staffer in a body cast). I packed up my Neon for a summer of working in exciting Marengo, Iowa. Hey, I love Iowa more than most people, but this place had nothing. Luckily, it was close to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City so I spent a lot of time driving.

While I was driving I listened to Gomez. Rolling Stone had published a special section on British rock that summer and I picked up several albums from their suggestions. None were as good as Gomez's debut. I'm not a fan of jam bands and Gomez does have a whiff of jaminess about them. They manage to keep it mostly contained until the 11 minute long penultimate track (which I usually skip). Otherwise the whole album has the feeling of a brunch of lads just out looking for fun. It's the same vibe that's gotten the Arctic Monkeys so much press this year.

So that summer of listening to Gomez has made me a fan for life. They got me through some boring months and made Iowa seem a little bit funkier. Sometimes that's all you need.

Favorite Song of the Week:
"Handle With Care" by Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - Yep, it's a cover of a Traveling Wilburys song. When Conor Oberst comes in at the end, my heart melts a little.