All Aboard!

The three-year hiatus since the Doves last album, The Last Broadcast , obviously included some well-spent time going through vintage classics. Everything is included in their new release, Some Cities , from an assortment of instrumentation to comprehensive vocals to bass lines that stretch the boundaries of space and time. Herein lies the true beauty of this effort.The bass lines in “Black and White Town,” the opener to Some Cities , and “Almost Forgot Myself” are impressively reminiscent to the golden oldies classic “If You Believe In Magic” and CCR’s tranquil trademark sound respectively. “Snowden” carries keyboard filler that is nostalgic of “My Cherie Amour.” The strange mix of Sting and Badly Drawn Boy found on “Someday Soon” meshes so perfectly; the band drew from originality and rediscovered their own.

The rest of the album is a multifarious combination of worlds of sound. The Doves attempt to cover and unite boundaries of music, and succeed in a huge victory. “The Storm” includes orchestration topped with daunting, lounging bass lines and an incredibly soulful harmonica solo! The smearing of sound included in “Ambition” is, in fact, ambitious and effective. “One Of These Days” along with “Black and White Town” are pure, simple British Pop hits.

Complaints lie in the fact that the vocals in “Walk In Fire” are so reminiscent of Bono. Five will get you ten if the single were played on the radio, people will presume it’s U2. But overall, it’s a rare occasion these days to have an album filled with incredible music, and that’s what makes Some Cities worth a hop, skip, and a jump to your local music store.