Elbow
Like Doves, Elbow had a hard time hatching their excellent debut, Asleep at the Back. Two labels dropped the British quintet before a single note was recorded. Their wistful songs are taken as mini dramas, and the band is meticulous in unknotting each tune's melody. Singer Guy Garvey croons his lullabies with enough passion to draw you right into the music's center. Essential listening.

Badly Drawn Boy
Shortly after picking up their guitars in 1998, Doves made an EP with Badly Drawn Boy. His 2000 debut album Hour of the Bewilderbeast established him as the anti-David Gray - a quirky, Springsteen-obsessed songwriter with almost too many ideas to digest in one listen. 2002's About a Boy soundtrack found him singing songs for Hugh Grant.

Talk Talk
While many listeners point out Doves' affinities with heavy-hitters like Oasis, Goodwin and the Williams' have a special love for the late Talk Talk. Led by the enigmatic Mark Hollis, Talk Talk belied their new romanticists tag by applying ambient textures to monolithic pop. The '80s masterpieces Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock boast a mere 11 songs between them, and their true worth has yet to be recognized.