Customer Reviews

Lost Souls

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I first heard of Doves, they were lumped into the Travis/Radiohead category that every British rock band seems to be lumped into these days. After listening to Lost Souls, this comparison is not quite accurate. Now, Radiohead has been my favorite band for quite a while, but their styles are very different. Missing from Lost Souls is the angst of The Bends and OK Computer, but it keeps the epic scope of those albums. Doves have a very unique way of blending dark riffs with beautiful melodies, definitely shown on songs such as the title track, "Sea Song", and "Break Me Gently". Overall, the album has the feel of The Verve more than Radiohead, but it's still one of the best releases of this year. One of the previous reviewers mentioned a similar feeling to OK Computer when listening to this album, and I have to agree with them. Although it doesn't sound like Radiohead, it evokes the feeling of a "true album", one that has a continuous epic feeling to it, and one that must be listened to many times before it can fully be appreciated. Lost Souls has already turned into one of my favorite albums, and will probably stay that way for quite some time. If you're a fan of British rock, this one comes highly recommended.

The Doves made their stunning debut with "Lost Souls," a brooding, symphonic rock album that is impossible to forget. The Manchester group delivers the basics -- simple melodies are layered with richly psychedelic sound, anguished songs about how it's "a crime to feel." If it is, then the Doves are accessories to the crime.

"Firesuite" opens the album in a unique way -- a chaotic rumble that turns into midtempo pop, dissolves into eerie sound effects, and then turns into a shudderingly epic rock song. On that note, the Doves dive into the heady rock of "Here It Comes" and the acoustically-based ballad "Man Who Told Everything." Other songs chart more twisted territory -- "Break Me Gently" is a mournful, grey-toned psychedelic head trip.

It's a rarity to find an album with no filler at all -- the closest thing "Lost Souls" has is "Reprise." It's even rarer to find an album than can do just about any kind of Brit-rock -- the Doves demonstrate power pop, shades of hard rock, and large doses of psychedelica. What's more, they often weave them all together at once.

The music is so seamless and smooth that it's a bit of a shock to see all that was involved in making it. The instrumentation is pretty standard: mellow acoustic guitar, some backing electric guitars, roiling basslines and solid drums. Then the brooding music is wrapped up in a few sound samples and windy-sounding programming. It sounds simple, but the results are mind-bendingly.

Vocalist/guitarist Jimi Goodwin has a great voice for this music -- his vocals actually manage to be the centerpiece of the music. He sounds strong and a bit depressed, as he sings about escaping from his life, burning houses and the loss of a love. "A House" is the most upbeat the album gets, with Goodwin singing gently, "Day after day and the life goes on/and I try and see the good in everyone/if I ever find myself here again/I'll give everything."

The gloriously dark music of the Doves is fully realized in their debut, "Lost Souls." Though it deserves much better, this is one of the lesser-known gems of British rock.

You have to believe bands like DOVES don't deal well with comparisons to others. That's good, because in many ways, they compare to no other band out there, but in others, there are stong similarities. Perhaps one measure of the "goodness" of a new group is in the likelyhood other would ever copy them. For DOVES the answer is never. In a field of thousands, they have managed to create a unique, begulling sound.

I love this disk. Here's why:

1. It's really long. I'm tired of CD's only half full. With LOST SOULS, you get what you pay for. If you don't warm up quickly to one track, you will certainly find another you like among the 15 tunes here. The kind of disk you hear once and think, "I bet I'm going to like this a lot..." Then after 7 or 8 plays on the Car Stereo, you are in love.

2. I sense an underlying theme. Too many groups today toss together whatever they have been collecting for the past years. Perhaps that's true for DOVES, but if so, they hid it well.

3. The music is full-bodied, well produced. No Miller Lite here. At times, simple, but always rich. From a guitar and piano to the sounds of a full orchestra. You get it here.

