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 ...  Read the complete review

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 ...  Read the complete review

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' ...  Read the complete review

It's undoubtedly a tough job being a member of the Doves. Not only have the band over the years had to contend with the title of one hit wonders (the one hit coming from their previous incarnation as 'Sub Sub' in the early 90s) and studios burning down taking years of work with them but even when they achieve a sudden explosion of success; the surprising chart position of flyer single 'There Goes the Fear', the detractors come out of the woodwork suggesting the top three placing was due to the single's 99p price point. It is little wonder that the their 2000 debut 'Lost Souls' was such a bleak affair. Speaking of 'Lost ...  Read the complete review

In 2000 Doves released their first album ‘Lost Souls’. As it was quite a good record, hardly anyone bought it. Which makes the fact that The Last Broadcast has reached number #1 in the album charts a surprise almost as pleasant as finding out your wife is Claudia Schiffer. Their first album was moody affair, borne from the disasters that befell the band in the mid 1990s after they had metamorphosised from Madchester also-rans Sub-Sub. The Last Broadcast is a much more upbeat affair, hence the fact that the first single There Goes The Fear has been getting altitude sickness near the top of the charts. And as usual, I’ll write in my ...  Read the complete review