keane

2008 / 3 stars / keane / reviews — No Comments
21
Jan 09

Perfect Symmetry (2008) by Keane

Perfect Symmetry by Keane

Keane
Perfect Symmetry
2008, Island Records
pop, alt rock
3½

Despite its title, Perfect Symmetry lacks any real musical or lyrical symmetry. The first half of this album sounds liked an overdose of ridiculous 80′s pop, while the second half is darker and slightly less pop-ish. Lyrically, the first half is more of the typical pop inanity the we’ve learned to expect from Keane. The second half, however, is more introspective and seemingly more honest.

Is the titlePerfect Symmetry meant to be ironic? If so, Keane barely succeeded because there is no clear question or answer anywhere in this record. Even the introspective moments are hardly any different than what we’ve heard in their debut. It seems Keane is still trying to break away from their Coldplay stigma, but they’re going about it the wrong way. Here’s a hint: in this genre, new lyrics make a bigger impact than old-made-new sounds.

“Love Is The End,” “Perfect Symmetry,” “Pretend That You’re Alone.”
myspace, last.fm
Keane’s Under The Iron Sea, The Killers’s Day & Age

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2006 / 5 stars / keane / reviews — No Comments
26
Feb 08

Under the Iron Sea (2006) by Keane

Genre: piano rock/alt rock/power ballad
Rating:
Check Out: “Hamburg Song,” “Atlantic,” “The Frog Prince,” and “Leaving So Soon”
myspace

If you haven't heard of Keane yet, then you a) don't like Coldplay, or b) don't watch the music videos on VH1. This non-Harry-Potter British trio made its impression on the music scene in 2004, and they still hold us enthralled.

Their debut record Hopes and Fears featured Tom Chaplin's falsetto over soaring piano and light guitar. While Under The Iron Sea features the same atmospheric sounds of H&F, H&F's songs were inherently hopeful, no matter the fears. UTIS has little of that hope, if any at all.

Instead, UTIS is like a “fairy-tale gone wrong,” as keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley states. Every song deals with depression, disillusionment, and a lost of innocence that seems almost impossible to find again. As Chaplin was in rehab for the past few months, it's obvious that this disillusionment was not a farce created by their record label.

The crowning achievement here is “Hamburg Song,” which starts out in mournful organs, reminiscent of those old-time hymnals. The lyrics are just as timeless, speaking of a friend or lover who is in a one-sided relationship, and about to give up on it. From what I've heard, this song was Rice-Oxley and drummer Richard Hughes's opinion of Chaplin in the height of their previous success. You could call it Britney Spears’ new theme song, in a way.

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