Some Cities
Encyclopedia
Some Cities is the third studio album
by the British
indie rock
band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Records
on 21 February 2005, and became the band's second consecutive album to top the UK Albums Chart
at number 1. Some Cities was conceived as a rawer, stripped-down record, and conceptually touches upon the physical changes of the band's hometown of Manchester
, as well as emotional transformations. The album features the band's second-highest charting single, "Black and White Town
", which peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart
.
, Jez Williams
recalled, in a 2010 interview with Under the Radar
following the release of the band's compilation album The Places Between: The Best of Doves
, that the band decided to take a more "stripped-down" approach to recording Some Cities, which included decamping to rural locations in England
and Scotland
. "With that album we were also wanting to make a few social comments about the area we lived in. There's a lot of subject matter on that album dealing with change. Buildings get ripped down and replaced by more generic ones. It kind of gave ourselves a bit of purpose to write about it. We also listened to a lot of Motown and Northern soul
, and I think that came out in that album. It was a definite change. Our albums do tend to change character and personality with every release." The band co-produced Some Cities with Ben Hillier
, who also mixed the album (except for "Some Cities" and "Walk in Fire", which were mixed by Rich Costey
). Much of the recording occurred at a farmhouse in the English countryside over the course of 2004, except for closing track "Ambition", which was recorded in an empty Benedictine monastery
in Scotland, which the band had found while doing a photo shoot for the album. The huge reverb effect was achieved using the acoustics of the main hall. The recording process is shown in the mini-documentary Cities Under Construction, featured on the bonus DVD included with the special edition of the album.
In a 2010 interview with Spinner.com
, Jimi Goodwin
stated, "I look back fondly at the Some Cities period, going to this old schoolhouse in Scotland with Ben Nevis
out the window. I spent six weeks up there and didn't want to come home; my mum had just died and I just wanted to be away."
on 21 February 2005, where it entered the UK Albums Chart
at number 1. The album was released on several different formats in the UK: the standard CD and double 12" vinyl LP, and also as a special edition with a bonus DVD containing a short documentary entitled Cities Under Construction, featuring the making of the album inside a purple-coloured digipak
. In addition, a limited edition version, packaged inside a hessian cloth-covered box with fold-out poster and bonus DVD, was also released. The album was released in Japan
on 23 February 2005 and included two bonus tracks, "Eleven Miles Out" and "At the Tower" (which had been released as B-sides to "Black and White Town"). On 1 March 2005, the album was released in North America
by Capitol Records
.
In late December 2004, the album's first single "Black and White Town
" was issued to radio stations; two weeks prior to the album's release, the single was released commercially and entered the UK Singles Chart
at number 6, the band's second-highest charting single to date. In May 2005, the album's second single "Snowden
" was released and peaked at number 17. The third and final single "Sky Starts Falling
" was released in September 2005 and peaked at number 45. Throughout 2005, Doves rigorously toured the world, including England
, the United States
, and Australia
; in April 2006, a special download
-only EP entitled Some Cities Live EP
, featuring select recordings from various dates on the Some Cities tour, was released to online digital outlets.
awarded the album a 9 out of 10 rating, saying, "Though it may be gentle and frequently maudlin, it is no doubt a release to spend 50 minutes with this record. Some Cities may not be a summer record, but it might quite possibly be the record that gets you through it." MusicOMH
praised the album, calling it "an ethereal outpouring of emotion; melancholic madness meeting soul-soaring serendipity head on," and noted that, "Gone is the prog
-like polished production of The Last Broadcast, it's more akin to debut Lost Souls in timbre. Yet while those were records that sounded like they were conceived in wide open countryside or of the rolling sea this is an ode to the industrial heartland of their childhood; at turns crunching and urban, desolate and apocalyptic." Pitchfork Media
gave Some Cities a 7.8 out of 10 rating, and concluded that, "In the three years since Last Broadcast, Doves have cultivated a better understanding of their strengths and limitations, and Some Cities beams with a revivified looseness."
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Records
Heavenly Records
Heavenly Records, aka Heavenly Recordings, is a London-based record label, distributed by EMI. Founded by Jeff Barrett, a former press officer for Creation Records and many successful indie bands of the time including Happy Mondays, Heavenly Recordings' first releases were 7" and 12" singles for...
on 21 February 2005, and became the band's second consecutive album to top the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number 1. Some Cities was conceived as a rawer, stripped-down record, and conceptually touches upon the physical changes of the band's hometown of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, as well as emotional transformations. The album features the band's second-highest charting single, "Black and White Town
Black and White Town
"Black and White Town" is the lead single on Doves' third album, Some Cities. The single was released as a promo CD on December 13, 2004, and as a full single on February 7, 2005. The song scored the band their second Top 10 hit, charting at #6 on the UK Singles Chart...
", which peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Background and recording
After the worldwide success of Doves' second album The Last BroadcastThe Last Broadcast (album)
The Last Broadcast is the second studio album by British indie rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Records on 29 April 2002, and went straight to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's first single "There Goes the Fear" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 3, the band's...
, Jez Williams
Jez Williams
Jez Williams is the guitarist/songwriter of Doves. He was born in Manchester, England, and he is also the twin brother of bandmate Andy...
recalled, in a 2010 interview with Under the Radar
Under the Radar (magazine)
Under the Radar is an American magazine that bills itself as "The solution to music pollution" and features interviews with accompanying photo-shoots. Each issue includes opinion and commentary of the Indie music scene as well as reviews on books, DVDs and albums.Items are reviewed based on a...
following the release of the band's compilation album The Places Between: The Best of Doves
The Places Between: The Best of Doves
The Places Between: The Best of Doves is a compilation album from Manchester-based indie rock band Doves. The compilation was released on April 5, 2010 in the UK via Heavenly Records, and on April 20, 2010 in North America via Astralwerks Records...
, that the band decided to take a more "stripped-down" approach to recording Some Cities, which included decamping to rural locations in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. "With that album we were also wanting to make a few social comments about the area we lived in. There's a lot of subject matter on that album dealing with change. Buildings get ripped down and replaced by more generic ones. It kind of gave ourselves a bit of purpose to write about it. We also listened to a lot of Motown and Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
, and I think that came out in that album. It was a definite change. Our albums do tend to change character and personality with every release." The band co-produced Some Cities with Ben Hillier
Ben Hillier
Ben Hillier is a British songwriter and pop-rock music producer who is part of the creative team 140dB. He has produced such popular and critically acclaimed albums as Playing the Angel and Sounds of the Universe by Depeche Mode, Think Tank by Blur, Some Cities by Doves and Cast of Thousands by...
, who also mixed the album (except for "Some Cities" and "Walk in Fire", which were mixed by Rich Costey
Rich Costey
Rich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
). Much of the recording occurred at a farmhouse in the English countryside over the course of 2004, except for closing track "Ambition", which was recorded in an empty Benedictine monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Scotland, which the band had found while doing a photo shoot for the album. The huge reverb effect was achieved using the acoustics of the main hall. The recording process is shown in the mini-documentary Cities Under Construction, featured on the bonus DVD included with the special edition of the album.
In a 2010 interview with Spinner.com
Spinner (website)
Spinner is an AOL Music property, which bills itself as "the ultimate music blog for free MP3s, free CD listening, [and] discovering new artists."...
, Jimi Goodwin
Jimi Goodwin
Jimi Goodwin is the bassist, vocalist and guitarist for Doves. Before their incarnation as Doves, the three members were a dance-club music trio called Sub Sub....
stated, "I look back fondly at the Some Cities period, going to this old schoolhouse in Scotland with Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
out the window. I spent six weeks up there and didn't want to come home; my mum had just died and I just wanted to be away."
Release
Some Cities was released in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 21 February 2005, where it entered the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number 1. The album was released on several different formats in the UK: the standard CD and double 12" vinyl LP, and also as a special edition with a bonus DVD containing a short documentary entitled Cities Under Construction, featuring the making of the album inside a purple-coloured digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
. In addition, a limited edition version, packaged inside a hessian cloth-covered box with fold-out poster and bonus DVD, was also released. The album was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on 23 February 2005 and included two bonus tracks, "Eleven Miles Out" and "At the Tower" (which had been released as B-sides to "Black and White Town"). On 1 March 2005, the album was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
.
In late December 2004, the album's first single "Black and White Town
Black and White Town
"Black and White Town" is the lead single on Doves' third album, Some Cities. The single was released as a promo CD on December 13, 2004, and as a full single on February 7, 2005. The song scored the band their second Top 10 hit, charting at #6 on the UK Singles Chart...
" was issued to radio stations; two weeks prior to the album's release, the single was released commercially and entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number 6, the band's second-highest charting single to date. In May 2005, the album's second single "Snowden
Snowden (song)
"Snowden" is the second single from Doves' third album Some Cities. It was released in the UK on 9 May 2005 on limited edition CD, 2-track CD and 7" vinyl, and charted at #17 on the UK Singles Chart. The single version of the song was mixed by Rich Costey. Two music videos were produced for the...
" was released and peaked at number 17. The third and final single "Sky Starts Falling
Sky Starts Falling
"Sky Starts Falling" is the third and last single from Doves' third album Some Cities. It was released in the UK on September 12, 2005 on CD, DVD and 7" vinyl, and charted at #45 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-sides include 2 different remixes of "Some Cities" by Echoboy and a remix of "The Storm"...
" was released in September 2005 and peaked at number 45. Throughout 2005, Doves rigorously toured the world, including England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; in April 2006, a special download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
-only EP entitled Some Cities Live EP
Some Cities Live EP
Some Cities Live EP is the first digital download-only release from Doves. It was made available worldwide in April 2006. Each song was recorded at a different venue throughout the band's December 2005 UK tour dates, except for "Where We're Calling From"/"Pounding," which was recorded in New York...
