Customer Reviews

Some Cities

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Three years have passed since the Doves put out the outstanding "Last Broadcast." Their third album, "Some Cities" take a slightly different tack. While their music is as powerful as ever, the Doves try some new musical styles -- ballads and a bit of dancepop -- woven in with the guitar rock. It may take a little while to grow on listeners, but it's worth it.

The songs are somewhat smaller in scale than what the Doves have done before. Instead of going for a continuously epic sound, the Doves opt for a more intimate sound to go with their home-village theme -- gentler, sadder and sometimes sweetier. In short, they go for gentle, eerie music, not dark grandeur. At least, not all the time.

The lead single "Black and White Town" strips things down to wavering keyboards and an insistent drumbeat. Some veer towards eerie sadness like "Someday Soon," while others retain the larger-than-life quality of the Doves' past work, complete with choruses and expansive vistas. These variations -- some little and sweet, some intricate -- make the album seem more musically mature.

It's always a shock to go home after a few years away, and discover the changes that people living there haven't even noticed. In a way, it's watching an old life slipping away. And it feels like the guys from Manchester are having a rude awakening to this in "Some Cities."

Not that everything here is depressing -- "Black and White Town" sounds like it was tailor-made to be a hit, with bored-youth lyrics and a dancey beat. It reaches back, maybe, to the Doves origins as "Sub Sub," a dance pop group. And the next-to-last song changes the mood to one of optimism. But reflections on their hometown and the past overshadow these, and lend the album the mournful beauty that the Doves do so well.

There has always been a symphonic sound to the Doves' music, and they apparently aren't about to change that. Not that I'm complaining -- few bands can pair crunchy guitars and synth with classical strings. At least, few can do it without sounding like they are trying too hard. In the case of the Doves, the classical edge merely adds a gloss to the panoramic rock music.

"Some Cities" lets the Doves stretch their wings (pun unintended, I swear), with some exquisite new musical styles and a poignant look back at their hometown. Absolutely stunning.

At first, I was in the same boat as some of the reviewers here who reviewed the album in a negative light. But as I am such a HUGE fan of their first two albums (buy them both if you don't have them. NOW!!!) I kind of realized, as the album started to grow on me, that nothing that they could've put out would have been able to outshine the tremendous amount of expectation I had for this new release. And once I made that realization, I took a step back, did my best to put on a pair of fresh ears and the result is indeed a very fine album.

Yes, the sound is scaled back. That's the bad news so lets get that out of the way. Gone (with the exception of the beautiful "Snowden") are the lush, otherworldly guitars and in their place is a sound that is more of what you'd expect from a 3 piece band, straight out of the box. But... the good news is that the tracks are mostly written with a keen sense of musical craftsmanship. All of the songs are good, earnest songs that glide effortlessly from the band, and there's not really a feeling through the whole album that they were trying to write music, or trying too hard in general.

The only lamentable aspect of this album is that, like many others, the band puts their best foot forward and offers you the best tracks on this album first. After track five, the songs become (and I'm struggling the the right word here) less memorable than the first four, all of which are outstanding tracks. In particular, Someday Soon and Shadows Of Salford probably prevent this CD from being an instant classic of an album, front to back and this is why I withheld a 5-star rating. But if we push those songs out of the picture, even the second half of the album has its well-earned merits.

And last, as a producer I have to point this out - no Doves record would have the incredibly endearing quality that they all have without the spectacular production put into the recording itself, and Some Cities is no exception. This album sounds like something recorded in Detroit in 1967, and sent into the future. The vintage analog sound of this album, coupled with the best reverb out there (where do they record, the Grand Canyon???) really round out the songs and give them the exact flavor they ask for during their delivery. If you don't understand what I'm saying, imagine these songs done in the traditional Top-40 motif, with everything hi-fi and in your face. It just wouldn't work - this record needed the ambience, the general fuzziness, to really drive its point across.

