For a brief period, Doves ruled the roost when it came to 21st century Brit-pop. Their music connected the dots between OK Computer-era Radiohead, Coldplay, and U2, a welcome combination for those unwilling to forgive U2's Pop or follow Radiohead down their Kid A rabbit hole. As a result, Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast both went platinum in the U.K., spawning no less than six Top 40 singles in the process. Those two albums dominate The Places Between, a greatest-hits compilation that focuses on the band’s glory days. To their credit, Doves have yet to release a dud of a record -- even the band’s lowest-selling album, Kingdom of Rust, went gold -- and they’ve collected their strongest material here, meaning the records that didn’t sell as well are still represented by strong, melodic tracks. “Andalucia,” the compilation’s only new track, holds its own against 14 established hits, a sign that Doves aren’t quite done with their reign of the U.K. charts
When Doves issued Lost Souls in fall 2000, Britpop was immersed in its melodic gloom-and-doom era, ushered in by the success of Radiohead. The likes of Coldplay, Travis, Elbow, and Starsailor followed in their wake, as did Doves. What separated Doves from the rest was a glint of passion, evident on their 2000 debut, Lost Souls. Two years later, the atmospheric dreamscapes of Lost Souls were torn asunder for the musical daybreak of The Last Broadcast. As it turns out, the psychedelic vibrancy of "Catch the Sun," the brightest track on the album, pointed toward this brave second record. Gone are the hazy space rock trips and the cheerless attitudes; Doves are on the sunny side of the street for The Last Broadcast. The seven-minute sonic boom of "There Goes the Fear" finds Jimi Goodwin sharing vocals with Jez and Andy Williams for a glorious chorus. Each of them switches up vocal duties throughout, lending a joyous feel to the album itself. From the bold front of "Words" to the fiery momentum of "Pounding," The Last Broadcast shows a refreshing rawness that was absent before. The High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan delivers sweeping orchestral arrangements for the sublime "Friday's Dust," while the electronic dewdrops of "The Sulphur Man" push Doves' divine ambience further to the front.Doves were caught up in making grand compositions on Lost Souls, which worked fabulously, but it was too much. They've stripped down to the basics, letting the optimism of The Last Broadcast take center stage. It's a brilliant moment.
Hailing from the scene that brought the defining sounds of the Smiths, the Stone Roses, Oasis, James, and the Charlatans UK, Doves is another Brit-pop band playing around with depressing lyrical imagery and embryonic soundscapes that made the Mancunian circuit so popular throughout the '80s and '90s. Gloriously basking in the ethereal ones before them, their debut Lost Souls is a shoegazing twist of emotional bliss. Music hasn't sounded so heavenly since Radiohead and The Verve.
The dozen-track look into streaming psychedelia taps into melodic waves of love lorn and sadness, especially on songs like "Rise" and "Lost Souls." The mood rouses and the positive clamor of "The Cedar Room" becomes the album's brassy anthem, very Oasis-like. Frontman/bassist Jimi Goodwin drools like a swooning Damon Albarn during "Here It Comes" and whooshing guitar licks from Jez Williams recall the sounds of Noel Gallagher. NME boldly claims it as the best debut album since Definitely Maybe. They're onto something good. If only Liam and Noel could calm down a bit and find that mesmerizing nature once again. [In October 2000, Lost Souls was issued in America on Astralwerks with three added bonus tracks not included on the original version]