Customer Reviews

Kingdom of Rust

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

Kingdom exemplifies an absolutely special band in their prime. The (frequent) moments of brilliance from their first three albums culminate right here, right now. From the Pink Floydian rocker "Jetstream" to the goose-bump inducing title track, to the melodic beauty of "Winter Hill" and the all-out caress/assault of "10:03," to the Blondie-groove of "Compulsion" and beyond - flat out impressive.

It's always a shock when a band continues to put out good work after significant critical acclaim. The Doves took their time with this one, and they absolutely delivered. I had both high hopes and high expectations - this is a five star album through and through.

Look, the bottom line is you can't go wrong with this one. Enjoy and then pass along the recommendation to someone you love.

What it Sounds Like: It's the same Doves you've heard in prior albums-- Jimi Goodwin still sounds the same as before, Jez Williams sings a couple of tracks and really scored quite a single on this one just like in The Last Broadcast with "Words". The pace is midtempo, nothing in this is extremely fast, but a few songs are rapid. But the common vein in all of it, it has the same ethereal melancholic sound as before, but it's louder and faster than prior albums. More of an electric sound, but it's still warm and lilting in many tracks, not betraying their past works.

Songs of note: 'Jetstream' is a huge nod to their past roots as Sub Sub, while still very much being a Doves song. Very radio-friendly, very rich in it's layering and production, and Jez does an awesome job with the mood as usual. 'The Outsiders' is a short but punchy track, and it very much rocks... same pace as "Catch the Sun", my only dislike is how short it is. Would have loved a guitar solo, either between verses or at the end, but it works as is. 'Birds flew Backwards' and 'Spellbound' is more evocative of their prior works, very otherworldly sounding and in no particular hurry. 'Spellbound' borrows chord progression that seems to nod to Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien", except puts it in a autumnal-sounding love song form with a lilting melody and zero fear of a jam-band kind of ending.

'House of Mirrors' caught my ear as well. Primarily, because I love it when Jimi Goodwin and Jez Williams sing together instead of harmonizing, right up there with 'Your Shadow Lay Across My Life' from Lost Sides before. Much like Gomez, any of the singers could easily lead the band or cut a solo album if they really wanted to, and I love hearing them each time, but they work so much better together.

The only reason I would hold back on a star is that this remains an experimental album... they do turn up the volume quite a bit, but some of the sounds are rough in places, sometimes dischordant (I had to turn down my volume to prevent ear/speaker damage at points). I really don't mind loud music, but one needs to be careful on the scratchier sounds from getting too loud, and I don't think they learned that just yet. Also, the overall length of the album is a bit shorter than past ones, easily fills the hour mark with time for breaks.

Overall, I'm impressed. Stretching out without losing who they are. Good show, guys!

I have all four of Doves' CDs and found gems in each one. They are a band that gets no radio respect and should. All their songs are textured and melodic, stick in your head long after you've heard it.They don't let you become bored with the same musical timing. Some songs will rock, others will calm the savage beast and others still will be enjoyed for years to come. They are a band that when people hear this CD in my car ask "Who is that?" then admit never having heard of them but peaking interest in the music. Last year a friend I introduced "The Last Broadcast" CD called me in the middle of a busy day to thank me for turning him on to this band. He told me they are the best things he heard in music in years.This kind of enthusiasm gets instilled by this band. Still waiting to be discovered by the masses.

I read a review comparing this album to Vida la Vida, so I went ahead and got it. Yes, these guys are similar to Coldplay, but their music is distinctive and extremely enjoyable. First two songs are great, and then just relax and listen to the whole thing. One might categorize the Doves as soft alternative rock. I have not heard any of their other music yet, so I guess I am not an expert on the Doves. But I know what I like!
Besides Jetstream and Kingdom of Rust, the first 2 songs; 10:03 and House of Mirrors were my favorites. They are all beautiful songs.

A great band - love most of their work. Wonder why they're not bigger. You need a lead single (or two) to draw interest. This album sounds great but there are no standout songs. "Catch The Sun" or "Black And White Town" were terrific. This band CAN bridge many genres of music together but on the new album they don't do that as well as they have in the past. Still...its classic Doves, but (unfortunately) they'll remain a relatively small act (in the U.S.).

I've been a fan of UK group Doves chiming melancholy sound since their debut "Lost souls" in 2000. "Kingdom of rust" is their fourth CD, and while not containing classics like "Melody calls" or "Rise" from their debut, its still pretty good. It does take repeated listening to unfurl all of its charms.

Opening cut "Jetstream" with pulsing guitars sounds very U2-like. The catchy bouncy title track has a country & Western feel and features their trademark chiming guitar sound. The driving "The outsiders" is a gritty rocker reminding me a wee bit of Coldplay in parts, as does the dramatic acoustic ballad "Birds flew backwards" with dreamy harmonies.

Other standouts include the waltz-like ballad "Spellbound", "Compulsion" with groovy bassline and guitars and a hesitant Disco feel (my favourite), "House of mirrors", and the closing ballad "Lifelines".

If you love Coldplay, Snow Patrol, or even Keane, this should be right up your alley.

Nothing Doves has done since their first two, Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast, has been exceptional. However, their sound on Kingdom of Rust is still solid and grows on the listener with each hearing. The only song that stands out to my ears is the guitar-laced stomp funk of Compulsion. I would like to hear Doves throw in some more covers, like they did with King Crimson's Moonchild, which they did such a great job with interpreting. A great disc for fans, but for others, go to the first two.

The Doves get much more eclectic with their fourth album, "Kingdom of Rust," a somewhat melodramatic but satisfying album by this Manchester band.

The Doves are best compared to The Four Seasons--there are times when they sound cool, and there are times when they sound so corny. Their previous album, "Some Cities" was one of their sappier moments. With overdone orchestrations with strings and Goodwin's excessively mopey vocals, "Some Cities" was not as reliant on the cool and intergalactic feeling of "The Last Broadcast."

Thankfully, the band was able to change up their sound to match the electronic spaceyness of "The Last Broadcast," but they went a step further. They mixed their songs with more fast punk drums. Not only do they sound edgier--they literally revived the band from a third album slump.

This is not to say that this is a vast improvement. Songs such as "10:03" are literally about a guy calling out a girl's name while he's coming home on the 10:03 train. Doves songs couldn't possibly get as melodramatic as this.

But the more ponderous, reflective songs now sound more atmospheric, rather than like an episode of "Touched By an Angel." The song "Birds Flew Backwards" is a touching song in which Jimi Goodwin reflects on the scenery in a car ride as spring turns to summertime.

Better yet, songs such as "Spellbound" bring in the down-to-earth sounds of acoustic guitars, making them sound like a gorgeous hybrid between a jam band and a shoegazer rock band. True, the lyrics are somewhat cheesy lines about a girl keeping a guy spellbound, but with Andy Goodwin's loose drum beat, the minimal electric guitars and the strumming acoustic guitar, the song sounds larger than life.

The Doves also pull off some really cool twists to their formula. "Compulsion" is a cool dance club song with snazzy glam guitars and a saucy rhythm on the hi-hat. "House of Mirrors" plays around haphazardly with reversed guitar sound samples, heavily distorted guitar solos and cymbals mixed with loads of reverb. It all sounds very cool and different for a Doves album.

While the Doves still retain some of their overdramatic theatrics, their sound has improved dramatically since "Some Cities." Let's hope that they'll keep up the good work with their next few albums.