Doves

Review By George A. Paul     

In a previous incarnation as ’90s dance outfit Sub Sub, Manchester, England’s Doves enjoyed a successful club hit. So there were high expectations for 2000 debut disc Lost Souls. The trio didn’t disappoint, thanks to some gauzy Verve/Radiohead atmospherics. It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, as was lush follow up Last Broadcast. The melodic grandeur continued on Some Cities.

Now, after a four-year absence, Doves are back with Kingdom of Rust and the schizophrenic results are mixed at best. While the band is no stranger to lengthy tunes, several wear out their welcome by the five-minute mark. The stream of consciousness lyrics are average and few enrapture the listener like before. A Kraftwerk-inspired “Jetstream” finds guitarist/backing vocalist Jez Williams singing in a fragile voice amid fluttering synths and ferocious guitars. The ominous title track is vaguely cinematic. “Outsiders” races ahead like mid-period Pink Floyd, thanks to a squelching bassline and dense, spacey sounds, while “Greatest Denier” mixes children’s playground noises, dreamily floating vocals and circuitous guitars.

John Leckie (Stone Roses) produced prog rock-leaning “Winter Hill,” driven by an idyllic looped pattern and “10.03” (the title refers to a subway train stop). Here, things start sparsely, then build into a guitar maelstrom with Jez’s undecipherable repeated mantra and bombastic drums. Among the saving graces: fittingly titled “Spellbound,” awash in keyboards and cascading acoustic guitars; the Gang of Four-styled dub funk of  “Compulsion,” where Jez really gets to shine and total rocker “House of Mirrors,” complete with sinister vocals and guitar feedback.