Oasis might be the most famous band from Manchester, UK and at one time they might have even been the best. When Doves released ""The Last Broadcast" in 2002 they staked an impressive claim to the latter (but the lack of brotherly conflict likely assures the Gallaghers will always be more famous than the Williams twins). "The Last Broadcast" was an amazing and textured album that blended numerous styles without feeling disjointed. NME honored "There Goes The Fear Again" as it's top single of the year.

"Some Cities" is Doves' first album of new material in three years (the band released a b-sides collection called "Lost Sides" between "The Last Broadcast and "Some Cities" as well as a live DVD) and represents the answer to the oft-asked rock and roll question: is it better to run from a masterpiece or write its sequel? Some bands make good choices and great albums (U2's transition from "The Joshua Tree" to "Achtung Baby") while others never recover from their own success.

Doves try to be all things to all people by covering new ground on "Some Cities" while maintaining a connection with their musical roots. They may not fully succeed, but they rarely disappoint. Andy Williams said there was a conscious effort on the part of the band to make these new songs shorter and more direct. Mission accomplished. The first two tracks on "Some Cities" (the title track and first single "Black and White Town") are more aggressive than nearly anything else the band has recorded and the experiment is a success. Soaring keyboards have been replaced by guitars that jangle and snarl. The openers as well as "One of These Days" are concise without being underdeveloped.

Fans of the band's previous efforts might find this approach alienating, but Doves have not completely abandoned their roots. "Snowden" would have sounded at home on "The Last Broadcast" and "The Storm" takes that even further with one of the most effective marriages of strings and sampling this side of Portishead.

Doves at their best are ambient without sounding ambivalent and melancholy without being melodramatic. "Someday Soon" embraces the Doves formula and might be the strongest track on the album. "Someday Soon," "Sky Starts Falling," and "One of These Days" are beautiful examples of gloom with grit.

"The Last Broadcast" is still a better album but "Some Cities" does not disappoint. Is it too early to start considering Album of the Year? Of course. But the beauty in these songs guarantees "Some Cities" a place in that discussion even if this is a record that is out of fashion in 2005. Doves are one of the best bands America is not hearing. "Some Cities" deserves a kinder fate.