Artist Gomez

Back when Britpop bands like Blur and Oasis were wrapping themselves in the Union Jack, Gomez stood out from its English counterparts in the late ’90s by embracing American roots music on its acclaimed 1998 debut, Bring It On. This shouldn’t have made Gomez a novelty—more English bands have tried to sound American than not—but the group’s dedication to traditional blues and folk over subsequent albums like 2006’s How We Operate and 2009’s A New Tide remains unique in the Radiohead era. Gomez’s media profile has faded over time, but apparently not its following—“Options,” a single from 2011’s Whatever’s On Your Mind, was the first Gomez song in five years to crack the top 100 charts in the U.K.

Updated 02/22/2012