Keane | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Keanes piano-driven pop/rock is created by vocalist Tom Chaplin, drummer Richard Hughes, and pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, three childhood friends from the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. Formed in 1997, the group started out as a college-aged cover band. Guitarist Dominic Scott was also part of this early incarnation, having previously played cover songs with Hughes and Rice-Oxley in a band named the Lotus Eaters. Keane toured the East Sussex circuit for several years while internalizing the epic sounds of their set list, which included songs by Oasis, U2, and the Beatles. The quartet began performing original material in 1998, although Chaplin left for Edinburgh University shortly thereafter to study art history. The move proved to be brief, as he returned to London in 1999 and doubled his efforts with Keane. Buoyed by Chaplins tenor vocals and Rice-Oxleys inventive keyboard effects, the group made its studio debut in 2000 with a self-released single, "Call Me What You Like." Wolf at the Door followed one year later, but the band still struggled to find its momentum as Scott left the lineup in July, leaving the band without a guitarist. Keane continued performing as a trio and happened upon their big break in December 2002, when Fierce Panda Records representative Simon Williams (who had helped discover Coldplay several years prior) was summoned by a friend to attend a Keane gig in London. Williams was impressed with the bands performance and offered to issue Keanes next single, Everybodys Changing, on the spot. The limited-edition release became a success on U.K. radio and attracted attention from major record labels, several of whom began to swarm around the group. Keane signed with Island Records in 2003 and released This Is the Last Time, the bands final single for the Fierce Panda label, before the year was up. They made their major-label debut one year later with Hopes and Fears, which hit the top of the U.K. album charts during its first week of release and beat out Morrisseys You Are the Quarry. The ballad "Somewhere Only We Know" became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and Keane received two Brit Awards (for Best Breakthrough Act and Best Album 2005) while earning a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. The album went on to become the second highest-selling record of the year in the U.K., barely losing out to the Scissor Sisters debut. Keane opened several shows during U2s 2005 tour in support of their debut, which was followed several months later by the Live Recordings 2004 EP. When it came time to return to the recording studio, the band once again enlisted producer Andy Green and fashioned a darker album titled Under the Iron Sea. Arriving in 2006, it debuted at number four on the Billboard Top 200, topped the U.K. charts, and spun off the bands most successful single to date with Is It Any Wonder? Keane chose to pursue a different agenda for their next project, however, returning in 2008 with a slightly retooled sound -- including the presence of electric guitar -- and a new album, Perfect Symmetry. Two years later, they changed directions yet again with the release of Night Train, an eight-song EP featuring collaborations with the Somali rapper KNAAN. Released in 2012, Strangeland, the full-length follow-up to Perfect Symmetry, married that album’s use of guitars and über-pop sensibility with the anthemic, piano-led sound prevalent on the band’s first two albums, particularly Under the Iron Sea. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 18 Title: Connect Sets Released: Tracks: 4 Duration: 14:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Everybodys Changing (03:32) 2 Somewhere Only We Know (03:54) 3 This Is the Last Time (03:29) 4 Dinner at 8 (04:03) |
 | Album: 2 of 18 Title: Hopes and Fears Released: 2004-05-10 Tracks: 14 Duration: 58:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Somewhere Only We Know (03:56) 2 Bend and Break (03:40) 3 We Might as Well Be Strangers (03:12) 4 Everybody’s Changing (03:36) 5 Your Eyes Open (03:22) 6 She Has No Time (05:45) 7 Can’t Stop Now (03:38) 8 Sunshine (04:12) 9 This Is the Last Time (03:29) 10 On a Day Like Today (05:27) 11 Untitled 1 (05:36) 12 Bedshaped (04:37) 13 Snowed Under (03:49) 14 Allemande (04:25) |
