Lost Souls

I enjoyed many of the moody, melancholy components at play here but found they never truly coalesced into a resonant conclusion.

I definitely listened to this at the wrong time of day. This is an album that’s supposed to be listened to at 3am on a Saturday morning when walking through the streets of a wet Northern city in a post-party haze. I listened to it over my lunch break on a Monday afternoon, and I liked it just fine, but I do think it’d be enhanced by listening in the correct setting

There's some interesting sounds and effects used at the beginning of this album. It was a pretty unique and relaxing album until Catch The Sun which felt extremely out of place. It feels like an emo Foo Fighters song that was created to be a radio hit. Reprise was a lovely little number. This album had an interesting back and forth of being really relaxing and calm, to have unsettling ends of songs. This album feels like it has some legs to get to a 4, but I don't see myself revisiting this one anytime soon.

I my review of their second album, I found them to be too derivative of other people's works, particularly Colplay. And I can sorta hear those vocals here too, but considering the timeline, I think now it more comes from Oasis. I'm hearing a lot of Beatlesesque melodies (especially "Lost Souls") mixed with a fuzzy shoegazy atmospheric grand sound, certainly a chiller, more focused form of Oasis. They weren't the only one doing this of course; you also had Verve and Spiritualized earlier, but this is just darker and pop-accessible. Highly accessible with a full, developed sound and somber mood. As a whole, it's a coherent experience, with songs flowing well and maintaining the same vibe. I found plenty of songs I liked, and I think I prefer this to The Last Broadcast. I'm not crazy about it yet, I did really enjoy all the songs, and I could put it on repeat. No bad songs. Giving it the full score, and maybe I should revisit The Last Broadcast.

I was familiar with this band in name only so I wasn't sure what to expect. Glancing over their influences and the album cover, I slightly assumed this would be a selection of alternative pop rock arena anthems. This isn't quite that. Instead, I discovered something that seems to defy easy definition. Yes, Doves had a big sound, but they created it behind a veil of effects and experimentation, influenced by shoegaze, and, to my ears anyway, neo prog. A small chunk of this actually reminds me of post Fish Marillion when they riff on the Beatles or even if the album 'Brave' was geared more as hangout music. Another surprise was the amount of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk touches with the use of keys, harmonica, and some guitar tone. This group seemed more content creating texture than hooks which might leave some feeling put off, but for me it was welcome despite not always being an easy listen. Multiple plays seem to reward the listener.

Very surprised to see a second ! Doves album on this list. This one doesn’t hit anywhere near as hard as the first one we got. Even the other one had mostly boring-ish songs but it had enough musically to carry it and make it a solid overall album. This one was just the boring songs without much else. Good to see that they evolved as a band between this one and the other one we got which was released 2 years later I think

Approached this fully expecting to hate it, and I was not disappointed. Another tedious UK band whose myriad plaudits are highly mysterious. I'm convinced Doves are basically a support group for failed Manchester musicians to rally around, an AA sponsor for the post-punk survivors. Dismal guitar sent wandering aimlessly around overlong dirges peppered with grating, yet puny vocals. As exciting as a wet, grey Monday morning in Macclesfield, appropriately enough. I won't distinguish it with the 1* it probably deserves.

My lazy take is that this is Madchester beigewave with a touch of glitch and a dollop of Radiohead. Let’s not be lazy: this is music to play in Park Lane hotel bars for rich old men and their escorts as they hopscotch lines of MDMA and cocaine.

Everything about the inclusion of this album in the list angers me. First, there's that Wikipedia blurb saying that, quote unquote, "*Lost Souls* is considered by many to be the best debut album since Oasis' *Definitely Maybe*." Endquote. "Many"? Who, "many"??? You know what they should say about that sort of statement: "This article needs additional citations for verifications." Apart from a few subsets of music nerds, literally no one outside of Britain cared about that album when it was released. That comparfison is just ludicrous and based on thin air. I can actually find flaws in Oasis' debut, but it's just wishful thinking to consider the two records had the same sort of cultural impact. Wikipedia's supposedly "objective" blurb doesn't start well to say the least. Actually, there was a "reference" for that statement up there, with a link to a short piece on Canadian website *Exclaim* about Doves' next LP *The Last Broadcast*--when their promoting machine was trying to reach the overseas market for the band's second album. Quote unquote, without any reasonable piece of evidence: "*Lost Soul* was hailed by *many* (a-hem) as the best debut from an English artist since Oasis's *Definitely Maybe*. But there was only one problem" adds the short piece: "it was so damn gloomy." Endquote. "Gloomy"??? Or damn boring and self-indulgent overall? Portishead can be "gloomy". Chelsea Wolfe surely is "gloomy". Nine Inch Nails, too... In comparison, Doves' *Lost Soul* isn't gloomy. It's only three British lads coming from the Manchester house music scene opportunistically switching gears towards indie pop rock as the Hacienda party was drawing to an end, eliciting comparisons to what supposedly occurs when it's 4AM and the drugs and booze wear off after a wild night out. You know what those sorts of "comparisons" are... They're just... stories. Some sort of selling points that don't say anything about the music per se. And this one sure omits to mention how most of the music in the album is bland and self-indulgent--a second rate version of Coldplay that brings nothing "essential" to the table (yes, such a situation is possible, and it actually redeeems early Coldplay in my eyes!!!). And what's mind-boggling is that some easily-swayed reviewers are still buying that story on this app. Or maybe they just care too much about music that favors style over substance, orbackground hums over truly engaging stuff. Hence, maybe, that incredibly high global score of 3.27. Isn't marketing powerful? In all fairness, I can try to find mitigating circumstances explaining why the British music press decided to be so helpful to Doves. Their studio burnt to the ground, erasing from the surface of the earth all the recordings that their previous iteration as an electronic outfit (Sub Sub) had garnered. Doves also had an ear for "textures", a skill they had probably acquired when they were a house music act. Yet in terms of *compositions*, they were still dilettantes most of the time. Case in point, the first two tracks in this debut, *both* using lazy descending half-note progressions as an attempt to create a *mood*. I've mentioned Portishead earlier... When the Bristol outfit sampled an Isaac Hayes instrumental to build *Glory Box*, they added a *key* element: Beth Gibbons' moving, memorable vocal line, which goes straight to the heart. In comparison, what Doves' singer does on that sort of progression is just a meandering, pointless doodle that goes into endless circles without any clear emotional payoff. And it's the same sort of self-indulgence that can be found in 75% of the record. About the remaining 25%: third cut "Break Me Gently" fares far better, thanks to its proper chorus. So does the title-track, where the band flexes compositional chops at last. And then, there's the Foo-Fighter and Super Furry Animals-adjacent "Catch The Sun". Taken on its own, it's a very nice indie pop / indie-rock song, with Jimi Goodwin's voice suddenly acquiring more presence and warmth compared to his (or Andy Williams') previous vocal performance. But maddeningly, the song's inclusion in the middle of side 2 brings its own set of problems. Unexpectedly switching gears once more, Doves operates quite a jarring turn compared to the lazy proceedings that occured before said song jumps out to your ears. Remember that promotional blurb about this album being the equivalent of a return to home in the dead of the night, after a night at the Hacienda? Well here, as the band takes a peep out of the window to catch the rising sun, you suddenly realize that everything before was only a drug-induced illusion--in case you didn't realize it before. Guess it's part of the album's "concept", after all. But everyone who went through a similar experience knows it usually leads to perceptions that are, quite often, a little unpleasant. People next to you, who seemed to be shining all night long, now look tired, drowsy, dull or incoherent. And you feel tired, drowsy, dull and incoherent yourself. You all get one last high as you watch the sun rising, and then everything turns into "The Man Who Told Everything"-levels of boredom and exhaustion. Because even though that latter track stays on the indie-rock lane explored by "Catch The Sun", the whole Doves thing becomes pointless once again, up until the very last, inconsequential cut. So here it is. You have three or maybe four good songs out of the twelve tracks from this album, but the rest is instantly forgettable 24 years after the fact. Maybe I could have bumped my grade to a 2/5 mark, you know, just to respect that sort of proportion outlined up there. But since this middling record has been so inexplicably praised, and since it's using up a slot clearly more useful to hundreds of better records, I'm gonna go lower than that, just to protest about the whole situation. In more general terms, that means a 6/10 mark (5+1), because Doves are still skilled musicians. But honestly, having *Lost Souls* in this list even made me reconsider my previous benevolent feelings about Doves' sophomore LP *The Last Broadcast*. And this is the first time such a thing happens since I started to use this app. Number of albums left to review: 240 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 329 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 195 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 243 (including this one)

Beautiful album, so much atmosphere. I have loved this for many years.

