Elegantly, the Doves look ahead

Nearly everything in rock is derivative of something, but that still doesn’t make all of it rehash. The Doves walk that line as well as any contemporary band, drawing from well-chosen influences to create something fresh of their own, swirling somewhere beneath feathery layers of feeling and crisp pop melody.

The group from Manchester, birthplace to generations of essential British rockers, fittingly does show traces of the Smiths and others in its sound. And yet it’s a U.K. mix focused mainly on the future, not the newest wave of “Madchester” nostalgia, inevitably making the Doves more postmodern Radiohead than the fast-fading retro of Oasis.

At the El Rey Theatre on Monday, it could be heard in the blend of soft, ethereal passages with jangly, anxious guitar on “Caught by the River” and “New York,” both from the band’s acclaimed 2002 album, “The Last Broadcast.” The Doves’ core trio (supplemented by a touring keyboardist) made the most of its few instruments, crafting an elegant wall of sound, moving easily from up-tempo rockers to subtler instrumental sections and back without a single awkward moment.

The band’s newest album, “Some Cities,” is an often-understated collection of songs, but they were given some welcome muscle onstage, with animated beats, cascading guitar and brooding vocals from Jimi Goodwin that were always emotional, never maudlin.

An unexpected highlight came near the end of the Doves’ 90-minute set, as drummer Andy Williams took the lead vocals on “Here It Comes,” pausing only to blow some sharp, wheezy harmonica riffs. Nothing exceptionally complicated, just evocative and inspired. Certain old tricks can feel new again.