All in all, a great way to sum this one up for fans trying to make their purchasing decision would be to say that the band that recorded "Firesuite", "The Sea Song" and "New York" is not the band that made this CD. Instead, think of the band that made "Pounding" and "The Man Who told Everything" - this is the band that came to play. Can you live with that, especially if 9 of the 11 tracks would be solid if any other band had recorded them? If so, buy this record. And for people that aren't familiar with Doves, just understand that this is a great record, but with their first two albums being so clearly a cut above the rest, eventually when you're that good all of the time, it becomes close to impossible to keep topping yourself, over and over again. To do that with this record, Doves would've had to have discovered the lost chord or something equally ludicrious. This is a GREAT record... just make sure you buy their other two proper releases as well.

it's fairly interesting to trace doves' trajectory from dance band (subsub), to MBV acolytes, to arena rockers, to this, their latest encarnation. after their studio burned down, the ditched the the 'subsub' moniker and 'reinvented' (gosh, i hate that word) themselves as doves. doves debut album, 'lost souls,' was an exercise in atmospherics. save a couple of tracks, namely 'catch the sun' and 'the cedar room,' 'lost souls' was heavy, dense album. 'the last broadcast,' one the other was almost spry compared to its predecessor. it was huge, anthemic, rousing--arena rock done right. it's still amazing to me that sound comes from three guys (sounds like an army of musicians). fastforward three years--i wasn't quite sure what to expect from doves on their new release. the first listen left me a bit puzzled--who was this new, somewhat restrained, more focused band?

after a few more listens the album really began to grow on me. 'some cities' deals out four (potential) singles: (1) the piano-driven (in a good way) 'black and white towns' is a corker. it's everything that good about doves: andy's thunderclap drumming, jez's stellar guitar work, and jimi's raspy vocals. (2) 'some cities' guitar solo left me squirming in my seat the first time i heard it. it seemed intrusive and out of place; however, with successive listens it suddenly seemed surprisingly a propos. (3) 'snowden' is arguably the best track on the album. it's soaring chorus is instantly memorable. what starts as a string-laden, willowy song, ends up a stomper. (4) 'sky starts falling' is doves stripped down and the results are superb. normally a line 'If you see her again / be sure to say hello / Be sure to send my love / Did she seem like before?' would come off as annoying trite and cliched, yet jimi delivers it with such vulnerability and honestly, it transcends the cliche and comes off as genuine (and that's no small feat these days). and while not a single, 'ambition' is perhaps one of the finest closing songs in recent memory. it's more than a bit ironic that a song entitled 'ambition' serves as the last track. either a) it shows their sense of humor, or b) serves as their own exclamation point. either way, it's a beautiful song.

in the end what makes doves great is that each album, while quintessentially doves, maintains its own identity. never resting on their laurels, doves continue to evolve and shape their sound. each successive album has takes the good from its predecessor, adding to it and making it something beautiful to hear.

let's hope the next ten albums do the same.

I can admit two things about this album: Yes, it is more 'commercially' driven, and it doesn't even come close to "Lost Souls."

But then again, "Lost Souls" is one of the most finely crafted and well-conceived albums ever made; approaching that level of greatness usually only happens once.

The opening couplet of 'Some Cities' and 'Black and White Town' up the ante immediately with the former's update of euphoric Bealtes-esque pop and the latter's dancehall-inspired bounce.

I think one reason why people are put off by this album is that, unlike "Lost Souls" and "Last Broadcast," the melodies don't jump out at you right away; the stripped-down etheral quality of most of these songs can take some getting used to. 'Snowden' introduces two melodic lines that bounce off and complement each other perfectly.

I'm not here to offer hollow praise, though. 'Almost Forgot Myself' threatens to disintigrate entirely, and 'The Storm' resurrects the carcass of Portishead when that's exactly what no one wants to hear. 'One of These Days' feels like it needed about two more weeks to incubate into what a Doves song should sound like.

But 'Walk in Fire,' the too-brief 'Shadows of Salford,' (which reminds me of 'A House' from "Lost Souls") 'Sky Starts Falling' and the moody 'Ambition' -- all memorable standouts -- make up for the disappointments.

I can acutually admit one more thing about this album -- it can't hold a candle to its predecessors, but it's only a disappointment considering the two gems that came before this album. The musicianship is there, and there in spades, but the Doves' trademark craftsmanship comes in a little below average. But c'mon, it's not *that* bad.