Pretty good! Firesuite is an amazing intro. Every song here is good, and had heart into it. Memorable tracks, cool lyrics, cool atmosphere. Very cool!

Best song - Sea song

It’s like an Oasis meets Radiohead, with way more emphasis on the indie rock vibes. Very spacey and ethereal. The singing is good, but I always feel like the British versions of this genre get a little cheesy. Just my opinion. Some songs hit their stride and become power pop ballads, but for the most part it’s passable and not worth a relisten.

3 stars. Did not hold my attention.

Of all the albums evers made, this sure is one of them. I am certain it exists, although would find it difficult to prove this. I know I listened to it but, other than "catch the sun" coming on as the clouds parted, I don't really remember it. Not that it is bad, or particularly good, just not especially memorable. Individually, I quite like the songs, but as a solid lump of "album", it just sort of happens. Probably not a worthy inclusion on the list, as I don't think anyone would have noticed if it wasn't there, but I also barely noticed that it was there. Tl;Dr: this album is magnolia paint.

It was fine. Not sure why the author thinks we to hear 2 Doves albums but 0 Lois Armstrong.

This was definitely too slow for me, but it made for decent background music

I somewhat remembered this album from its original release but I didn’t remember how dull it was. It never gets going and never goes anywhere. I clearly didn’t remember it very well as it’s just not that memorable. The follow up was much better.

Aangename verrassing

5+ stars. Always loved this album

Man, I really loved that. All the things I love about Air's "Moon Safari" but with more structure to it. It's just such a good vibe from needle drop to record end. I'm so surprised at what a good time that was. Full marks.

probably a better album than their more commercially successful ones.

10/10 I’ve heard this album before it’s one of my favorite 2000s alternative albums

Liked this, enjoyed it a lot.

A hidden gem, such a good album.

Could cure a headache

Part Indie Rock, part Dreampop, part Shoegaze, part Madchester, part Triphop. Makes for a absorbing combination. I'd missed this (and Doves entirely) when it came out, but really glad to catch up with it now.

Loved this album--

Definitely something I would not have found on my own. Great relaxing music to help keep calm during a rough commute.

This album was amazing. I unknowingly already had a couple songs in my favorites. Will check out their other albums.

cool

That deserves a second and third listen. I enjoyed the album and would listen through it again. I didn’t love every song, but I loved a few and liked the rest.

Really enjoyed this. Ethereal

woah

didn't know them, intriguing and diverse album!

This is not derivative of Coldplay. Both band's debuts were released in 2000 and Doves were an electronic act called Sub-Sub before that, and were Badly Drawn Boy band members in between. And that's what makes the difference. Doves arrived with a bit of dance/groove built in from the start, and sound Northern and bleak and they are named after the imprint on a popular ecstasy tab. Whereas Coldplay were a bunch of posh London boys who had more in common with Travis initially before becoming the worlds most bland and therefore most successful outfit. This is one of my favourites of all time, it came out when it was all festivals and girlfriends and hot-hatchbacks and post-pub sessions and job prospects for me. It's mix of doomy atmosphere, driven percussive songs and grimly-fought euphoria hooked me straight away and has stayed with me since, even if all the other things mentioned buggered off ages ago. It's a well paced and atmospheric album too and works as a piece. The portentous opening, followed by a series of engaging songs that are in turns optimistic, reflective, swelling, and then coming down to earth with the title track before we are off to a forgotten night at the fairground with 'Melody Calls'. Absolutely in place 'Catch the sun' ditches the introspective and bitter-sweet tone that preceded, and blasts into the open sunshine for an air-punching anthem, even if we do seem to be only just outrunning the ever present storm clouds. The album ends with the wrung out heartbreak of 'Cedar Room' then ultimately 'A house' which hints at the studio fire that caused Doves to become Doves. For a lot of people this will just be another gloomy English guitar band album but for me it's a stone-cold, copper-bottomed, masterstroke.

