Doves: Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin, Andy Williams.

Recorded in England between January 2001 and January 2002.

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. ~ MacKenzie Wilson

England's Doves began as teenage purveyors of feel-good dance music in the early '90s as Sub Sub, and even scored a minor hit. After a studio fire cost them their equipment along with demos of their second release, the members of Sub Sub forged ahead, transform their sound and renaming themselves. With 200's LOST SOULS, Doves blew up in England and garnered a cult following in the states, signaling a mess of anticipation for 2002's THE LAST BROADCAST.

LAST BROADCAST clearly owes heaps to early-'90s shoegazing bands like Ride and Lush, nowhere more so than on the dizzying, spiraling "Words." At other times THE LAST BROADCAST recalls the Manchester (not coincidentally Doves' hometown) sound of the same era, particularly hearkening back to Inspiral Carpets (see "There Goes The Fear"). However, to truly describe Doves one would have to invoke everyone from the Kinks to James, as the threesome pick from all over the British musical map to conjure up a delectable sound, wholly its own. On THE LAST BROADCAST, Doves uphold the hope aroused by their thrilling debut.