Dienstag, 21. Apr 2009, 14:10

(for the full text of this review, visit http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/2009/04/21/album-review-doves-kingdom-of-rust/)

I think it’s fair to say that I was spoiled musically by growing up in the ’80s, the tail end of a long period where bands usually released albums no more than 1-2 years apart. So when great newer acts like Manchester’s Doves come along and take longer than that I get impatient. It’s been more a little more than four years since the group’s excellent third record, Some Cities, and after reading about so many delays with their newest I was starting to lose hope. But now Kingdom of Rust is here, and all is well.

My overall impression of Rust is that it represents a nice synthesis of the sounds and styles the band explored on their first three albums, but is by no means an artistic retread. The bulk of the record leans more toward the dense and atmospheric tendencies displayed on Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast, but the direct approach favored on Some Cities rears its head on occasion.

The beauty of Doves’ music has always been their uncanny ability to make even the simplest tunes sound and feel epic - witness the bouncy opening cut, “Jetstream”, which is really a dance-rock song disguised as neo-prog. Similarly there’s “Spellbound”, which makes up for its lack of immediate gratification with an aura of darkness and considered songcraft…