4. Some songs: a. FIRESUITE sets the stage...tells you what's on the way. I thought I was hearing a Pink Floyd disk at first. 95% instrmental, Firesuite has some unintelligible lyrics in the backgound. Sort of "Enigma"-tic

b. HERE IT COMES starts out with some beautiful background piano, then moves toward a whining organ from any rock band of the 60's. Liner notes include a credit to Velvet Underground. Perhaps their influence was present here. But in the end this song reminded me more if "Morrisey" or "The Smiths."

c. BREAK ME GENTLY is both the title of song 3 and the a change of pace for the disk. More like "Radiohead" for me. I love this song.

d. SEA SONG is my favorite lick on the disk. A repetitive guitar melody overlaid by rich tonalization. I keep running back to this one.

e. Track 7, MELODY CALLS, sounds like a different band. But it's a great song. It reminds me most of the English group "James."

f. The catchiest tune, and the one with the most popular potential, is CATCH THE SUN. This is the song I heard first, that made me want the disk. You will love it. For me, it's mix between "Travis," "Crowded House," and "Level 42."

I highly recommend this new English band. A great value, a great disk.

Truly, this could be the start of something big for DOVES.

i don't know why everybody seems so concerned about disecting this album into a sum of parts. i can't recall reading so many reviews about one cd that speak more of what it sounds like than how good it really is on it's own.(radiohead, happy mondays, blah blah blah... just to prove how full of it some professional reviewers are, i read that 'rise' is cool dance music!) this has to be one of the best 'alt-rock' albums since my bloody valentine's 'loveless'. i find this cd to be very cohesive and even though every song doesn't sound the same, it is easy to see the musical connection between them. unfortunately , due to the band's history or whatever arbitrary reason there is for ignoring a superb debut such as this, the critics seem to be doing just that,or just brushing it off as a curiosity, which it definitely is NOT. so...about the music: although this is not happy music by any stretch, each song seeps slowly into your mind and commands more and more listens. if i HAD to describe it in terms of similarities: think the guitar strumming, piano and melody of 'oscillate wildly' from THE SMITHS on'louder than bombs' filtered through the haze of My Bloody Valentine with expert mastery of subtle sound effects that only a background in electronic music can provide....well, i tried. just buy it, you won't regret it. also, i guess the previous reviewer really didn't really listen to the bonus tracks, because they are hardly filler or curiosities (they are even better than some other tracks), and fit perfectly into the 'flow' of the album.

One word: Wow. That's all that's needed to describe Doves' debut album, Lost Souls. Although they are often lumped in with other U.K. "smart rock" bands like Travis and Coldplay, with Lost Souls Doves build upon the genre exponentially, and in the process mark themselves as a band well on their way to rarefied status. Lost Souls is pure genius. "Firesuite," the moody opener, sets the tone for what is to come on the rest of the album by imposing its reverb-drenched aura. It leads into "Here It Comes," which has to be the best song the Zombies never recorded. The track has a palpable 60's vibe to it, yet still it sounds fresh, very much reminiscent of the Chemical Brothers' "Setting Sun." The first (and only) U.S. single, "Catch the Sun," with its upbeat tone and almost Cure-like guitars, deserved much more recognition than it got. Doves prove that they can master any style perfectly. The rave-up "Rise" is driven by kick-your-[butt] guitars, which completely make the song, while conversely "A House" is one of the most plaintive and melancholy tracks in recent memory. The list of highlights goes on and on. Without a doubt, however, the album's centerpiece and standout is "The Cedar Room." Pardon the cheesy pun, but the song is as strong as cedar. The genre-hopping track is propelled by its pulsating beat and by lead vocalist Jimi Goodwin wailing, "I tried to sleep alone, but I couldn't do it... I don't remember saying that." If you're not hooked on this album by the time "The Cedar Room" hits, you must be dead. With the band's follow-up, The Last Broadcast, dropping in the past month, it's the perfect time to get acquainted with Doves. I mean now. Right now. What are you waiting for? Go buy this album!

This album is absolutely unbelievable. At first, I thought Doves were just an average British band, but after listening to this cd several times, I realized that they're definitely one of the best bands to come out of the UK in the last year. The highlights of this album include the first song, "firesuite," a fine instramental composition, "sea song" which is a dreamy, but solid tune, "the cedar room" which is reminiscent of "climbing up the walls" by Radiohead, and "a house," another acoustic masterpiece. This album never gets dull. The mood is more sombre and perhaps more haunting than other new British acts, such as Coldplay and Badly Drawn Boy. Doves show their exceptional creativity as they blend harmonicas with dark-sounding electric guitars and acoustic melodies. All the songs are well-written, diverse, and above all original and enjoyable to listen to. This album refuses to leave the confinds of my cd player, but nevertheless that's a good thing. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an amazing album from a talented, but not very well-known, British band.