, featuring select recordings from various dates on the Some Cities tour, was released to online digital outlets.
Reception
Some Cities was released to generally positive reviews. Drowned in SoundDrowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
awarded the album a 9 out of 10 rating, saying, "Though it may be gentle and frequently maudlin, it is no doubt a release to spend 50 minutes with this record. Some Cities may not be a summer record, but it might quite possibly be the record that gets you through it." MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
praised the album, calling it "an ethereal outpouring of emotion; melancholic madness meeting soul-soaring serendipity head on," and noted that, "Gone is the prog
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
-like polished production of The Last Broadcast, it's more akin to debut Lost Souls in timbre. Yet while those were records that sounded like they were conceived in wide open countryside or of the rolling sea this is an ode to the industrial heartland of their childhood; at turns crunching and urban, desolate and apocalyptic." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
gave Some Cities a 7.8 out of 10 rating, and concluded that, "In the three years since Last Broadcast, Doves have cultivated a better understanding of their strengths and limitations, and Some Cities beams with a revivified looseness."
Track listing
Bonus DVD
- Cities Under Construction – a short film
- Photo gallery (set to an instrumental version of "Ambition")
- "Black and White Town" video (director's cut, directed by Lynne Ramsay)
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 21 February 2005 | Heavenly Records Heavenly Records Heavenly Records, aka Heavenly Recordings, is a London-based record label, distributed by EMI. Founded by Jeff Barrett, a former press officer for Creation Records and many successful indie bands of the time including Happy Mondays, Heavenly Recordings' first releases were 7" and 12" singles for... |
CD | HVNLP50CD |
| Special edition CD/DVD in purple digipak Digipak Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:... |
HVNLP50CDS | |||
| Limited edition CD/DVD in hessian cloth-covered box | HVNLP50CDX | |||
| Double LP (heavyweight vinyl; gatefold sleeve) | HVNLP50 | |||
| Japan | 23 February 2005 | Toshiba-EMI Toshiba-EMI (formerly , is one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. in June 30, 2007 after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. The current CEO and president is San-e Ichii. When EMI Music Japan was trading as Toshiba-EMI, it was... |
CD (2 bonus tracks) | TOCP-66327 |
| United States | 1 March 2005 | Capitol Records Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... /EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... |
CD | 724387460928 |
Credits
- Produced by Doves and Ben Hillier.
- Mixed by Ben Hillier and Doves, except "Some Cities" and "Walk in Fire" mixed by Rich CosteyRich CosteyRich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
. - Recorded and mixed at: Moolah Rouge, Rockport, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
; Parr Street Studios, LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
; The Old School House, Fort AugustusFort AugustusFort Augustus is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness. The village has a population of around 646 ; its economy is heavily reliant on tourism....
; Fort Augustus AbbeyFort Augustus AbbeyFort Augustus Abbey, properly St. Benedict's Abbey, at Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, Scotland, was a Benedictine monastery, from late in the nineteenth century to 1998.-History:...
; 2kHz, Shepherds Bush; The Dairy, BrixtonBrixtonBrixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
; Angel Studios; Whitfield Street Studios, SohoSohoSoho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
; Panarific; and Andy's house. - All vocals and instruments by Doves.
- Engineering and programming by Ben Hillier and Richard Morris.
- Andrea Wright – assistant engineer.
- Engineering at 2kHz by Dan Austin.
- "The Storm" contains elements from the Snake EyesSnake Eyes (film)Snake Eyes is a conspiracy thriller film directed by Brian De Palma, one featuring his trademark use of long tracking shots and split screens. It starred Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise and Carla Gugino....
score, composed by Ryuichi SakamotoRyuichi SakamotoAfter working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
. - Debris wording by Doves, Jemma Kennedy, and Rick Myers.
Additional musicians
- Ben Hillier – percussion on "Some Cities," glockenspiel on "Snowden," and piano and percussion on "The Storm"
- Guy GarveyGuy GarveyGuy Edward John Patrick Garvey , is the singer/guitarist in the band Elbow, as well as a presenter for BBC 6 Music and A&R manager of Skinny Dog Records...
– backing vocals on "Almost Forgot Myself" and "Snowden" - Strings on "Snowden" and "The Storm" performed by Millennia Strings; arranged by Ian Burdge, contracted by Jonathan Brigden at Knifedge
- Andrea Wright – additional footsteps and street noise on "The Storm"
- Janet Remus – backing vocals on "Walk in Fire"
- Martin RebelskiMartin RebelskiMartin Rebelski is a multi-instrumentalist musician and the keyboardist for Doves, acting as the band's unofficial fourth member...
– piano on "Black and White Town," and accordion on "Shadows of Salford"
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
2 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 23 |
| Belgium Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
45 |
| MegaCharts Netherlands MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
62 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
111 |
| French Chart France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
149 |
| Japan Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
149 |