More Album Reviews

Just another in a long line of fine reviews for the album. This one by Music Notion is especially well written.

– Music Notion

What is amazing about doves is how even decades later than their first music, they still possess genius level emotional intelligence in their music, making both soundscapes and lyrics resonate personally and collectively. Although this album will clearly have such an uplifting impact with long standing fans, it hopefully will transcend to those new to the band. An album brilliant either via its individual songs or in its entirety, ‘The Universal Want’ is a triumph.  10/10

Read the full thing here.

– The Independent

The Latin dance rhythms on “Mother Silverlake” are an intriguing glimpse at what might have been had they continued as their early band incarnation, Sub Sub (their studio burnt down in 1996 and they started from scratch as an indie-rock group). Single “Carousels”, a tribute to the late Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, samples the drummer’s rhythms amid themes of childhood memories. After 30-odd years, you could forgive a band for taking the easier path into complacency. But Doves have taken a different –better –road.  ROC   4 stars Read the full review here.

– The Guardian

The songs are tightly written, setting the troubled lyrics to bright melodies (Cycle of Hurt, which overplays the fiftysomething sturm-und-drang at the expense of a tune, is the album’s only low point); the dance influences subtle, seamlessly integrated and occasionally surprising. The mournful, ballad-paced title track effectively stops midway through, before reappearing retooled with the kind of beat you’d find on an old Chicago house tune: eventually everything else dies away, leaving just the rhythm track and an acidic synth. 4 stars Full review here.

Finally, Spin spoke to Jimi, a brief interview about the reunion and the band’s use of social media and social justice issues. Read that here.