Keane – Under the Iron Sea

Yeh, so I was going to bed, but I am a notorious insomniac… of sorts. I can sleep just fine, but I can think of a million more interesting things to do than sleep. 😉

Anyway, enough about my sleeping patterns and more about Keane.

People that know me might think that Keane is a rather odd band to be discussing. People that know me well are aware that’s not the case. 😉

Anyway, I enjoy Keane very much. They have acquired quite a good sound that is distinct. I love the idea that a band (and I mean a group of people that actually make music… quite rare to be found in the pop charts) in which not a guitar but a piano plays such a central role. The Hopes and Fears album really was a lot about that unique sound that you identify with them.

No bigger could my surprise be that with Under the Iron Sea Keane actually has flirtations with the guitar [Is it any Wonder?]; so very unKeane-like and I must admit that at first I was slightly taken off guard by it. Hearing it for the first time, the first part I thought I was listening to U2. A bit hitting on a girl that turns out to be a he. (OK, maybe not that bad, but a similar shock. ;))

But biting the bullet the album proved to be a pleasant musical surprise with the versatility I knew from their previous album. The same distinct sound but with a twist. Some songs really up-beat, others more melancholic. But all with the unmistakable sound of Keane, despite the ‘guitary’ sound at times.

From all the songs I’ve heard Atlantic is the one that really touched me soul in a way I have only felt a couple of times in my life. It gives me goosebumps every time I play it. It makes me want hear it constantly and if I don’t or can’t it just echoes through my mind for hours on end.

Aside from Atlantic I don’t think the album has a single song I don’t like. Like the tantalizing intermission in “Hamburg Song” or the refrain in “Broken Toy”, it just feels right. Some are great, some are good, but all of them are Keane.

If you loved Hopes and Fears and are willing to look beyond the critique on its identity you will find a small treasure.