JAMES RISWICK
Assistant A&E Editor
Keane is yet another band coming from the British Isles that is putting the American music biz to shame. While state-side record contracts give way too much attention is given to Lindsey Lohan and Ashlee Simpson, across the pond, bands like Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Muse and Keane (to name a few) are putting out innovative rock that is jazzing up an otherwise stagnant pool.
The important thing to note about Keane is what they decidedly lack — a guitar. Their guitarist died in 2002, and they’ve never gotten around to replacing him. No rhythm guitar, no lead, no bass, no big Mexican variety, nothing. No strings, period. This would seem to put rock aficionados into a tizzy since every rock band since Buddy Holly has had a guitar in it (OK, so I didn’t check on that, but it seems like a solid hypothesis).
Instead, Keane relies on a piano, drums and few electronic injections now and then to create a beautifully rich, melodic sound that fills your ears and leaves you humming the songs long after you’ve pressed ‘stop.’ Nothing on “Hopes and Fears” will be described as rocking, but like Coldplay, Keane has the ability to make you move and hooks you with infectious melody and a keen knack (forgive the pun) of recognizing what will make people lose themselves in the music.
Songs like their radio debut “Somewhere Only We Know,” “This is the Last Time” and “Bend and Break” are up-tempo and catch you immediately with a great rhythm provided by drummer Richard Hughes and rousing piano playing by Tim Rice-Oxley that is certainly reminiscent of Coldplay’s “Clocks” and “Daylight.”
“Everybody’s Changing” is the star of the album, and was actually the English band’s first recording. From the first note, it hits you and compels you to reach for the volume control. The sound is full and rich, and its lyrics are a compelling tale of being lost in a world where everyone else seems to know where they’re going. There’s certainly a chance college students could relate to this.
Lead singer Tom Chaplin can be moany and high-pitched at times (“She has no Time”), but on slower songs like “We Might as Well be Strangers” as well as up-tempo selections like “Everybody’s Changing,” there’s a certain haunting quality to his voice that once again calls to mind Chris Martin from Coldplay.
Seeing as that is my third Coldplay reference, it is important to note that if you like Gwyneth Paltrow’s favorite band, chances are you’ll like Keane as well. Coldplay is better — the presence of guitars provides an exponentially richer sound — but both bands know how to write and play infectious music.
I like “Hopes and Fears” a lot, but that worries me a bit. I also liked Maroon 5’s “Songs About Jane” before they became popular and now, as one critic called them, “quite possibly the worst band currently recording music.”
That’s not to draw a comparison between Keane and Maroon 5. There’s nothing similar about them. Keane’s definitely-different, harmony-driven pop rock seems like something music fans can appreciate until teenage girls and MTV picks them up and starts playing their songs 12 to 147 times a day. I used to love Maroon’s “This Love” until I heard it so much it started sounding like a dentist’s drill.
Let’s hope Keane can survive MTV and “Saturday Night Live” where they’ll be appearing Feb. 5 with Paris Hilton. Uh oh. But I digress. “Hopes and Fears” is an interesting, unique compilation from a band that has an ear for what sounds good. Keane won’t be rivaling The Darkness any time soon for the “Best British Hard Rockers” title, but you could definitely see them opening for Coldplay and holding their own — even if they don’t have a guitar.
01-27-2005
