todays track, “kingdom of rust” by uk band doves has been on my list for quite some time now, but the time has come to post it in all its glory. i first remember hearing about doves many moons ago probably my freshmen or sophomore year of college while listening to a sunday night radio show on either 89x or 96.3 call sonic heaven. then their track “pounding” made its way onto the playlist of the restaurant where i worked all through college on the weekends. this prompted me to check out some more of their work and before i knew it i was completely smitten with this band from across the pond.
“kingdom of rust”, the title track from their newest album that was released a few months ago, is full of subtle musical cues that i want to listen to over and over again. perhaps the most intriguing is the constant shift throughout the song from minor keys to major keys and back again. if my vague sense of music theory serves me, even within the chorus, the music is major while the vocals are minor, but both of those switch frequently back and forth. and its different each time the chorus comes around. other things to listen for are the changes between verse and chorus when the bass and high hat kicks in. and the whole thing is carried along by a steady double-time type beat. i especially enjoy the last verse which gets extremely soft followed by the quick buildup into the final chorus. and if youre in the mood for a really nice and depressing music video, this songs video just might fit the bill. its kind of exactly what i think about when i think about doves. a minor sounding gloomier song with glimpses of major sounds throughout. its no wonder these guys were often featured on a show called sonic heaven.
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