There goes the fear

Last few days I've been furiously reconnecting with an album that soundtracked much of my late teens and early 20s. The Last Broadcast by Manchester's Doves isn't the coolest record but my god it's good. Not sure whether it's all the memories wrapped up in it... we listened to music differently back then, in the pre-iPod era. Listened to full albums, in sequence, every lyric learned by heart and every woozy organ chorus or double drum solo committed to memory.

There's something visceral and hopeful about this record - from the bombast of "NY" and the sweet acoustic strum of "Caught By The River", to the relentless joy of "Pounding". But the standout track is the big single "There Goes The Fear", the big anthemic track they've seemed to try to replicate on every succeeding album. Lately I read into it an expansive kind of love, a bittersweet letting go. Go on to great things, but remember me now and then.

Think of me when you close your eyes
But don't look back when you break all ties
Think of me when you're coming down
But don't look back when leaving town

What would I know? I just rode a bike home after a few too many beers!