| Hopes and Fears : Allmusic album Review : The English music press can never let anyone be. Theyre always quick to hail the next big thing, and in this case, the next big Coldplay is Keane. (Lowgold briefly held that title upon its debut release in 2001, but U.K. critics rushed to give that crown to someone else.) Keane havent positioned themselves to be kings of anything, though, let alone the next Coldplay. Sure, Coldplays biggest hit to date, "Clocks," included only pianos, and they released the Safety EP on Fierce Panda, which is also Keanes label, but those are the only things Keane have in common with Coldplay. Alongside their beautiful, emotive dalliance of instrumentation is one thing thatll separate Keane from all the rest, and thats drive. The bands open-hearted ambition on Hopes and Fears is audible on every song. Lead vocalist Tom Chaplins rich vocals are as vibrant as any choir, and track such as "This Is the Last Time," "Bend and Break," and "Cant Stop Now" reflect Keanes more savory, dramatic moments. Confidence bursts throughout, and for a band that has been around seven years and has never released a studio full-length album until now, achieving nearly epic-like status is quite impressive. Keane obviously have the songs and they have a strong voice leading the front; however, Tim Rice-Oxley (piano/keyboards/bass) and Richard Hughes (drums) allow Hopes and Fears to come alive with glamour and without the sheen of slick studio production. Even slow build-up tracks like "Bedshaped" and "We Might as Well Be Strangers" are just as passionate, if not more so, than some of the bigger numbers on the album. Some might find Keanes debut a bit stagy, or too theatrical at first, but thats okay. Listening to "Somewhere Only We Know" alone a few times is more than enough to convince you that Keane stand next to Coldplay -- challenging them rather than emulating -- and its a respectable match at that. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 18 Title: Sessions@AOL Released: 2004-12-07 Tracks: 5 Duration: 18:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Bedshaped (04:31) 2 Everybody’s Changing (03:37) 3 Somewhere Only We Know (04:00) 4 This Is the Last Time (03:32) 5 We Might as Well Be Strangers (03:16) |
 | Album: 4 of 18 Title: Live Recordings 2004 Released: 2005-05-03 Tracks: 6 Duration: 24:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Somewhere Only We Know (04:11) 2 We Might as Well Be Strangers (03:21) 3 Allemande (05:06) 4 This Is the Last Time (acoustic) (03:28) 5 Everybody’s Changing (03:51) 6 Bedshaped (04:49) |
 | Album: 5 of 18 Title: Under the Iron Sea Released: 2006-06-07 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Atlantic (04:13) 2 Is It Any Wonder? (03:05) 3 Nothing in My Way (04:00) 4 Leaving So Soon? (03:59) 5 A Bad Dream (05:06) 6 Hamburg Song (04:37) 7 Put It Behind You / The Iron Sea (06:33) 8 Crystal Ball (03:53) 9 Try Again (04:27) 10 Broken Toy (06:07) 11 The Frog Prince (04:22) |
| Under the Iron Sea : Allmusic album Review : In the two years that followed the release of their debut album, Keane established themselves as a promising part of the mainstream rock canon. Hit singles like "Somewhere Only We Know," "Bedshaped," and "Everythings Changing" made Hopes and Fears a transatlantic hit, earning the trio two Brit Awards, a Grammy nomination, and a host of sold-out world tours. Critics deemed them as likeable and as accessible as Coldplay, but Keanes return isnt as buoyant as their initial introduction, even if it keeps melody at the forefront. Whereas Hopes and Fears faced uncertainty head on with joyous enthusiasm, Under the Iron Sea is a darker, less romantic set of songs affected by a disenchanted outlook on life and the worlds problems. Keanes members feels the frustration of a world torn apart by war, but they also express their own growing pains as a group. Songs such as the grayish ebb and flow of "A Bad Dream" and "Crystal Ball" connect with those reflections. Frontman Tom Chaplin faces the disappointment of growing older