| · Irony-free rock stars offer up b-sides and rarities
I’ve always thought of b-side compilations as greatest hits for hipsters. Are they a collection of songs one must have or a quick cash grab for the band? In the case of Lost Sides by doves it falls right in the middle – if you are a fan of this band’s previous work and you just can’t wait until the new album comes out, this CD will tide you over. If you’re not, Lost Sides isn’t a terrible place to start.
Most of the songs on this CD are the genesis for the band’s two previous albums, Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast, and it’s nice to hear where those albums come from. After exhausting a particular chord progression or melody line, doves not only give us their best versions of a song, but also their first passes.
Lost Sides also offers a few new gems. "Hit The Ground Running" is a cover of Warren Zevon’s "Werewolves of London" with new lyrics – fulfilling the desire every musician has to rewrite a song they wish they’d written. Other standouts include "Northenden" and the haunting "Far From Grace," which could have easily made the cut on either of the first two CDs. But it’s the unabashedly sentimental "Willow’s Song" that melts my heart – although not particularly good, it’s recorded and performed with such conviction and boldness that I can’t help but admire it.
It’s this kind of boldness that helps doves transcend their Brit-pop flash-in the-pan status to become honest, hard-working, irony-free rock stars.
3/5
MATTHEW CURRIE HOLMES
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