Doves step up a gear to clearly forward the meaning of living

Don’t know what happened on the way to the Forum – reference to an ancient comedy with Buster Keaton on account of not (m)any laughs here – but Doves are getting on with it, splendidly. ‘The Last Broadcast’ is a precious gem of guitar-pop that is faqliciously uplifting.

It is two years on from the Doves’ Mercury Award nominated debut, ‘Lost Souls’, and Manchester’s trio return with an album that has already had so much munificent critique bestowed upon it. And, it is worth every word of although it is on a lighter side of the their maiden disc. ‘The Last Broadcast’ is a continuation but a markedly mature one.

Drummer/vocalist Andy Williams – brother Jez and Jimi Godwin complete the line-up – has described it as “Northern soul meets New Order meets the White Stripes” and although true you have to add lavish orchestral arrangements by Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas/Stereolab) and a whiff of prog-rockness to it. It is amazing how an old cut – which I used to listen to as a wee-sprog due to my father being Crimbo (that’s King Crimson to the unenlightened) obsessive – can be turned into a modern song: ‘M62’ (adaptation of ‘Moonchild’ from their debut album ‘In The Court Of Crimson King’, 1969) manages to maintain the scent of the past and still sound as modern as the moment we are stuck in.

A little bit more of prog-stalgia can be heard in ‘N.Y.’, a stylishly complex tune that recalls Peter Gabriel-period Genesis. Otherwise, it is extremely pleasing to notice that people have become widely fond of the band to turn the Doves’ same-day released/deleted single ‘There Goes The Fear’ into a Top-3 in the UK. Alike quality that is sprayed all over these notes, from the monumentally atmo-opener ‘Intro’ to one of the album’s nuggets, the concluding ‘Caught By The River’.

In between we get the equally masterful epic ‘Words’, iridescent acoustic requiem that is ‘Friday’s Dust’, the gospel-funky 'Satellites', the furious rocking of ‘Pounding’… Primeval and suave, instinctive and clever, intimate and widescreen, this is pop music that’s is massively ambitious in an understated manner: melancholy breezes through but it is expertly balanced with swooning melodies and knockdown and irresistible choruses.

To summarise, we might have only cashed in one-third of the year but it looks like this could well be one of the guitar-pop albums of 2002 because it is intolerably beautiful.

8.5/10

Tour dates:

30 April – Metro University, Leeds
01 May – Barrowlands, Glasgow
03 May – Academy, Manchester
04 May – Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
05 May – UEA, Norwich
07 May – Pyramid, Portsmouth
08 May – Academy, Bristol
09 May – Forum, London
10 May – Shepherds Bush Empire, London