on the haunting "Atlantic," another stone-cold gem of synthesizer strings and Tim Rice-Oxleys gorgeous piano delivery. Just when you think it might be totally depressing, though, there are some hints of life hidden in the corners of Under the Iron Sea, and these mysterious loops highlight Keanes new sonic experiments. Thus far theyve existed without guitars -- and although the bounty of this record breathes with a collection of various analog synths and an old electric piano, Rice-Oxleys performance is now enhanced with a bevy of guitar effect pedals. Debut single "It Is Any Wonder?" is layered with distorted keyboards as Chaplin cries out, "Stranded in the wrong time/Where love is just a lyric in a childrens rhyme, a soundbite." The song was ostensibly written about the Iraq War -- specifically Britians involvement -- and its a move forward in both lyrical content and musical delivery. Keane should be applauded for going after a different sound; theres no harm in that, even though some die-hard fans might rush to judge Under the Iron Sea as sounding a bit too much like U2. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 18 Title: iTunes Live From London Released: 2006-12-19 Tracks: 8 Duration: 36:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Nothing in My Way (04:31) 2 Everybody’s Changing (04:18) 3 Crystal Ball (03:56) 4 A Bad Dream (04:27) 5 This Is the Last Time (05:22) 6 Hamburg Song (04:45) 7 Somewhere Only We Know (05:09) 8 Is It Any Wonder? (03:35) |
 | Album: 7 of 18 Title: The Night Sky EP Released: 2007-11-29 Tracks: 3 Duration: 14:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Night Sky (05:03) 2 Under Pressure (03:54) 3 Put It Behind You (Ffrisco mix) (05:44) |
 | Album: 8 of 18 Title: Perfect Symmetry Released: 2008-10-13 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:39:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Spiralling (04:19) 2 The Lovers Are Losing (05:04) 3 Better Than This (04:04) 4 You Havent Told Me Anything (03:47) 5 Perfect Symmetry (05:12) 6 You Dont See Me (04:03) 7 Again and Again (03:50) 8 Playing Along (05:35) 9 Pretend That Youre Alone (03:47) 10 Black Burning Heart (05:23) 11 Love Is the End (05:40) 1 Spiralling (demo) (04:05) 2 The Lovers Are Losing (demo) (05:18) 3 Better Than This (demo) (04:48) 4 You Havent Told Me Anything (demo) (03:51) 5 Perfect Symmetry (demo) (04:57) 6 You Dont See Me (demo) (03:34) 7 Again and Again (demo) (04:10) 8 Playing Along (demo) (04:32) 9 Pretend That Youre Alone (demo) (04:28) 10 Black Burning Heart (demo) (04:44) 11 Love Is the End (demo) (04:43) |
| Perfect Symmetry : Allmusic album Review : Keane bids adieu to balladry and ushers in a different style -- 80s pop -- with Perfect Symmetry. While the album isnt solely devoted to exploring that new genre, its certainly the focus, and "Spiralling" appropriately kickstarts the set with whooping vocals and retro synthesizers. "When we fall in love," sings Tom Chaplin in his stadium-sized voice, "were just falling in love with ourselves." Coming from the same mouth that once crooned the earnest strains of "Somewhere Only We Know," those lyrics are wholly different -- a sign that four years spent in the shadow of U2, Coldplay, and other like-minded bands have convinced Keane to make their own Achtung Baby. Of course, that album saw U2 turning sonic experimentation into something entirely inventive, which Perfect Symmetry doesnt quite accomplish with its own mixture. This isnt quite art, after all; its mostly just fun, shot through with a self-consciously cheesy approach thats engineered to sound little like the department-store rock of 2004s Hopes and Fears. "Fun" seems to be at the top of the bands agenda, though, and Perfect Symmetry succeeds in doing away with most of the pre-conceived notions that accompany Keane records. The "old" sound doesnt even surface until midway through the album, when the albums title track offers up a combination of sparse piano notes (later giving way to dense, double-fisted arpeggios) and a meteoric chorus. But thats the exception, not the rule, and Perfect Symmetry sounds more comfortable during its truly unexpected moments: the spacy blips and bleeps of "You Havent Told Me Anything," the synthesized anthem "Again and Again," and the energetic "Wooooooh!" that opens the entire album. The bands biggest strength remains Chaplins ability to turn a melodic phrase with grace and dexterity, which fails to lose its vitality no matter the musical context, but Keanes willingness to take these left-hand turns deserves its own share of applause. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 18 Title: Retrospective EP1: Everybodys Changing Released: 2008-12 Tracks: 7 Duration: 33:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Everybodys Changing (demo) (03:38) 2 Everybodys Changing (2002-07 demo) (03:32) 3 Everybodys Changing (Fierce Panda version) (03:36) 4 Everybodys Changing (live) (04:11) 5 Fly to Me (demo) (06:20) 6 Into the Light (demo) (03:18) 7 Video Chat of Tim Interviewed by Tom About Everybodys Changing (08:27) |
 | Album: 10 of 18 Title: Live Recordings: European Tour 2008 Released: 2008-12-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Lovers Are Losing (05:13) 2 Better Than This (04:29) 3 Again and Again (04:08) 4 You Don’t See Me (04:45) 5 Bend and Break (acoustic) (03:41) 6 Try Again (acoustic) (04:01) 7 You Haven’t Told Me Anything (05:10) 8 Perfect Symmetry (05:42) 9 Spiralling (03:44) 10 Love Is the End (05:58) 11 Leaving So Soon? (04:04) 12 This Is the Last Time (03:33) |
 | Album: 11 of 18 Title: The Cherrytree Sessions Released: 2009-05-05 Tracks: 3 Duration: 13:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Perfect Symmetry (05:06) 2 Somewhere Only We Know (04:01) 3 The Lovers Are Losing (04:19) |
 | Album: 12 of 18 Title: Night Train Released: 2010-05-09 Tracks: 8 Duration: 31:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 House Lights (01:24) 2 Back in Time (03:52) 3 Stop for a Minute (04:07) 4 Clear Skies (04:53) 5 Ishin Denshin (You’ve Got to Help Yourself) (03:57) 6 Your Love (04:37) 7 Looking Back (03:46) 8 My Shadow (04:49) |
 | Album: 13 of 18 Title: Retrospective EP2: Sunshine Released: 2010-06-28 Tracks: 7 Duration: 33:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Sunshine (original demo) (04:09) 2 Sunshine (04:48) 3 This Is the Last Time (demo 2001) (04:59) 4 This Is the Last Time (demo 2003) (03:30) 5 Maps (demo) (04:52) 6 Walnut Tree (demo) (03:45) 7 Happy Soldier (demo) (07:46) |
 | Album: 14 of 18 Title: iTunes Festival: London 2010 Released: 2010-08-02 Tracks: 11 Duration: 46:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 This Is the Last Time (03:44) 2 Clear Skies (04:27) 3 Try Again (03:43) 4 Is It Any Wonder (03:07) 5 You Dont See Me (04:08) 6 Atlantic (03:56) 7 Everybodys Changing (03:53) 8 You Havent Told Me Anything (04:20) 9 My Shadow (05:12) 10 Somewhere Only We Know (04:01) 11 Love Is the End (05:42) |
 | Album: 15 of 18 Title: Strangeland Released: 2012-05-04 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:00:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Are Young (03:35) 2 Silenced by the Night (03:16) 3 Disconnected (03:57) 4 Watch How You Go (03:40) 5 Sovereign Light Café (03:38) 6 On the Road (03:56) 7 The Starting Line (04:12) 8 Black Rain (03:46) 9 Neon River (04:52) 10 Day Will Come (03:11) 11 In Your Own Time (03:43) 12 Sea Fog (03:25) 13 Strangeland (04:36) 14 Run With Me (03:30) 15 The Boys (03:33) 16 Its Not True (03:51) |
| Strangeland : Allmusic album Review : Keanes fourth outing trades in the officious electro-pop flourishes that peppered 2008s Perfect Symmetry for a more familiar approach. Closer in tone to 2006s Under the Iron Sea, some may find Strangelands reliable mix of Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and "Sit Down"-era James to be a bit rote, but when it comes to crafting relatively safe, achingly melodic, and terminally sincere adult alternative rock songs, there are few groups as prodigious as the East Sussex quartet. Bolstered by a pair of stadium-ready singles in "Disconnected" and "Silence by the Night," both of which occur (in classic LP fashion) early on, Strangeland works best when it sticks to the formula, providing a hook, a line, and a sinker before landing the listener with the kind of colossal chorus that results in the frantic rolling up or down of car windows. More contemplative moments, like the lilting "Black Rain," the lovely "Neon River," and the appropriately epic closer "Sea Fog" work just as well, dialing back the cymbal swells in favor of a more measured level of melodrama. Strangeland never really lives up to its mysterious title, as theres nothing on it that doesn’t feel willfully nostalgic, but like any good plate of comfort food (for those with larger appetites, theres a 16-track extended version, and a 24-track CD/DVD combo) it satisfies in a way that more adventurous meals never truly can. