It’s a phrase that gets used a lot in my reviews and when you get down to it, it means not much. Just a kind of understanding: “the American sound”. That is to say, there are lot of UK bands that want to be American sounding (and moreover, if they were American, would probably be a lot bigger, it’s a sad fact).
Meet the counter-balance.
Falling Doves are from Hollywood and were personally mentored by the late, great Scott Weiland. Given this knowledge, I imagined some big rock thing (and that would no doubt have been cool). What you get with FD is something a little different.
“Electric Dove” came out originally in 2019, but has just recently been given a vinyl release by Jack White’s Third Man Records. To complete the labyrinthian nature of this, it is being distributed in Europe through a German Punk label
And somehow, listening to “Electric Dove”, it all fits. Because it’s in the subtleties, it’s one of those records that you don’t fully appreciate at first, perhaps, but one which, if you listen to a couple of times reveals its layers. And that is always a wonderful thing.
The opener, the utterly brilliant “The Art Of Letting Go” bursts out of the blocks, a huge, swaggering arena rocker with the lowest slung guitar solo this side of Slash, but even here, give it another spin and you’ll find a beguiling harmony, and that never really leaves the album.
“Hello Stars” for example is shot through with a British indie sensibility, lush, like the Stone Roses (before Ian Brown went batshit crazy, obviously), expect DMA’s to look on enviously as Christopher Leyva’s guitar line mesmerises in a very Johnny Took type way.
There is an almost perfect balance in the band as there often is with three pieces. “Dialling You” is a supreme example of that, an almost glam rock stomper, but taken off in its own way. It is a thing of real skill, and if “Strange Love” has an oddly discordant sound, then Leyva’s quiet, almost mumbled delivery adds another texture.
One of the strange things about “Electric Dove” is that, as much as it feels like a journey, then its short and sweet. Just over half an hour, only one of its tunes is over three minutes long, and although not overtly gimmicky or catchy in a conventional sense, then try getting “December Took You Away” out of your head any time soon!
A strange thing about listening to the likes of “Something About Her Ways” for example is that you can pick out all kinds of bands that it sounds like – from The Stooges down – but it doesn’t really sound like anyone or anything else.
There’s a slide guitar touch here, or a country tinge there – primarily on the downright crestfallen “NYC” – but they are still capable of rocking up a more primal storm, as they do on “Changes”, while “Tomorrow Night” is built a strident drum pattern from Francesco Cornaglia which is beautifully at odds with the melody.
The last one “Don’t Have Time”, as if to prove a point, goes full on screeching punk rock for a maelstrom of two and a half minutes of fun. The inference is clear. Falling Doves aren’t bothered about “the rules”, they are flying on their own path.
So I guess, that’s the rock n roll spirit, and thus they are a rock n roll band. If you missed this 15 months ago, get on it now, because its fun and its different.
Rating 8/10
