When a band opens its album – a self-released EP in this case – with a song called "Sea of Tranquility," that band's good enough for us …
Norway's Gazpacho, apparently, are also good enough for many music fans, as the quartet's songs have become quite popular at mp3.com. The band blends elements of Coldplay, Radiohead, Travis and even New Order to create an atmospheric sound that is extremely English without coming off as elitist. Of course, hearing a drum machine in lieu of a real drummer takes some getting used to, and many of these seven songs closely resemble each other until after closer inspection. The voice of Jan H. "O" rises cleanly and clearly above lush guitars and keyboards, shining particularly bright on "Sea of Tranquility" (of course) and the more upbeat "Delete Home" and "The Secret."
Does Gazpacho belong on a major label, as so many writers weighing in with opinions at the Gazpacho web site seem to think? Given the band's contemporary sound – and mainstream radio programmers' theory that they know what Americans want to hear – the band with a name meaning cold soup could very well become a hot bet. Click on the band's web site, download a few songs and determine for yourself if that's a good thing.
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