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 18 Title: Live from London Released: 2013-10-28 Tracks: 3 Duration: 11:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Somewhere Only We Know (live at The Hub, Roundhouse Studios, London / 2013) (03:55) 2 Higher Than the Sun (live at The Hub, Roundhouse Studios, London / 2013) (03:38) 3 Nothing in My Way (live at The Hub, Roundhouse Studios, London / 2013) (03:43) |
 | Album: 17 of 18 Title: The Best of Keane Released: 2013-11-08 Tracks: 38 Duration: 2:35:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Everybody’s Changing (03:36) 2 Somewhere Only We Know (03:56) 3 Bend and Break (03:40) 4 Bedshaped (04:37) 5 This Is the Last Time (03:29) 6 Atlantic (04:13) 7 Is It Any Wonder? (03:05) 8 Nothing in My Way (04:00) 9 Hamburg Song (04:37) 10 Crystal Ball (03:53) 11 A Bad Dream (05:06) 12 Try Again (04:27) 13 Spiralling (radio edit) (03:24) 14 Perfect Symmetry (05:12) 15 My Shadow (04:49) 16 Silenced by the Night (03:16) 17 Disconnected (03:57) 18 Sovereign Light Café (radio edit) (03:28) 19 Higher Than the Sun (03:21) 20 Won’t Be Broken (03:42) 1 Snowed Under (03:49) 2 Walnut Tree (03:38) 3 Fly to Me (05:33) 4 To the End of the Earth (03:02) 5 The Way You Want It (03:17) 6 Something in Me Was Dying (04:46) 7 Allemande (04:25) 8 Let It Slide (04:10) 9 He Used to Be a Lovely Boy (03:36) 10 Thin Air (03:56) 11 The Iron Sea (Magic Shop version) (04:29) 12 Maybe I Can Change (03:55) 13 Time to Go (03:50) 14 Staring at the Ceiling (03:50) 15 Myth (04:54) 16 Difficult Child (03:44) 17 Sea Fog (03:41) 18 Russian Farmer’s Song (06:34) |
| The Best of Keane : Allmusic album Review : Released to coincide with the heartfelt English alt-rockers tenth recording anniversary (Keane formed in 1997 and waited seven years to release their long-player), this career retrospective collects 18 fan and band favorites culled from their four (as of 2013) studio albums, as well as two new singles, the ebullient "Higher Than the Sun" and the anthemic "Wont Be Broken." A piano rock band even less dangerous than Coldplay, Keane found a winning formula in 2004 with their debut album, Hopes and Fears, a slickly produced smorgasbord of amorous/lovelorn pop anthems and ballads that were made all the more vibrant and radio-ready by being delivered via the angelic croon of vocalist Tom Chaplin. The record cleaned up at awards season and spawned the groups two biggest hits in "Everybodys Changing" and "Somewhere Only We Know," which unsurprisingly reside at the one and two spots, respectively, on The Best of Keane. Released in 2006, Under the Iron Sea followed suit with the U.K. smash "Is It Any Wonder?," as well as lesser hits like "Crystal Ball," "A Bad Dream," and "Atlantic," all of which are included here, while 2008s Perfect Symmetry and 2012s Strangeland, though not as well regarded as the bands first two outings, were still brimming with considerable melodic pop riches like "Spiralling," "Silenced by the Night," and "Sovereign Light Café," helping the group to mark its ten-year run by selling over ten million records worldwide. The Best of Keane is also available in a deluxe edition that includes a bonus disc of B-sides, and in a super deluxe edition that adds both the B-sides disc and a DVD. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 18 Title: Cause and Effect Released: 2019-09-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 04:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 You’re Not Home (?) 2 Love Too Much (?) 3 The Way I Feel (04:04) 4 Put the Radio On (?) 5 Strange Room (?) 6 Stupid Things (?) 7 Phases (?) 8 I’m Not Leaving (?) 9 Thread (?) 10 Chase the Night Away (?) 11 I Need Your Love (?) |