English indie rockers Doves have publicly compared the creation of their fourth studio album to therapy, and they seem to be right in their description. With the repetition of pleasing tones and overall poignant aimlessness of each track, there is indeed something therapeutic about listening to it.
Simultaneously, therapy can sometimes be just plain boring. Kingdom of Rust is nothing disagreeable to the ears, but it doesn’t exactly contain revolutionary rock or the next dance hits either. What the band has put forth — highly repetitive tracks that do not make many sudden changes — is easy to doze off to. But, like subconscious twitches in a period of deep sleep, Kingdom of Rust livens up briefly at moments to keep you listening.
The album opens sounding not unlike an airplane takeoff in “Jetstream.” The five and a half minute track introduces a contagious riff dipped in electronica. It also readies the listener for many more tracks of similar length — Doves are not exactly terse.
The album’s title track is a standard indie-folk composition. Doves borrow common conventions in their lyricism: “The road back to Preston / Was jutted out in snow / As I went looking / For that stolen heart / For you.” The simplicity adds to the mesmerizing nature of the album.
Do not be fooled by the title, “Winter Hill,” which sounds like it could be a Coldplay track. This one borrows from classic rock (you know the way those songs never seem to end), and yet somehow also employs flutes. The lyrics are so free of frills that the song almost sounds like a bad translation of something foreign: “Wherever you go, you will return safe / And when you will walk, you’ll be walking with me / But if comes the day, you meet someone new / You will be with them, but I’ll be thinking of you.”
The standout track likely is “10-03” — a pretty, vocals-heavy track. It sounds, at times, as if it could be sung during an epic vigil, but it eventually breaks down instrumentally and arguably derails.
“Compulsion” sports a hot 80s bassline and emits overall David Byrne (Talking Heads) vibes. It still isn’t terribly exciting, though. If anyone slept in the 80s, it was probably to this.
All in all, Kingdom of Rust is not a terrible addition to Doves’ discography. It may be a bit snooze-inducing, but it’s certainly relaxing and not at all grating.
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