Doves - The Universal Want

There’s naught more fraught than the comeback album. Despite the fact that Doves never officially broke up back in 2010 (their last appearances together were to promote the best of album The Places Between), the relief and excitement was palpable when they announced a series of gigs last year, and a new album felt inevitable.

The atmospheric opening to ‘Carousels’ ably builds tension, with a shuffling drum-loop pilfered from the late, great Tony Allen and an overall hurdy-gurdy feel that befits the title. It’s vibrant and crisp, and as such sets the tone. Similarly, later on ‘Mother Silver’ owes a debt to Afrobeat, all percussive energy and funk.

Back to the top, ‘I Will Not Hide’ sustains the atmospheric start with swampy bass and the trademark guitar lines which form a structure around the melody. It was quite apparent when listening to the Jimi Goodwin solo and the Black Rivers albums (Jez and Andy Williams’ project) who contributed what to Doves, and the latter pair’s soundscapes sit better alongside Goodwin’s melancholy tones.

https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2020/09/album-review-doves-the-universal-want/