Doves - Lost Souls

Grade: 85.4%
Official Score: 90.1%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 6.8
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: N/A
Coke Machine Glow Score: N/A




House DJs tend to brag that their set will burn the house down, but in the event of such a tragedy actually happening, I suggest taking a cue from Doves. After a fire destroyed their house, which doubled as their studio and housed all of their equipment, the band took it a sign that a change was in order. The result is nothing short of a masterpiece, an album for a long drive home for someone with nothing (or plenty) to think about.

For three guys who spent more time in raves than in clubs, this album is heavily lacking in the dance department, but that is not a complaint. Instead of relying on old tricks or trying to create some dance-rock hybrid (which would have put them ahead of the game), Lost Souls is instead a Brit-pop album without the pop, a sprawling epic that's neither proggy, jammy, or post rock, yet somehow not entirely absent of certain qualities those genres rely on either. If I had to describe this album, I would have to say it is like a constant summer breeze. Or better yet, like rafting on a calm lake in the middle of the night, in the country, with a clear, widescreen, high-definition view of the universe above.

"Firesuite", a 4 1/2 minute (mostly) instrumental jam opens the album. The song relies heavy on its cymbal heavy jazz drumming and walking bass line. Hearing this song might make you think of Portishead if only they were a little more organic. This song is about as close as they come to their DJ roots. From here the band lightly pushes and tugs your raft in the direction they want to take you. "Here It Comes" is slightly upbeat and bouncy, while "Sea Song" floats on and on. The first 7 songs just drift along just perfectly, and all the while the listener is unsuspecting of what's to come at track 8, which is, of course, the rockin' "Catch the Sun", which still holds the title for Best Single Nobody Heard. Afterward, they bring it back down again for the gorgeous "The Man Who Told Everything" and the epic "Cedar Room". A couple of tracks later, the band tells the tale of the house fire that brought them to where they are today in the campfire acoustic finale "A House".

In England, that pretty much ends it. In the US though, we get three bonus tracks tacked on for no extra cost. Its awfully nice of them to do so, and after listening to the first bonus song, "Darker", you'll begin to wonder why they were left off the album in the first place. "Darker" is like "Here It Comes" in terms of pacing, but more akin to "Catch the Sun" in that it rocks much harder. The distorted bass line will have you hooked, I guarantee it. Unfortunately, "Valley" is a little too close to Brit-pop and definitely points to the direction they would eventually head towards on their next album, which isn't an awful thing, but its clear why this song was a b-side. The final track, "Zither", is an instrumental song that is nowhere near the high standard set by "Firesuite". It too could have been left off without much complaint.

Regardless of the two unnecessary tracks that conclude the album, Lost Souls is an essential purchase for anyone in need of a Spring or Summer album, or just in need of a good, no, great album.