Well, I see why the previous Doves album was demoted from this list, as I am not sure two albums from this group are needed. But this was every bit as good as the other album. Happy to have one of these still on the official list. I loved it.

Wow! How did I miss this group? Just an amazing sound!

Mycket Coldplay, mycket Radiohead och många andra band jag gillar känns som detta. Många bra låtar, nästan alla, och definitivt en rolig lyssning (fick lyssna flera gånger). Med tanke på mitt dåliga sätt att ratea så får denna en 5 i jämförelse med mycket annat. 5orna ger jag till skivor som har över 5 låtar jag tycker riktigt mycket om.

Mjög þægileg tónlist. Þarf að skoða betur.

Just misses out on a 5 star rating cos it just kinds of makes you a little fed up with the relentless sameness after a while.

I owned this album in my youth. I liked it at the time, mainly for the singles and stand out songs (Here It Comes, The Man Who Sold Everything, The Cedar Room and, particularly, Catch The Sun). From revisiting it with a more mature ear, the singles still stack up and my appreciation of the album overall has grown. It's layered, textured, atmospheric, varied and well sequenced. Really good. Incidentally (if you discount Party in the Abby Grounds featuring Katrina and the Waves without Katrina and 2 minutes of Mike D'Abo) Doves were the first live band I ever saw, opening for Oasis at Wembley in 2000. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Catch The Sun Date listened: 10/08/23

Man I enjoyed tf out of this. Pretty dream-like sounding songs with some melancholy added in for good measure. I was driving so no real review by song but can say this would be a good album to lay in bed with all the lights off and take drugs to. High 4 but it went on a bit longer than I usually like an album to be so will knock it down.

Really dug this

Other than one or two songs, a stellar album.

Before listening to this I was really only familiar with their follow up, The Last Broadcast which I really liked and listened to a lot back in the day. I think I like this more and I guess like a lot of music it's a little derivative of what came before, I can hear some Oasis, The Bends/OK Computer era Radiohead, some Spiritualized and a little bit of the chilly psychedelia of late 70s Floyd. I dig it.

7/10. Enjoyable. On the low end of a 7, slow but had some energy behind it.

Really enjoyed this one.

"Lost Souls" is the debut studio album by British indie rock band Doves. Indie rock, dream pop, neo-pyschdelia, shoegazing, space rock. Yeah, all that eventually. Doves is brothers Jez (guitars) and Andy Williams (drums) and lead vocalist Jimi Goodwin. The album was recorded over a period of several years which included a fire destroying everything and following the dissolution of their original house music band Sub Sub. Commercially the album hit #16 in the UK and critically received mixed but mostly positive reviews. It was on the short list for the UK Mercury Prize. An instrumental "Firesuite" starts things off with dreamy synths and a droning guitar. This leads into "Here It Comes" which continues the dreamy atmosphere and sets the tone for the next several songs. Drowned vocals, singing about drugs. A piano and guitar outro. An acoustic guitar and a Peter Hook-ish bass breaks up the dreaminess somewhat in "Lost Souls." Goodwin's clearest vocals. The second half of the album brings a string of their singles. "Catch the Sun" brings the rock-pop, their most traditional straight-forward rock song and it's a good one. Acoustic and electric guitars. Catchy. A fading guitar and they rock out at the end. "The Man Who Told Eveything" continues the traditional pop sounds. Syths, acoustic guitar and an orchestral outro. A droning, shoegazy, feedback guitar highlights "The Cedar Room." It's slower and works even with its seven-minute length. A break-up song. This album is dreamy, melancholy and at times jazzy and electronic creating an atmosphere. Honestly, it took me a few listens to really get into it and I did ,appreciating the laid-backness and showgaze and reminding me of Slowdive and Spacemen 3. If you're into that, you'll definitely like this album. The three released singles are very good rock songs which most people will like.

