Doves: 'Kingdom Of Rust'

It's a peculiar tag to give a band whose last two albums reached number one, but many music pundits are tipping Doves to "do an Elbow" this year. Whether Jimi, Jez and Andy will be partying with The Hoff at the 2010 Brit Awards remains to be seen, but the dour Mancunian trio are equally deserving of the praise lauded upon Guy Garvey's clan over the past 12 months. Four albums down the line, you wouldn't recognise them from Adam down your local Asda, but they're yet to release a record that's fallen short of astounding.

As the band's first single in four years, 'Kingdom Of Rust' initially sounds a little underwhelming compared to the thundery bluster of 'Black & White Town' or 'There Goes The Fear'. However, like all great Doves tunes, 'Rust' builds on repeated listens into a thing of towering beauty. Jimi Goodwin's 20 Marlboros growl, the rumbling basslines and the lyrical conflict between light (blackbirds, stolen hearts) and shade (cooling towers, roads back to Preston) are all here. Managing to inject Northern grit into sweeping, cinematic rock without resorting to whippets and pints of bitter stereotypes, Doves have once again shown why they're one of the best bands in the country.