Doves
Doves are, fittingly to their sound, an unusual coalition of forces.
Brothers Andy and Jez Williams met one Jimi Goodwin at the age of 15. However, it took some time – around ten years ago, in fact – before they all originally picked up instruments in order to form their initial labours: i.e. Euro-pop influenced dance matter under the guise of Sub Sub. This early incarnation of their sound was a temporary success – the ‘group’ as such even scoring a top-three anthem, ‘Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)’. Luckily, Jez admitted looking back on the quality-varying occasion, ‘We kind of lost our way for a few years.’ However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom – the act going on to work with Bernard Sumner of New Order and Tricky in some of their latter day works.
But it was still a far cry from the music the trio truly wanted to produce. ‘The Cedar EP’ of 1998 was their return to the scene – and a considerable difference in style. Released on their own Casino label, it was the first of three limited-edition medium-length recordings – the trilogy also including ‘Sea Song’ and ‘Here It Comes’ – all of which garnered excessive press-support and raised eyebrows in A&R meetings at major record-label offices up and down the country. However, clenching the band’s interest was a deal from Heavenly Records, the company signing up the band, prompting an early 2000 release of the classic top-40 single, ‘The Cedar Room’.
Their debut album, ‘Lost Souls’, was released in the same period, awarding itself great honours from the critics and becoming a top-20 album-release. To date, it has sold in excess of 150,000 copies, and has spawned memorable 45s such as ‘Catch The Sun’ and effortlessly epic ‘The Man Who Told Everything’. The response up ‘til then was ecstatic for a band whose influences and bare-necked honesty were so fragile and delicately-selected that their moving guitar-dosed music could have flown over many peoples’ heads; reassuringly, this wasn’t ever the case.
And this isn’t going to be the case either with the emergence of their second LP, ‘The Last Broadcast’. Already, its debut-single to be released, ‘There Goes The Fear’, has become their biggest hit since ‘Ain’t No Love...’, producing another top-three position – maybe aided by its bizarre availability in the shops, which led to the track being on-sale for one day only. Still, with other tunes in the album’s melting-pot available for a possible, widespread unleashing, such as the glorious ‘Pounding’, ‘New York’, and ‘Satellites’, it’s rather apparent that the group’s brave endeavours at overcoming the ‘difficult second album’ problem were never halted. Indeed, Doves are flying higher than ever before musically – and it’ll be a sad moment for the world if this ever failed to be the case in the approaching future.
Live Photo Credit: Andrew Future
OFFICIAL SITE: Recently refurbished in order to comply with the nature of their soon-to-be-released second LP, this is Flash-operated, quality stuff.
DOVES @ THEWONDERWALL.COM: One of this strong site\'s great selected artists, the Doves pages contain loadsa info to keep you up to date.
DISCUSSION LIST: Only began lately, thus needs some more members; so, sign up and chat Doves-banter \'til the cows come home.
HEAVENLY: The official UK record-company website for Doves. Busy with details and gossip on this act and their label-mates, check it out...