You can't really ask for a sophomore album better than The Last Broadcast; in fact, it's my favorite Doves album to date. Doves are newprog rock simply because their range of influence and sound is so huge, they don't really fit anywhere else. They experiment with the synth and electronic effects of space and psychadelic rock, yet other songs hum with folk or alt rock influence.
We open with a Verve-esque intro, and then go straight into "Words" which is one of the only comfortably rock songs on the album, albeit echoing lovely lush wall-of-sound rock. I mean, talk about a way to start an album; you know those songs that try to be all epic and fail? This isn't one of them. "Words" screams epic, and throws off the melancholia that will blanket the rest of the album. "There Goes the Fear" fits in the category of alt rock, with a surprisingly sunny guitar line and the typically progrock shying away from pop song format (verse bridge chorus repeat). "M62 Song" shows the diversity of the group as it delves into some beautiful, beautiful acoustic/folk. "Where We're Calling From" is a nice little experimental instrumentation, and adds to the ambience of the concept album (though I'm generally unappreciative in this area and prefer full-fledged songs).
What it really should have been is part of one of the album's highlights, "N.Y." a track that opens with mean in-your-face buzzing grunge guitars, and then slides into much prettier strumming guitars. The song is so carefree and optimistic (I sometimes wonder if it isn't a direct answer to Bono's version on All That You Can't Leave Behind, but that's just very far-fetched personal speculation.) Anyway, the song is frickin' catchy and cleverly crafted, and you can just eat up those buzzing guitars. "Satellites" is next, opening with women singing spirituals over synth and clapping; here we have the quintissential example of why prog rock is so awesome--spirituals and blues are seamlessly layered over echoing indie rock. "Friday's Dust" kicks into ballad gear, opening with the lyrics "Friday's dust turning into a Saturday's." The orchestral arrangements such as the tremeloing violins really add here, as do the strange cave-like echoes.
"Pounding" is an absolutely brilliant song; it starts out sounding like Coldplay for the first 3 minutes with Jimi Goodwin sounding substantially like Chris Martin (they are actually sort of contemporaries), and deemphasizing the guitars in exchange for synth effects and a literally pounding drumbeat; then at 2:54 Jez Williams' awesome guitar line makes its entrance. The finished effect is stunning. No offense, Coldplay, but you've been outmaneuvered. The title track is actually fairly subdued compared to earlier tunes, but for all its seemingly lo-fi atmosphere, it actually moves at a pretty fast pace, lending it an air of quiet freneticism to "Last Broadcast"; the track embodies Tragic Gloom, especially thanks to the echoing vocals.
One of my album favorites is penultimate song "The Sulphur Man" which has some of the most direct and best lyrics on the album: "fate brought you next to ghosts/they talk in code looking for a way out/I hope you want to live a day and learn to cope/I hope you find what matters/through the streets and on your own/almost lost and almost home/we'll be looking all we can/we'll be looking for the sulphur man." It begins with a dark orchestral segment, and then transitions to echoing aggrandized alt rock; the melody dips in and out of minor key, leaving the listener unsure as to where its going, but still enjoying the ride.
"Caught By the River" is probably the most commercially viable song on the album, which doesn't make it any less good; it's a nice closer. The lyrics start out folksy, and then transition to a much more general message. The song is simple, layering harmonies and acoustic guitar with the synth and effects we've learned to expect by now. The song isn't complicated, but it's infectious as Doves do what they do best--build the song. They end with crashing waves of sound reminiscent of Oasis or the Verve.
This is definitely one of my favorite albums of all-time, and it's damn near flawless.
-elln
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