Doves

On Some Cities, Doves’s self-produced soundscapes have evolved into more defined sound bites. Produced by Ben Hiller (Blur, Elbow), it is far less experimental and imaginative than previous works, which touched the senses with the band’s melancholic yet positive combination of swirling guitars and moody vocals, and much more conventional and undemanding. This move is not necessarily for the best, as what is most appealing about the Northern England foursome is their encapsulation of a limitless, shimmering sound into an uneasy but tremendously comforting space that only happens near the end of Some Cities on “One of These Days” and “Ambition.”