Elbow. There I said it. But they do get compared, don’t they, Doves and Elbow. Elbow and Doves. And didn’t Elbow do well last year. I don’t really like Elbow myself. Don’t quite buy them. I just don’t understand the whole underdog thing. Professional Northerners? Yawwwwwn. They just weren’t consistently good, was all. Eight dull songs for every two good ones. Not a terrible band. Better than most, I dare say.
But not as good as Doves.
Not as cool as Doves either. Now you might cynically say that Doves always manage to coast somewhat on that cool and get away with three or four quite dull songs on each album thus far. And you’d be right. But, crucially, they always include three or four absolutely fucking A+ ohmigod-that-is-just-stunning classics. And they just groove like magnificent bastards when they’re in full flight, don’t they?
Anyway, forget what you know about Doves albums and remember what you love about Doves. Yes. That feels nice, right? There goes the fear.
This record is top-to-toe stunning. Each of the eleven songs are belting.
Epic rock like New Order were epic disco. Really. Beautiful melodies, soaring choruses. Soaring gets used to describe choruses, doesn’t it? Soaring. This isn’t soaring like a dove, this is more soaring like a dragon. Powerful. Heavy. Awe-inspiring. And really fucking cool. You know, just listen to the title track. Turn on 6Music. It’s probably on right now. As well it might be. Have a listen to that song. It’s a mini-symphony. Skips along on bipperty bopperty brushwork and then the canvas is painted on top of that (cheers), some C&W twang, some krauty pulses, cowboy strings, great slabs of noise-concrete, beautiful deft piano and exquisite guitar motifs, dirty White Stripes riffs, eerie devilly doom sounds, electric squiggles. It’s Spector doing Morricone and and and and it’s such a beautiful song. It takes talent to make all that shizzle fit together in such an effortless and unclutteresd way.
The album does feel, at first, like it sags a teensy bit in the middle BUT if you go check out those songs on their own, they’re amazing. It’s just that the first and last thirds are titannically good.
What does it all sound like, I hear you ask? Well, it sounds like Doves, silly. They haven’t really changed. Still cool. Just got a huge big bit better. It’s a little less based on organic sounding guitars, a touch more electronics in the mix. And the groove really is upfront on some of the tunes, baby. None of the muddy production that bedevilled the last record (don’t mix while stoned, guys). Vocals are upfront a bit more. More confident. Doves are more experimental; there are lots of different textures on every song. It really rewards repeated listens. A LOT of effort went into this record. It’s a brilliant album and it’s going to be your friend for a long time.
How can I make you buy it? Well, if you made a mixtape of all your favourite Doves songs thus far, well, this is better than that really rather fine CD.
Some pretty funny steals too. Blondie’s harmonies from Rapture. The Cure’s ’10.15 Saturday Night’. Um, Vince Taylor’s ‘Shakin’ All Over’. It’s beautiful modern, epic guitar rock – sometimes brooding, sometimes sexy (almost), sometimes elegiac, pretty much always uplifting.
If you have ever had any time for Elbow, Interpol, Radiohead, Spoon, (that’s Bunnymen, Cure or REM in old money), then you are going to LOVE it. It is shot through with something else though. Something that is missing, for the most part, on previous Doves albums: energy, fun, joy and optimism.
Of course, it is music made by old dudes. But it really doesn’t feel like it. The kids (man) should be making bands and records like this. Ambitious, emotional and driven. Maybe you just can’t until you’re older. Maybe you need a few knocks, a few disappointments to get here. But when you get there, I guess you either choose to think the glass is half empty, and have a cry about it, like Elbow, or you knock it back, down another and head off to have some fun and see what life has to offer. Like Doves.
It is absolutely definitely going to be in the Top 5 of the year. Everywhere. A classic.
93%
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Other albums by this artist
I like this record. It is fair to say that and it is #1 in the midweek charts. Sorta makes EMI’s decision to drop Heavenly at this point look a bit blinkered.
I like this record too. A lot. I’ve not listened to much else recently.
the Yeah yeah yeahs?
Not even the YYY’s!
me too
i’m still not loving it.
I am not so sure I can understand such a hype araound this album.
It is OK, but I am missing this consistent escellence in the reviews…I’ll keep listening to it…
the YYY’s album is quite good, I am surprised.
YYYs quite good
Doves OK
mebbe we like differnt things
Not getting it at all. You make the Elbow comparison, which people always seem to do in Doves reviews (though notably the comparison rarely goes the other way when discussing Elbow), but Doves have always seemed to me like Elbow without the finesse, without the intricacies and subtleties of both lyric and music. They’re more comparable, for me, to someone like Embrace – all sweeping choruses and epic “inspirational” lyrics, but nothing behind it, no depth of feeling or emotion. I really don’t think Doves have the lasting power of Elbow by any means.
I’ll admit that this is probably Doves’ best work yet. But that’s not necessarily a compliment.
I gotta say I’d be damned surprised if it’s really this good. (93%!! c’mon now…) I like Doves but I don’t find their catalog as variant: all songs seems “pretty good.” I find Elbow to be in a similar camp. And this from a Coldplay fan–who’re far more interesting than Elbow and Doves despite what the hip indie kids say but that’s off topic I guess.
I dunno. I’ll check it out. My girlfriend will probably like it at the very least.
i’ve listened to this countless times now. i’m a huge fan, have been since day one and i just. don’t. get. it.
i had mp3′s for a few weeks, and they sounded muddy – so I wanted to reevaluate when i got my proper CD through. that was last week, and i’ve stuck with it for a few more days – and it’s just not doing it for me (in the same way as the seldom seen kid left me cold)
i stick by original opinion, that give or take ‘kingdom of rust’ and ’10.03′ there are just no SONGS here. nothing that sticks in my head, makes me want to punch the sky or gives me goosebumps.
‘some cities’ was a patchy album at best, but i’d take that over this any day. imo – easily their weakest album yet. probably give it a 65% on here.
intricacies
there are more ideas on the title track, kingdom of rust, than in Embrace’s entire career. pah. and the deification of elbow’s try hard tactics, is not a surprise to me but it is a bit disappopinting. that band just got the same review over and over until the whole alt cd buying nation managed to subsume it as their own opinion. it is amazing to hear it parrotted out by so many different mouths.
love doves, hate Reithism
I retract my skepticism; it’s good. Good enough where I’m not bothered to complain about percent-tiles.