Doves - Some Cities

Sun 27th Feb, 2005 in Music Reviews

Imagine if the members of Coldplay had been born in the north of England, where infectious grooves flow in the rivers, and synth-pop grows on trees. Imagine if Coldplay’s uplifting anthemic rock was built over strong basslines and pounding beats, and had a slightly darker edge that made them stand out from the pack.

Emerging around the same time as Coldplay, is Manchester trio Doves. Doves’ third album, Some Cities achieves everything Coldplay’s two albums have done, and so much more. With relative ease, Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin and Andy Williams fuse all the best elements of Coldplay, Keane, Snow Patrol and Embrace with all the things that only a Manchester upbringing can give you.

The album’s eponymous opening track, Some Cities reiterates the band’s trademark sound, however instead of the myriad of instruments found on their release The Last Broadcast in 2002, the sound comes mainly from guitars and effects. The samples and effects work comfortably in tandem with the conventional instruments as the disc moves into Black and White Town, which features lead vocals not dissimilar to Chris Martin’s, but over a throbbing beat which forms the backbone of a potential indie dancefloor hit.

The backbone prevails, even when played off against the epic U2-esque guitars of Almost Forgot Myself, which is one of the immediate standout tracks of the album, proving how the band have moved into new territory without abandoning what made them different in the first place.

The Storm, a collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto is an interesting addition to the record and along with One of These Days and Walk in the Fire, drifts back from the anthemic pop, towards the more expansive and darker sounds of The Last Broadcast.

Two minutes into the eerie Snowden, distorted guitars attack the track’s main hook, the result being a struggle between the band’s two personas – in the end, the struggle itself becoming the band’s sound.

As the album draws towards its conclusion, the moody and mysterious factor begins to drown out the pop factor, and for a short while, Some Cities comes dangerously close to being another album covering roughly the same ground as their past efforts. Luckily, penultimate song, Sky Stars Falling comes in to remind us how easily they can switch from one mood to another, changing the momentum of the album completely.

Even as the tempo falls once again during closing track Ambition, the seamless transition from one persona to another makes Some Cities all the more interesting.