I thought the influences of Doves were all well placed in the brit-pop-rock environment, but I was mistaken. Once "Black and White Town" kicked in with an organ chord that seems to be lifted almost straight from Stereolab's "Mars Audiac Quintet", i knew this was a very different Doves record. If you've enjoyed the other two releases, then buy this. Yes, "Walk in Fire" is hackneyed, and yes there are "mood pieces"(remember Lost Souls anyone?)but this album is by far worth it for "Almost Forgot Myself", "Some Cities", "Snowden", "Black and White Town", and "Sky Starts Falling" as well as "The Storm". Noticably though there is less-crisp guitar work here, or sometimes a complete lack thereof which may lead some away form the record and back to the comfort of 1999 and 2002. Also, to compare Doves to Coldplay is strange, being that Coldplay is all saccharine.
Doves are not like many other British bands today. They are not even a four-piece, do not appear all over the music mags, and dont really put out many singles or get any non-college airplay; but they have been in our ears for nearly six years. They are really an album band. This is why you should appreciate them, let them take you through an album. At least until Radiohead finally puts everyone to shame again.

Firstly, Coldplay? No, I think not. Doves, from first album to third, are in the business of invoking differing emotions in the listener through the medium of sound. The only emotion I felt when listening to Coldplay was boredom, with their sickeningly cheesey, ultra-sales-orientated series of albums that sound exactly the same. Wholly different and incomparable, the Doves can take the listener on journeys.

This is, however, not their best offering to date and the title and first song "Some Cities" is for me perhaps the weakest on the album. This has opinion has however been rubbished by various sources, so don't take too much notice. In any case any negative thoughts I had about about the album after hearing "Some Cities" were quickly erased when I heard the wonderful piano in "Black and White Town" and the melancholy "Almost Forgot Myself" with its ironic, seemingly-contented and upbeat guitar riff. Genius. "Snowden" and its floaty, airy strings is superb, and "The Storm" is a simply blinding experimental downtempo tune with chopped-up strings and extensive use of the harmonica. "Walk In Fire" is a mid-tempo reminder for me of days gone by when Manchester exploded onto the scene because of its much-evident hi-hat ride. "One Of These Days" is a brilliant song with heart-felt vocals and harmony to match. "Someday Soon" is an intriguing waltzer with a chorus breakdown so ethereal and echoey that haunting is the only word for it. "Shadows of Salford," because it is in the same key, seems like an airy downtempo piano intro for "Sky Starts Falling," which for me takes on an almost Jam-esque feel, largely due to its drum patterns. "Ambition" is a good enough song with the nice Doves trademark echo but its very slow after the catchy uptempo "Sky Starts Falling" and I am a little bit disappointed that the album seems to just drift away.

Despite that, however, as I've already said, there is plenty on here which is totally unmissable. You won't hear many of these tracks in the charts, but that is more to do with the nation's love of soulless music which lacks any sort of depth whatsoever; and this album, like the other two from the Doves, certainly does not fall into that category. Good stuff.

'Some Cities' is the band's follow-up to 'Last Broadcast' that was released three years earlier.Damn!As some would say and I tend to agree that The Dove's work is some of the BEST British rock I've heard in awhile now.Key tracks here would be "Sky Starts Falling",the rocking "One Of Those Days","Almost Forgot Myself" and "The Storm".Worth checking out.Line-up:Jimi Goodwin-bass&vocals and Jez Williams-guitar and brother Andy Williams-drums.Might appeal to fans of Radiohead,Oasis,James and New Order.

Every so often you unearth a group or artist you'd been previously unfamiliar with and they blow you away. Doves is just such a group for me. I've long been an ardent fan of British rock and so-called 'Brit-pop' (though I wouldn't categorize Doves as the latter). The Brits have always made much better music than most of the uncreative crap typically found this side of the pond.

