 |
| |
|
| |
Album Review
by SaschaS
24-2-2005
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Doves: 'Some Cities', such as Manchester |
|
Doves: 'Some Cities'
(Heavenly)
Doves: third stepping stone to perpetuity
It looks like, despite our Prime Minister being the buddies-in-arms with Prez G-Dub, that the ocean between our ‘Old Continent’ and that ‘New World’ newcomers is widening and not only due to the melting polar cap. It is not only the common language that separates us but our tastes appear to differ evermore. Perhaps as a reaction and in spite of the all-American cultural imperialism…
Doves come from Manchester and their third long player ‘Some Cities’ make waiting for Coldplay’s [delayed] album far less traumatic. Doves are capable of making more intriguing stuff than the common-variety ballads of fellow emotionalists such as Keane and Snow Patrol. Something like - sad songs per se for far too long and, in particular - tracks for tenements; Doves’ is for music lovers who like to stay in four- and five-starred accommodation or rent villas.
And it should be so because this trio has been around Manchester ever since The Happy Mondays, New Order and Hacienda were the party place and aroma of the city. But, one shouldn’t expect Doves to be writing love letter to the “second greatest city” in the UK [Ain’t that Brighton? - Travel Ed] but a critical look at denizens as a sample of humanity.
The city has greatly changed since its ‘Madchester’ days and that’s what Doves are addressing over a set of songs that use surprising and delightful elements but never on account of accessibility. For every experimentally sounding song - ‘One Of These Days’ subverts the usual quiet/loud dynamic by sounding alternatively meticulous and rapturous - there is the euphoria of pop-ness of the recent single ‘Black And White Town’.
Huge orchestral swirl blasts through on the epochal ‘Snowden’, the ethereal magic is encountered on ‘The Storm’ that samples spooky Ryuichi Sakamoto [Brian Eno of Japan] string section and back it with trip-hop bassline, anthemic tracks are ‘Walk In Fire’ and 'Sky Starts Falling' alongside lamenting cut of the ‘Ambition’ type…
Doves dole out well-structured songs, intriguingly arranged without being detrimental to its pop-rock ingredient but never wavering from their creative ethic. 'Some Cities' verifies Doves as masters at sounding sad and happy at the same time. Rather exquisitely, actually.
8/10
~
Tour dates:
22 February - Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
23 February - Music Hall, Aberdeen
24 February - Academy, Glasgow
26 February - Ulster Hall, Belfast
28 February - Olympia Theatre, Dublin
02 March - Colston Hall, Bristol
04 March - Guildhall, Southampton
05 March - University, Cardiff
07 March - University,Exeter
08 March - Dome, Brighton
10 March - Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone
11 March - UEA, Norwich
12 March - Corn Exchange, Cambridge
29 March - Rock City, Nothingham
30 March - Brixton Academy, London
02 April - University, Leeds
03 April - Northumbria University, Newcastle
04 April - Royal Court, Liverpool
06 April - Apollo, Manchester
08 April - Academy, Birmingham
09 April - Octagon, Sheffield
SaschaS
24-2-2005
Doves’ album ‘Some Cities' is released 21 February 2005 by Heavenly
|
|
|
