Rise for Doves (Doves in general)

Member Name: jamworld

Product:	Doves in general
Date:	24/06/00 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Eclectic but different

Disadvantages: 1/2 Fillers possibly

I was initially very sceptical about Doves - Manc guitar band (since the dawn of Oasis that usually means Oasis copyist),hotly tipped by NME (yeah, so were Heavy Stereo) and formed from the ashes of trashy dance band Sub Sub (oh God). But then I heard The Cedar Room. 7.5 minutes of whirling, swirling swagger with an almost mantra like vocal. I was hypnotised. Then I heard the soaring sound of Rise, and I was convinced.

The instrumental opener Firesuite pretty much sets the tone, but don't let that make you think the songs'll all sound the same. Where track 1 threatens to burst into glorious melody, the second track Here it Comes really does. Where the next songs
Break Me Gently and Sea Song restrain and dream, the following Rise explodes and in my opinion steals the show.

There are a couple of tracks that aren't quite as strong - the La's-esque Melody Calls and even the title track itself are a bit light, but they at least break things up nicely anyway.

The Cedar Room is a grand and confident a sound as you will hear anywhere at the moment, and the hushed part-acoustic closer A House brings with it deep pangs of a dark grey wandering moodiness and leaves you in need of more.

Is this the band to bridge the gap between the melodies of Oasis and the atmospherics of Radiohead? They're on to a good thing if it is!

Summary: