Some Cities [Audio CD] Doves

In the three years between this album and its epic-scaled predecessor, The Last Broadcast, Manchester trio Doves were obviously doing something more artistically rewarding than mere touring. It's not that their sense of ambitious scale has waned. It's that it has been refocused inward here toward personal matters and the state of their Northern UK homeland. The title track and thumping, soul-inflected single "Black and White Town" state as much early on. But much more than Doves' subject matter has evolved as well. The album's sonically intriguing mix of influences fuse singer Jimi Goodwin's unabashed hook jones with bottom-heavy club rhythms and the restless, expansive instincts of multi-instrumentalist twins Andy and Jez Williams. Then, all is channeled through the fuzzy aura of too many youthful 3am's at Manchester's famed Hacienda nightspot.

The gorgeous moodiness of "Snowden" and string-drenched, mouth-harp seasoned "The Storm" show how far the band has evolved from its early Sub Sub incarnation/Manchester heritage, even as the bigger-than-life "Walk in Fire" shows just how deep those roots go. It's a magnificent record, one whose sense of scale belies its innate efficiency, and arguably Doves' most wholly satisfying to date. --Jerry McCulley