Doves SOME CITIES

(Capitol)

As Doves, Manchester’s Jimi Goodwin (vocals, bass) and brothers Jez (guitars) and Andy Williams (drums) turn out brawny and melodic songs that rock hard even as they resort to unusual shapes and textures. The band’s third release takes all that was weird and wonderful from Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast and adds dashes of Motown ("Black and White Town" filches the riff from "Heatwave"; "Almost Forgot Myself" has an insistent funky bottom) and splashes of dark dream pop. "Snowden" is a shower of cinematic strings and bells; "The Storm" trips lightly into Airy textures. And then there’s the attention to sonic detail, the color created by lysergic effects. "Walk in Fire" begins as a gentle ballad before lathering itself into a majestic wall of sound, Goodwin’s singing pulling a Bono without the bombast. "Ambition" floats out of the speakers like a faint blue wind. And "One of These Days" is an earth-stomping pounder with vocals and guitars that cascade up into the cosmos.

(Doves open for Mercury Rev this Friday, May 20, at Avalon, 15 Lansdowne Street in Boston; call 617-228-6000)