The Last Broadcast (2002)

The Last Broadcast is the second studio album by British indie rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Recordings 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 highest-charting single to date, despite being released and deleted on the same day. Two further singles, "Pounding" and "Caught by the River", were also successful, charting in the Top 30. The Last Broadcast garnered critical acclaim upon its release, and was a shortlist nominee for the Mercury Prize in 2002.

Background and recording

Following the success of their debut album Lost Souls and subsequent tours of the United Kingdom and their first tour of North America, the band entered the studio in January 2001 to begin work on the follow-up album. "When we went back into the studio this time, we were determined to get rid of the perception that people had of us," said Jimi Goodwin in an interview with NME. Jez Williams told NME, "This time around, we had a lot more confidence." In a 2010 interview with Spinner.com, Jez furthered, "It was like a big burst of energy... it affected our songwriting. We wanted it to be optimistic, more hopeful."

The band moved away from the Cheetham Hill studio they had recorded Lost Souls in for Revolution Studios in Manchester, Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, The Dairy and 2 kHz Studios in London, and a cottage in Lancashire. Additionally, "M62 Song" is credited as being recorded under a flyover of the M62 motorway in Northenden. However, in a 2022 interview on the XS Long Player Podcast with Jim Salveson, Andy Williams revealed that the song was actually recorded under the M60 motorway flyover but the band "got the name wrong," also adding that "'M62 Song' sounds better anyway".

In a 2009 interview with QTheMusic.com, Jez said that the songs came quickly and effortlessly: "I had this little house in Northenden where my makeshift studio was. It took a couple of nights to get the backing track with the top line melody to 'There Goes the Fear'. Literally the next night I had 'Words' coming out of the speakers."

"Caught by the River" was the final song recorded for the album, which took form at a rehearsal room in Stockport called The Green Room. "Jimi, Andy and I just started to play these three chords. Jimi started to sing this great top line melody and there it was... very natural and easy. Andy started to write these very poignant lyrics about a friend of ours; everything started to click like at the start of the recording. That was the last piece of the jigsaw for the album," said Jez.

The band also incorporated string, brass, and woodwind arrangements into the songs, arranged by The High Llamas frontman Sean O'Hagan, as well as gospel choir vocals on "Satellites", while lead single "There Goes the Fear" features a Brazilian Carnival-inspired percussive outro. Doves wrote, recorded, and mixed the album within eight months, "which for Doves was incredibly fast," concluded Jez Williams.

"M62 Song" is credited to the band and Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, and Peter Sinfield because, as stated in the album sleeve, the song is an adaptation of "Moonchild" by King Crimson. Similarly, the B-side "Hit the Ground Running" is an adaptation of "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon.