DOVES - The Last Broadcast

The second album by Doves, the Birmingham trio who broke through in 2000 with "Lost Souls" - a record that started quietly but went on to become one of the biggest British successes of recent years, a happy blend of britpop melodies, psychedelia and Smiths-style guitar rock - was one of the most eagerly awaited releases, especially in Britain.

The trio add to traditional rock instrumentation a generous use of sampling that enriches their sound, something they're masters of given that their musical roots go back to the house-dance outfit Sub Sub.

As was predictable, as soon as "The Last Broadcast" hit the shops, the British music press launched into over-the-top praise, with some calling them the Radiohead of the new decade, and others proclaiming the album, well ahead of schedule, "album of the year". Experience has taught us to be wary of the British press, which has burned us too many times, splashing next big things across its front pages only to see them vanish from circulation the following season.

The brief introduction that opens the record has just the right emphasis to launch the opening track "Words", which however relies on a simple, not particularly original britpop energy. It's followed by the single "There Goes The Fear" which, driven by a Merseybeat-style guitar line, turns into one of the most successful and intense melodies on the record, spilling into an unusual finale of Brazilian-carnival chaos. The third track is a surprise, a distinctive semi-folk cover of King Crimson's "Moonchild", here titled "M62", which works well precisely because it's personal and considerably shorter than the original.

A grandiose interlude precedes the energetic "Where We're Calling From", perhaps the best track on the album, with a lovely acoustic ending and a convincing vocal from Jim Goodman (which isn't always the case...), while the soul-gospel of "Satellites" (complete with choir) is fairly predictable and a touch cloying. Already from these opening tracks it's clear the band means to forge a more compact sound and has raised its musical ambitions, but unfortunately one gets the sense that the abundance of samples and overdubs, meant to lend the songs grandeur and depth, sometimes simply seem to be turning up the volume on a dish with a fairly simple recipe. The band certainly isn't lacking in melodic talent, as shown by "Friday's Dust", a beautiful, melancholy song built around voice and guitar, perhaps let down by a constant crowding of horns, strings and sound effects. And Doves haven't forgotten the freshness of their early days, as on "Pounding", the most upbeat track on the record and one of its best, able to pick up the pace and briefly shake off the general melancholy running through the album - a melancholy that's also very present in the title track, a song built on Smiths-style guitar inflated with effects and the like. The title track is once again a melancholy, Smiths-style guitar song puffed up with effects and the rest; "The Sulphur Man" is one of their finest melodies, with the strings - much more prominent this time - finally used to heighten the song's emotional pull, while the album closes with "Caught By The River", a long ballad strongly reminiscent of the mood of their debut.

Ultimately, this "The Last Broadcast" confirms that Doves are a thoroughly enjoyable presence in British pop-rock; perhaps what this record lacks is a standout track capable of turning a good album into a genre masterpiece.

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26/10/2006