Spiralling

Song: Spiralling
Artist: Keane
Album: Perfect Symmetry




I guess I still don’t know what I think of Keane. Their 2004 debut “Hopes and Fears” was the best selling record in the UK for that year, and while it took some time to make its way across the pond, their breakout single “Somewhere Only We Know” did make quite a splash here in the states. I for one found them to be a cheap Travis rip-off but nobody knows Travis here… so Keane took the sensitive music with a piano market. (Well, what was left of it from Coldplay.) For their follow-up the band seemed to be taking a leap forward in that they wanted to ROCK. I actually totally fell for their first single from their sophomore set “Under the Iron Sea,” “Is it Any Wonder?” which (again like Coldplay) showed that Keane didn’t want to be known as just a drippy piano band… they wanted to be… umm, U2. I didn’t mind though because “Is it Any Wonder?” was a killer track and I played the hell out of. So I bought the record (which, to be honest, was partly to cover up that I was buying the Paris Hilton record on the same day) and found out that Keane hadn’t really changed… the rest of the record was straight from Snore City.

The album had crazy sales in the UK… but for reasons that will probably un-earth themselves (conveniently) for the marketing of their third record, lead singer-songwriter Tom Chaplin checked himself into rehab for drugs and alcohol. The fall-out from his problems lead to a cancelling of their US tour as well as cancellations of shows in Europe.

October will see the release of “Perfect Symmetry,” and “Spiralling” the first single was recently released digitally for free via the bands website. And just like “Is it Any Wonder?,” “Spiralling” is an out-of-character rocker… and I really dig it. So who are Keane? And will this be another bait and switch? If I’m honest “Somewhere Only We Know” totally grew on me, and Lily Allen’s cover of “Everything Changes” made me re-visit, and like, the bands version. These guys are obviously talented… so I will give them the time to see what new directions they may be following.

Besides… post-rehab albums are usually such a joy.

Enjoy.

Is it Any Wonder?


Somewhere Only We Know


Everybody’s Changing