Doves - House of Blues (Boston, MA; Jun. 7, 2009)

In my experience, the most difficult show to review is the one embroiled in mediocrity. Luckily for me, Doves wasted no time creating a dense wall-to-wall melodic soundscape in the House of Blues: a perfect complement to the massive scrim onto which clever Danny Boyle-like music videos danced for the duration of the concert. The best live acts let you know right from the get-go that you’re going to enjoy yourself.

In the final performance their 2009 North American tour, Doves opening number “Jetstream” from their most recent release Kingdom of Rust functioned as a veritable “look what we can do,” comprised of a three or four minute crescendo that rolled together layers of programmed bass drums and snares, wobbly synthesizers, and surging guitar licks as it tumbled forward. Critics have hailed Kingdom as the group’s most ambitious project, and their performance showed that this ambition translates to the stage.

After the impressive start, they followed with “Rise” from Lost Souls, first showcasing Jimi Goodwin’s clear, sad, baritone voice that resounded like a muezzin’s call to prayer on a somber morning. Meanwhile, guitarist Jez Williams wailed high harmonies laden with thick reverb, contributing a haunting ethereal dimension to the sound. They then transitioned into “Pounding” before which Goodwin remarked, “Feel free to pound along; I wish you would.” And they made it easy to. The aptly named song accomplished the ultimate goal of a live show: it sounded as clean and calculated as the track we’ve heard on the album, but it was infused with the energy and pulse that only a live show can produce.

Avoiding mid-show lulls, Doves counteracted a slow, atmospheric ballad by blasting though the popular “Words,” followed by the title track of the new album, a sort of neo-folk song that, despite its bouncy two-step nature, sounded like it might have been written on a drizzly Manchester evening. It occurred to me at this point that Doves possess (if you’ll excuse my effusive UK band allusions) the epic sound of, say, a U2 or Coldplay, without the ego or light show, respectively. Although they may suffer from the Travis malady. That is, despite beautifully crafted and delivered music, Doves somehow fly under the radar of the mega-mainstream, perhaps due to an air of melancholy that tends to permeate the rockers’ oeuvre.

Toward the end of the show, “The Outsiders” proved that Jez wasn’t as seemingly limited to arpeggios as one might deduce from the bulk of the show, but that he could unfurl some hard-rocking riffs, too, in what became a head-bobbing jam-out. Doves rounded out their set with “Caught by the River” in all its acoustic glory, after which the quartet played their role in the obligatory pre-encore stage departure.

Sure enough, they emerged anew to the delight of Dove-deficient Bostonians to the tune of “Here It Comes,” followed by a heartfelt version of “Last Broadcast.” It was only fitting of Goodwin to opine in closing, “See you in another five years, I guess” before letting loose on a spirited version of “There Goes The Fear.” By the end of the song, guitars were abandoned for hand drums as Doves were joined on stage by their opener, Wild Light, and whoever else could find a percussion instrument and an implement to beat it with. It was a memorable farewell for a band that has slowly and steadily staked its claim among the great UK acts of this decade.

DOWNLOAD: Doves - Kingdom of Rust (Live on Minn. public radio) (MP3) or Follow us for more Doves MP3s (Twitter)

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