Kingdom of Rust

Doves

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 2009)
• Original Release Date: April 7, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B001QFNSCK
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,621 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The critically acclaimed and beloved British trio Doves return with their first album in four years, Kingdom of Rust. Their 4th studio album, and first since Some Cities debuted at #1 on the U.K. album charts in February, 2005, Kingdom delivers the Dove's most sonically adventurous, intimate, and cerebral album to date.

Comprised of brothers Jez and Andy Williams, and Jimi Goodwin, the trio has been recording the album for the past 18 months, having ensconced themselves to a farm house-come-studio in backwaters of Cheshire, England. They teamed up with long time Doves collaborator Dan Austin to co-produce all but 2 tracks of Kingdom Of Rust. For the remaining 2 tracks; "10.03" and "Winter Hill," the group worked with ace producer John Leckie (Stone Roses,Radiohead).

The single "Kingdom of Rust", lands in the broodier atmospherics of Lost Souls, strapped with a Johnny Cash bassline; "Jetstream" is a stomping Doves classic in waiting, fitted with a propulsive krautrock motorik, it inherits the bands dance DNA from their former Sub Sub extraction, with other searing standouts ("Greatest Denier", "Lifeline") rounding out this career defining album.

A limited edition CD/DVD version of the album will be released initially, featuring bonus filming of making of album, live footage, and documentary. There will also be heavy gauge, double gatefold vinyl.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rock Solid A+ For Fans - New To Doves Start At Some Cities, April 11, 2009

By	Hovi (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I've been a fan of Doves for quite some time.
Since the day in 2000, managing a music store, & coming upon the sublime cover of Lost Souls.
I looked at my associate Eric, & said should we give this one a go, & he nodded. Both of us were very happy we did play it & agreed there was just that something special about this band, that separated them from the rest.

Coming to this album I tried to leave my expectations in the backround.
As a matter of fact i've had the album now for a full week, & purposely put off listening to it, until I would have a good hour to just pop it on & really absorb the music.

I had heard the 2 lead tracks & both are vintage Doves sound.
I loved the fact that they pulled some influence back from their Sub-Sub days to lead off on the album. It sets the pace nicely.

What follows is a great adventure in sonic buildup & restraint.
This has the best flow from beginning to end of any of their albums to date.
This album forces patience, & never goes too far over the sonic line, & has you saying; "Why on earth did they do that?" Like for example on Snowden, that crunchy, & distorted guitar solo that brought the song down a notch. None of that on this record.
There is no over-experimentation. There is just enough to hold your attention.
You must listen & wait a bit before the treats come. When they do though,
they surprise, & set off those nice little tingles.
The rises & dips are akin to a ride on a smaller roller-coaster at a fair, as opposed to riding a huge one @ an expensive park.
You know lots of fun all the way through, & you have a big smile the entire time, as opposed to holding on for dear life exhilaration lol.

This album is also less layered, & seems to focus more on the natural settings of their studio.
Instead of using many digital effects to create a bliss feeling, as they have done in past recordings.
Because of this, the album is the warmest in feel of all their catalog to date.

Don't expect hits here. You will have to actually listen.
Every single track is solid.
This is one of those records that every great band makes sometime in their career that is really for the fans of that band, & not for huge public consumption. Some would say introspective, but I believe it is about the less is more philosophy that happens once a band matures & are comfortable in their own skin with being who they are.
I am just happy that Doves have worked to get to this point now.
I will probably find in later days I will listen to this one all the way through, whereas with other work from Doves, I have a set play-list from the previous albums.

Fans will absolutely love the personal & intimate feel of this record.
If you're new to the band, I would suggest starting @ Some Cities, or
The Last Broadcast, as you may not have the patience to listen through
& instead may just be looking for those few tracks that really reel you in.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not their best, but typically solid Doves music, April 8, 2009

By	Shroom (Ohio) - See all my reviews

If you're a fan of the Doves, you'll certainly enjoy Kingdom Of Rust and wear it out fast. While their songs are accessible and sound familiar, maybe too familiar at times, they are a band who require repeat listening for the music to really sink into your skin. It's important to let the songs grow on you and not rush to judgement, I've learned that much about them over the years.

There are no toss-out songs on this CD, and that's the good news. Much like "Some Cities," their musicianship, song writing and recording abilities have evolved to a state of comfort with a modern sound that is light years from their debut, "Lost Souls." (an indie classic in it's own right, but almost sounds like a different band with the same singer at this point)

The title track single is fantastic and most of us are already familiar with it (see video on Amazon page here - it's as good as anything they've ever done), and the rest of the album are full of good, but maybe too similar sounding tracks at times, other than House Of Mirrors with it's vague 60's psychedlia and danceable "Pounding-esque" beat.

They are still one of my favorites after this solid CD and they are even better live if you get a chance. It's refreshing for a band to put so much effort into their songs and production.

Finally the one thing this CD lacks are memorable hooks, and Williams' guitar work, only on the title track does it really stand out at all it seems. It's there, but buried at times behind all sorts of strings, synths, drums, bass and other various background noises that are all over every song. The sound is muddled at times and takes a while for your brain to wrap itself around it - not necessarily a bad thing mind you - but I'm ok with a less produced, guitar-centric sound because what these guys do best are write songs and play their instruments well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rusty Indeed, October 9, 2009

By	Trevor Horton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a huge Doves fan and have been for years. There is no other band like them, never has been, never will be. The depth of the sound and emotion that comes from their music really gets to me sometimes. I was SO excited to get this ambum. I love all their previous works and figured that this would be another masterpiece. Needless to say i was very dissapointed.

This album has a few decent moments, but over all, I think it falls short of their other albums. The title track is great! It's typical Doves without sounding like a copy of their older songs. Greatest Denier and Jetstream are the only other songs on this album that I think are up to Doves standards, but only barely.

Trust me, i gave this album many chances and I'm just left cold. It's not the Doves I've grown to love. Compared to classic stand out songs like Catch The Sun, Pounding, Rise, The Man Who Told Everything and Snowden, even the best song on this album falls WAY short.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother buying this album. Just buy the few decent tracks from iTunes and wait for the Doves to come out with their next album. Hopefully, they'll be back on their game next go around.