Some Cities kicks off with four outstanding tracks. 'Some Cities' and 'Black and White Town' both have a rustic Motown flavor to them. 'Almost Forgot Myself' alternates between spaghetti-western guitars behind tribal beats and jangly space guitar, while 'Snowden' starts calmly and builds to a tremendous crescendo of screaming, distorted guitar underpinning a much gentler melody on acoustic. They then take it down a notch with songs no less complex and multi-layered, but somewhat less intense. The closing track, 'Ambition', is another highlight.

I've had Some Cities for about 3 months now and it has only gained luster. It's sure to stand the test of time and remain a highlight in my collection. Pick it up now.

If "The Last Broadcast", Doves' last album, provoked the feeling of a band playing from some etherial plane far above the heads of their listeners, this time Doves places the music directly in your face, as if you were watching them perform in some cramped club in the middle of some large city. This music is much more gritty than The Last Broadcast, even moreso than "Lost Souls," and Doves pulls it off, too: but not without a few bumps along the way.

The disk starts off with a bang: enter "Some Cities," a mash of drums, guitar and bass that is truely rock'n'roll. Jimi Goodwin's lyrics are very straight forward: "I'm thinkin' that I've met you before/ I think it's time to settle the score..." and "Some cities crush/ some cities heal/ some cities laugh/ will other cities steal." It's no small wonder that his voice sounds as if it is at the point of unraveling. After a crescendo of static, the song segues into "Black and White Town." This one has a monster of a beat. It progresses with a great chorus, but it seems that the arrangement was very haphazard. I think this was on purpose, though: the song almost feels like a jam, contributing to the in-the-room feeling of the album. "Almost forgot myself" is another great song, balancing a straightforward opening bass and drum pattern with a very majestic verse.

These three song start the album off virtually flawlessly.

"Snowden" took a little time to grow on me. It's more in Doves style of the past. It also marks the introduction of some string orchestration, and it works very well for the song.

"The Storm" evokes the feeling a taking a lonely drive through a sleepy city at 3:00 in the morning. It's very reflective, making use again of beautiful string orchestration. It also has a synchopated bass line that will make your head bob.

"Walk through Fire" is the weakest song on the album. While not a terrible song in and of itself, it holds a striking similarity to "There Goes the Fear" from "The Last Broadcast." When the drums kick in full at 2:45, the similarities are unmistakable. It also goes on too long, IMHO.

The next song "One of These Days" teases with an ethereal electronic beginning harkening back to Doves' past work, but quickly kicks in with a very straightforward drum and guitar pattern, tottaly scrapping the electronics. While this emphasises Doves' departure from the past, the song itself doesn't really go anywhere very exciting.

"Someday Soon" is great, harkening back to Last Broadcast's pastoral territory, yet it retains the albums feel: Jim's vocals sound as if they are in the room right next to you.

"Shadows of Salford" is more of a mood peice than anything. I suppose it fits the stripped-down sound of the album, but it sounds like a B-Side. It's soon over, having not really gone anywhere.

"Sky Starts Falling" is a phenomenal song with a great arrangement, and is exepliary of the mood album as a whole.

"Ambition" ends the album with the feeling that you've retreated into a sanctuary somewhere on the outskirts of the city... it's less claustophobic and very open. As a matter of fact, this song was actually recorded in the massive chambers of a some church, of which I don't know the name. The reverb is all-natural... beautiful ending.

I love albums that present a specific feel throughout, as if it were a song-cycle, and this album, although flawed at places, does this very well. I think it's a amazing that Doves was able to do this with this stlye, but I shouldn't be surprised, seeing how well The Last Broacast was put together.

But I'm rambling: with this album Doves takes you on a journey of sorts throughout a dirty city. And the trip is thrilling, flaws and all.

I've always liked the DOVES singles, but had trouble with their often hit-or-miss full-length albums - frequently, they mistake texture/atmosphere/groove for good songwriting - now comes their third CD, and it's an absolute killer from the first track to the last - chock of full chiming guitars, wall-of-sound sonics, and hummable hooks, this is their least "dance" album yet, but ironically by far their best - how can you deny the instantly addictive rock rush of the title track, Black & White Town, Sky Starts Falling, Snowden, and more - this is how radio show sound; pity it doesn't, unless you listen to Indie 301 or KCRW.