I'm really picky about the music I listen to. I want it to be *good* and inspired. I want the musicians to pay attention to the sounds they produce. I want good melodies and a comfortable vocalist. I want it all to be intentional and genuine.
Typically, this means I'm usually nonplussed with most of the stuff I hear. Radiohead, for example, is all of the above. Wonderful. Coldplay is pretty good, Travis is ok, and Belle and Sebastian are an institution.
The Doves deliver on these demands. Lost Souls has at least 6 great tracks, and several good ones, which is more than I usually expect. The music is wistful and powerful. The sounds are all lovingly tweaked and mixed. Certain tracks are wonderfully hypnotic. And there're no bands that really compare to them, in my opinion. Certainly not as well.
If you get this album and don't like it, I feel sorry for you.

I first came upon this amazing album while working as a manager in a music store.
I won't mention the name of the store, but it is in the Northeastern part of the U.S. & 6 in 10 customers is a college student.
It's one of those types of stores in which every employee makes some sort of either a fashion, or snobbishly opinionated musical statement.
In other words, everyone there was knowledgeable about music, & some made it painstakingly known that they were king or queen sh*t.

So now the question becomes how can a staff of 20-30 egomaniacal musical snobs co-exist without tearing each others lungs out?
What music could one possibly play to sate the savage Punk, Indie, Shoegaze, Brit-Pop, Electronic, Classical, Jazz, R&B, Classic Rock, Folk headz...

Well this became one of those rare cd's....

In a promo box it came, with no fluff or filler.
A soft plastic sleeve that simply said DOVES - Lost Souls & a White CD....
I was intrigued somehow, & i decided that I would use one of my 2 slots in the 10 cd disc changer to check it out.

Within the first 30 seconds it grabbed me by the chest & just never let go.
What happens normally, is that by the 2nd or 3rd track one of the other employees has a wise a@@ed comment to make..
What happened this day is that all 3 of the employees on shift came to inquire what was playing...
Not only did this happen, but everyone, myself included, wanted to replay it after it ended....

Needless to say this CD became the store favorite, & there was only one employee who ever b*tched when it was played, but he was the type if he won the lottey, would complain that he only won 6 million instead of 20 million..
Just a generally wanabee negative 22 year old Smiths fan who wore black all the time & lived with his momma..

This story is true...
If this cd could keep the peace in a store like ours where image & bullsh*t ruled the day...
If it could calm the savage sales snob.

It has the magic to earn a strong 5 from me...
Not to mention that I just love it, & will only be repeating what was said before me.

Lost Souls is one of those rare CDs that you can listen to in almost any setting. I've played it at a cocktail party, studied to it for 4 hours (on "replay all"), and used it as "chill" music to fall asleep to after loud wild nights. Its tunes are brilliantly orchestrated (piano, strings, sampling), poppy enough that I can't help singing along but not sugary sweet (isn't it unfair that Britpop is like doves, Blur, Echo, etc while American pop means Britney and Backstreet?), and so deeply textured and layered that I still notice new intricities in the music as I play the cd for the 200th time, especially on headphones, another way to appreciate the cd. The band lists in their thank yous artists as diverse as Sonic Youth, Marvin Gaye, and a Tribe Called Quest, and, while I can't exactly imagine how they all influenced the doves, the outcome is excellent.

I bought Lost Souls thinking it would be a good record ( the band had backed up Electronic on Twisted Tenderness, which I really liked ), but it is so much better than I thought it could be. Good lyrics and great melodies. This record is a perfect blend of acoustic and heavier guitar driven songs. If you like to experiment with import bands like Coldplay and Badly Drawn Boy ( on which the Doves play on some songs ), even bands like Oasis and Radiohead, I think you would enjoy Lost Souls.