It's been a long three years since the release of The Last Broadcast - three years which has seen the Doves mellow still more from their trademark melancholy.

Yet Black And White Town still has that epic euphoric/maudlin mix we've come to expect from the Manchester trio while adding a warmer, more soulful sound. It's a journey to the heart of dreary small towns and the lack of colour therein - hence the title. "In satellite towns there's no colour and no sound/i'll be 10 feet underground," sings Jimi Goodwin.

But if the subject lacks colour the sound is a multi-layered baroque explosion of hues, an unexpectedly optimistic journey through the industrial heart of their hometown. It's been a while, but well worth the wait.