The Last Broadcast - Doves

One of my favourite bands over the last 4 or 5 years would have to be Doves. They were playing at Reading Festival the first year we went and since then I’ve always liked them. The debut album was good and after a couple of years Doves returned with this the second album. Just after its release, Doves were put up for the Mercury Music prize and although they didn’t win it, it certainly showed the calibre of the album. It was going to be a good year for Doves. I didn’t realise when I first heard Doves at my first Reading Festival was who they were. They’d actually been together for about 10 years before their debut album as Doves. The new Indie feel was a total ...

The Doves debut album, Lost Souls, released in 2000 was hailed by some as one of the finest debut albums of the year. The former members of 90s dance act Sub Sub had redeveloped themselves as The Doves, an indie britrock act who,in my opinion, were the most refreshing new band in years. The Last Broadcast, the follow up album was released this year, along with a top 10 smash, There Goes The Fear. But how does the album stand up? The Last Broadcast has 12 tracks on it, which vary dramatically in both their style and how good they are. I'll give a brief description of all the tracks, and my opinion on them all. 1. INTRO (1.19mins) A ...

The magnitude of Doves last album (2000) was enough to rescue more that a few lost souls who believed that challenging alternative music had died. Its scope was far reaching, the core melodies were intricate and uplifting even if the album espoused a deep melancholy. It is one of the great debuts and will still be spoken about in hushed tones by your children. Living up to such accomplishments often hinders second comings. Radical debuts are often followed up by meandering affairs, ideas appear in a watered down fashion as if the deep well of inspiration had been usurped in the initial burst of creativity. Not so here. 'The Last Broadcast' ...