Gomez

“Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline”

(Virgin Records)

Gomez not only went to the same high school as the Beatles, but could have very easily been blood brothers who smoked cigarettes and played poker with each other every Friday night.

Their latest collection, “Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline,” contains B-sides, rarities and unreleased live versions of their precision brand of humbled, smoky-folk-jazz rock.

“Emergency Surgery” is a remastered version of one of Gomez’s most intriguing numbers, while “Hit On The Head” is a brief and easygoing tune with a jazzy fever, complete with bongos and drums that sound like they were recorded underwater.

The lyrics on “Flavors” drool unique percussion time signatures and incredible vocal ranges and “We Haven’t Turned Around (X-Ray)” is the alternative version to the single of the same name which is packed with Grade A, top choice quality melody.

It’s easy to get confused or accuse the band of folding under pressure in the recording studio during “Buena Vista,” but it’s only the delay pedals that give way to that illusion. The vocals even grab some of the effects, creating a wonderful and somewhat confusing piece.

Perhaps Gomez performed “Wharf Me” in the sky somewhere, probably atop a magic carpet just above the clouds, somewhere in the land of Oz. The subtle lyrics and innocent feel make it a dead ringer for a legendary number.

And for those who can’t get enough of the irritatingly catchy jingle for Phillips electronic company, “Getting Better,” it’s all here in its dreadful entirety, although the chorus is a good indication of Gomez’s progress over their four-year career thus far: “I’ve got to admit it’s getting better, it’s getting better all the time.”