Doves

Kingdom Of Rust

[4/5]



Spend 18 months ensconced in a farmhouse/studio in Cheshire, England, and something interesting is bound to happen. Thankfully, instead of going all Shining on each other, Doves came out the other side with a disc that pushes their unique mix of dance beats, folk and good old rock ’n’ roll. Their trademark melancholic tunes are intact, while "The Outsiders" proves the downer dudes can actually kick out a jam. (The title track even gives Coldplay a run for their epic-sounding money.) Bringing in producer John Leckie (Radiohead’s The Bends) for "Winter Hill" and "10:03" proved a gem of an idea, because that album’s stamp is all over those two stunners. Title notwithstanding, there’s no rust on these guys. (ASTRALWERKS) JR Griffin