Never heard of this album before - Its not bad. Maybe I was busy with other stuff in 2000? Anyway, its good and reminiscent of other stuff in that period - I hear more Filter/Coldplay sort of vibes than Oasis in here. 4/5

I unexpectedly really liked this. I'll put this on the list.

Really cool, moody rock.

Nice. Dreamy. More unique than The Last Broadcast. The End.

I liked this album enough to go back and relisten to the last broadcast, which was one of my earliest albums on this list, and between these two albums doves should've been the main British rock export of the 2000s instead of Coldplay (and I like Coldplay). Lost souls has such a good ethereal yet overbearing atmosphere running throughout the entire thing and it's everything you could want from an early 00s indie rock album. I couldn't pick out as many individual tracks that I really liked except for the man who told everything but there was never a point in the album where I wasn't enjoying myself.

v chill

I reviewed their other album The Last Broadcast while recuperating after doing a hike in the Fiordlands of New Zealand. I was chilling to that album in a cheap and cramped hostel in Queenstown, but really loved the vibe. Their sound is representative of the post-Oasis Britpop sound. I probably don't seek out their music intentionally but really don't mind it.

Unsure where it singularly fits as a genre but broadly speaking it fits in the British Indie Rock vibe. It feels like the perfect after-hours soundtrack inan underground bar where you could go and just vibe out to the music, yet equally soundtrack an evening session at home with a few friends and a few bottles deep in the wine. With Doves' electronica roots they really know how to hook you in, and keep you begging for more. Best: The Cedar Room Worst: Melody Calls

chill

A sprawling, dark album highlighted by a unique approach from their old electronic music days. I hate that so many bands, especially British Indie bands are compared to Oasis, but this band builds and improved upon the blueprint those assholes laid out. Always cool to hear a new and important Indie album. A notable step towards the many 2005 and after British Indie albums

I'm a sucker for mellotron. So when I heard that in the opening song, I was sucked in. Those first four songs just kept going from strength to strength. I really enjoyed what I heard. Wikipedia filed this under shoegaze, which I was not a big fan of, but this I enjoyed. Definitely would like to hear more of this.

Really has s nice indie rock sound. Sophisticated and consistent throughout the album. Interesting that this band played house music previous to this as Sub Sub and this was essentially a rebrand. I'm sure it allowed them to bring something unique to their rock sound and help them stand out.

Not the most groundbreaking sound or anything, actually very derivative - basically every song made me go "Hey, this remind me of [insert 90s band here]", but they always pulled it off quite well. I sure as hell can't complain that there's more faux OK Computer-era Radiohead to listen to. A bit too long and the first half is substantially better than the second half (except for "The Cedar Room" which is incredible). 4/5, will definitely return to this in the future. Preferably while it's night and/or raining.

Not my kind of music, but I can understand why people like it. So how should I rate it?

Never heard of this band before but this was solid overall. “The Man Who Sold Everything” had a great melody and the guitar parts in “The Cedar Room” were really nice. Sounds like it might have influenced Bon Iver and Hozier. Would I listen to this album again? Probably not but I’m not mad I heard it.

Great energy and song writing. They used more complicated chord progressions than your standard rock band but nothing too distracting. My impression of Doves is a more interesting Oasis

Zeer plezierig! Ga ik vaker draaien.

I'll have to listen to this album again at a later date. After a listen and a half, it's really good. It has a Radiohead Kid A vibe to me which I enjoy. A lot of space, long notes and acoustic guitar for the rhythm. Good stuff! 4 for now.

Never heard of this band before, but really enjoyed this album. Will likely listen again.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Haven’t heard of them - a rock album from 2000. Quite like Rock so let’s see… I’m liking it so far - not too heavy and good melodies/vocals etc. 4/5, enjoyed this one!

The musical equivalent of Scott Kelly morphing into a human fly.

A thoroughly strong record end to end - it’s one of those that is better then the sum of its parts. Loved it.

I really liked this. Not every song caught me, but for the most part I really liked the sound and vibe of this.

