It's been awhile
It's me again
When I heard Jez Williams blitz not one but two guitar solos on "Prisoners," it was exhilarating during our weird pandemic summer, like your favorite mate showing up out of nowhere. The surprise lead single for Doves' fifth album was chock full of acoustic/electric guitars, electronic swells, ooohs and aaahs, and Jimi Goodwin's rough and reaching vocals, displaying the best instincts of the Manchester trio. When The Universal Want proved to be just as potent from top to bottom, it was a godsend.
Twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams (drums) met Goodwin (bass) in high school and formed various dance-rock groups in the '90s. Their trailing rhythmic impulses threaded through their first album as Doves in 2000 and underscored the band's unique sound through three more until going on hiatus in 2009.
In the crowded Britpop field at the turn of the century, Doves squeezed in as a strange companion. Less important than Radiohead, edgier than Coldplay, more atmospheric than Travis, and much cooler than Muse, the band grew a devoted following at home and indie-level success abroad. When I saw the trio in a small club (with My Morning Jacket opening), they were about to score the number one record in the U.K. with 2002's supernal The Last Broadcast, which goes to show the Brits often have a better ear than we do.
After staying out of view for more than a decade, The Universal Want charted at #1 in the U.K., which is absolutely stunning for 50-year-old guys in a rock group, especially in today's competitive and decidedly non-rock/pop-saturated scene. Wisely, the band does not stray from its autumnal sound but dives deeper into its spell with a set of fan-pleasing tracks that play to their strengths and are among their very best. The record's dense layers of electronics, complex rhythms, and squalls of guitars come close to prog-rock, as the music seeps into every nook and cranny, but it is still more roughhewn and groovy than overly mathy.
While a sad and weary beauty hangs about, The Universal Want is propulsive and cathartic, with deep wells of feeling storming through the knotty arrangements. It is a maximalist grower, the best kind, encouraging listen after listen, rich, angular, and spacey.
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