Progress Report: Doves
Every week or so, Jessica Suarez's Progress Report updates you on what your favorite bands have been doing. Or not doing.
NAME: Doves
PROGRESS REPORT: Prepping their fourth album, Kingdom Of Rust, out April 6.
"We go into the studio and we tend to go in daily until we get somewhere, and that's either a really pleasant experience or a really torturous experience," Doves vocalist and bassist Jimi Goodwin says. And with four years between this record and 2005's Some Cities, you'd hope Doves had more of the former experience. But most of the intervening years were spent on all the stuff outside the band and the studio. "We took time off. [Drummer] Andy [Williams] had a baby in October of last year, so I think we took out six weeks then, and that was the longest hiatus we had for the record," Goodwin says. "When we go in and do stuff, it's roll your sleeves up and tank up your life for a while until its done. But sadly real life has a habit of poking its head in, with and lots of ups and downs." So recording wasn't relaxed, he says, but just broken up by all the other things band members had going on.
All of the recording was done in the band's converted Cheshire farmhouse studio, which sits on a working dairy farm. They began working at the farmhouse in 2006, mastering Kingdom Of Rust just over Christmas. "It's been a bit of a white-knuckle ride at times," he says. Though Goodwin met his bandmates, brothers Jez and Andy Williams, when they were in high school, they all work together like family now. "It's like that. We never argue but there's 'discussion,' let's just put it that way." Those discussions might have led to the varied sounds on Kingdom Of Rust, which doesn't seem to stay in one place, musically. "Jez said it's quite schizophrenic. But I think all our records are schizophrenic. We've always as a band been interested in tons of different stuff and we just try and bring all of that to the table and it goes through our filter," Goodwin says. "We're still moving as human beings." That motion carries through to the songs themselves, especially "Jetstream" and "10:03," which begins with the line "10:03 on a fast train," where and when the song was written. The album was mostly produced by Dan Austin, who's also worked with Massive Attack. John Leckie, who produced Radiohead's The Bends, also produced a handful of tracks for Kingdom Of Rust.
Goodwin says the band is eager to play the songs out more, though he's hoping audiences won't hear the songs and think they sound better live. One of their first workouts for Kingdom Of Rust was Heavenly Records' 19th anniversary party, at the World Festival Hall in London. Playing for their longtime label broke them out of the recording process. "It allowed us to burst out of that stupid bubble in a way," Goodwin says. "To just to go into a rehearsal room and literally make a cup of tea and strap on and plug in and just play your set for three hours every day, then go home and not discuss songs ... that was really great."
Kingdom Of Rust is due on 4/6. Here's a look at it shaping up:
More of those scenes from the studio at MySpace.
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Posted at 5:29 PM by Jessica in Progress Report
Tags: Doves
what happened? did built to spill disband?
why are you not checking on them?
i will give you five dollars.
please give me your paypal account.
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I'm with this guy. Built To Spill!
,,,and of course, The Rentals.
Score = 4
ooh pretty excited abt this
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Joanna Newsom progress report please please please.
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I'm not feeling "Jetstream" ..
Why fuck up a good song with the guy who like never sings on their songs? His voice is so awkward.
I also dislike the dude with the fucked up voice that randomly sings for the Goo Goo Dolls. He sounds like he's smoked like fourteen thousand cigarettes and had well over twenty thousand gallons of whiskey.
Personal preference, that's all.
Score = -1
Someone's obviously a dumbass and doesn't know shit about Doves. Jez and Andy have sang on numerous occasions.
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I second the Joanna Newsom request. It's been too long!
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jesus guys. why can't anyone be excited for this album?! doves don't get enough love.
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The problem with the Doves is that their albums are getting progessively worse. "Lost Souls" was a fine debut with many good tracks sustained throughout the album. "The Last Broadcast" was decent with two standout tracks ("There Goes the Fear" and "Pounding"). The remainder of "The Last Broadcast" is utterly forgettable. Then we have their most recent output, 2004's "Some Cities," which basically sucked aside from "Black and White Town."
So you see, Simon and Simon are not brothers in real life; only on television.
Score = -12
Wrong on many counts.
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You should give up the whole 'having opinions' thing. You suck at them.
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Typical hater shit. At least get your fact checking right.
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superchunk still play occasionally, right? Will they ever record again?
What about Jim O'Rourke? Will he ever do another one of his "pop" solo records?
Score = 1
What?! Some Cities was a great album. And I am personally very excited about this album.
I'm also digging Jetstream. Can't wait for April!!!
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THEIR "FORTH" ALBUM, HA HA HA HA
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I agree that Lost SOuls is their best effort but Doves has 3 albums of above average to excellent output and I can't wait to enjoy this new album. Nice to see an update and a little bit of love. At least they're not Coldplay or Travis.
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BATTLES!!
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Man Man!
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voxtrot?
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I 2nd the progressivly worse idea, its all been downhill. Jetstream does not bode well...but I still have high hopes
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What the hell is wrong with 'Jetstream'? I know this argument holds about as much water as a tiny bucket, but...If this was Radiohead you'd all be like WOW - How good r the beats! Seriously though, that argument has lost all potency but it;s still true. 'Jetsream' is a moody peice of genius.
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Please bring the assumed fine readers of this website an update on Built to Spill. What's next for Doug Martsch aside from a bigger beard?
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"hoping audiences won't hear the songs and think they sound better live."
why? isn't that point of playing music?
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