That was a pretty good listen for an album I've never heard before. Will be returning to it again!

If Coldplay and Radiohead had a kid- worth a relisten

This is interesting big atmospheric sounds. Reminds me of Radiohead I'm a way. I'm intrigued by this band who I've never heard of before and will check out some of their other stuff.

Never heard of them but it was an interesting album that will require a second listen

Doves break the sad-dance groove in for the likes of Broken Bells. The space is never in your face after the opening pan, but the record is an expanding, not thin, thing. There are kinds of movement for the heartbroken, and Lost Souls is subdued: Neither movement nor words are vital to the sat-in emotion.

I enjoy me some shoegazey stuff but this was a little too long. Very soundtrack like. Perfect for the background but again could have cut a couple of tracks.

Rather nice, really

Deeply pleasant album. Well put together (loved the reprise) and felt the album was generally for more consistent and memorable than the other doves album in here.

There are moments that remind me of the trip hop coming out of the UK in the early-mid 90s. And then there are times (Here it Comes) where he straight up sounds like Chris Martin from Coldplay. I like the niche they have carved out and this is one that I will be revisiting.

Great to revisit the Doves as I had not tuned in lately. I think I played them so much when they hit the scene that I had to take a break and never went back. That said, it sounded pretty fresh again and I truly enjoyed it. I think this is a band whose music made a real difference and had a sound that was widely influential.

Give it a 3.5. Man Who Told Everything was my favourite song.

I really enjoyed this! I saw Doves live in like 2018 with Tom FA and whilst I didn't know much then, other than the main one we all know, I enjoyed their performance. Since I have delved in more and Cedar Room on this album is such a wonderful song. The whole thing is a bit more ethereal, almost prog/a bit shoe gaze that you would expect. Loved it

pretty solid

I think this album separates itself from the output of your run-of-the-mill millennium indie bands with it's "sonic soundscape", created by echoes, programming and technology, in general. Along with the piano, they give the record a moody, introspective feel, which I like. The songs are well-written and the vocalist is well-suited to the music, but it's the production that's the star.

I'm a sucker for tremolo. I usually listen to the albums at a relatively low volume, just as a rule. I don't need them filling up the entire space while I'm working. This one I turned up. Was "Here it Comes" a single? It feels *very* familiar. Not my favorite, but this is nice. It's layered, has compelling sonic textures. I'm not a huge fan of the vocals, but they're serviceable. Not bad.

Rock alternatif aux accents électros, fort en émotions; me rappelle parfois Coldplay

This debut album by Doves was reportedly recorded over several years. The sound is reminiscent of Radiohead. It came out 7 months before Radiohead's Kid A. Did 1997's OK Computer influence them or is this a case of parallel development?

It's funny how there are certain production techniques and sounds and rhythms that are so specific to a time period. This had a few that I find annoying, like the whole underwater fuzzy sound, but I did enjoy a good portion. I felt the last three tracks were unnecessary.

Brit pop? Post Brit pop? Good whatever.

Cool Vibes. I liked it.

I was in the right mood to listen to this today- it slipped perfectly into the groove. Some diverse tracks- meandering from Post-Rock to Britpop and Indie soounds. A nice, well produced and executed album.

Doves hit you with some dreamy shoegaze-infused rock of the kind that could only be produced in the late 90’s/early 00’s. There are moments of outstanding beauty, claustrophobic introspection and plainly hidden odes to the British nightlife. It’s most of the stuff that works for me in British rock.

What a mood! With time, this might be a 5/5. Turn of the century indie with atmospheric shoegazing elements

Virkilega góð plata sem hafði farið undir radarinn hjá mér. Virkilega gott stöff sem ég mun hlusta á aftur.

Þetta eru ljúfir tónar. Skemmtileg plata og fínasta vinnutónlist. Áhugaverð saga bandsins og hvernig þeir breyttu um stefnu.

Very atmospheric indie rock. Although recorded over a longer period, it maintains a strong vibrant back-bone.

I've vaguely known this album for about 20 years. I don't really rate the start of the album. From Catch The Sun onwards it really picks up, but the beginning is quite muddy.