Doves’ Fourth is Most Cohesive to Date
Doves prove that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with every release.
Doves
Kingdom of Rust
Released on Apr 07, 2009
It’s always a tragedy when a band’s
first album overshadows any subsequent efforts the band puts forth.
Interpol succumbed to this fate after they released Turn
on the Bright Lights - which
in this humble writer’s opinion is one of the best albums of this
decade. Doves, on the other hand, have managed to elude this by taking
each of their albums in slightly different directions. After the release
of Lost Souls, an album which for all intents and purposes
is a textured and sonically complex masterpiece, the band decided not
to retread the melancholy footsteps that album had left behind.
And this was for the best. If anything
they knew they couldn’t repeat the victories of the past - they would
start making their job look too easy. So every album since has had a
slightly different bend on it, especially the last album, Some
Cities, which put each of these
lessons to work. With that, it’s welcoming to see that Kingdom of Rust continues the trend started with Some
Cities, its a batch of textured,
melancholic, and gorgeous songs that flow almost seamlessly.
What’s particularly remarkable
is the consistency and pacing the album runs through. Usually with a
Doves record you get some really extreme highs and lows which translate
to some pockets of the album having considerable drag time. These pockets
have been reduced dramatically here and when they’re present its usually
followed-up with an aural blast of deliciousness. “10:03” is the
best example of this with the first minute being Jimi Goodwin’s easily
recognizable croon with a guitar floating in the background. By the
time the drums catch up, the song literally breaks into something heavier
and darker all together. “The Greatest Denier” dips cautiously low
before rising back up again and it gives the track an addictive quality
- you can loop the song and its pacing just pulls and pushes you keeping
you interested but not revealing all of it’s tricks at once.
If there’s one misstep here its that some of the songs feel like retreads or B-Sides off previous albums. “Lifelines” exudes the charismatic and optimistic qualities of The Last Broadcast (which is hardly a bad thing), and “House of Mirrors” reeks of the basic percussion rhythms that populated Some Cities. Clearly Andy Williams is a fine drummer and Kingdom of Rust is easily one of his best drum performances. But it’s confusing as to why he would reuse basic punk rhythms here when he’s managed to shy away from them for most of the album.
Ultimately it’s hard not to really get into this album. There’s enough variety between each of the songs to keep even the most attention-defunct listener intrigued. If there’s one song to look into here it’s probably “Compulsion” with its gloomy disco funk beats, it’s a stand out track on an album that keeps the bar fairly high throughout. It’s also a testament to a band that clearly shows their willingness to experiment with their sound and song writing resulting in a refreshingly familiar yet never dull album.
High Point
It really seemed like the band took the time to make sure the albums flow was tight. There is almost zero downtime or filler songs on this album.
Low Point
Some of the songs on this album could be considered ‘safe.’ Which actually equates to boring.
Posted by Danny Lopez on Apr 14, 2009 @ 6:00 am