Keane- Strangeland

Keane- Strangeland (2012)

So the British band Keane are back with their latest album; ‘Strangeland’. Many have suggested that the band’s first album ‘Hopes and Fears’ was a one-off and couldn’t be repeated. More than likely to be true, but Keane have gained vast experience in recent years about progression and keeping an open-mind to a variety of sounds.

Not so with ‘Strangeland’. It has a blend of all their previous albums throughout. The likes of ‘Hopes and Fears’ can be heard on the first 2 tracks; a cleaner sound on the piano and a more upbeat rythmic feel too. Tim Rice-Oxley says that ‘Under the Iron Sea’ was very experimental, the likes of ’Is It Any Wonder?’ and ‘Crystal Ball’ were major successes, and he states that over 40 songs were originally written before narrowing down to just 15/16 songs (for their new album). ’Neon River’ is probably the closest you’ll get to a variety of different sounds.

The lyrics throughout ‘Strangeland’ often have detailed descriptions but vague meanings, leaving much to be desired. The likes of ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ and ‘This is the Last Time’ weren’t lyrical, but those songs won over the masses because they simple lyrics and the sing-along choruses aroused even the most depressed soul. ‘Sovereign Light Cafe’ and ‘Day Will Come’ are the closest tracks to a chorus with you’ll be tempted to sing, although the ’Sovereign Light Cafe’ is a song about Bexhill-on-Sea (a place where Keane spent a lot of time in their childhood).

‘Strangeland’ won’t attract many new fans, nor does it have a particularly fresh feel or the stadium-filler songs, but what Keane have done is put a unique twist on previous albums and come up with a record with more sentimental value. The album went straight in at Number 1 in the UK Album Charts and rightfully so, Keane has a reasonable fan-base in the UK and abroad. Despites the lack of innovation, which they have demostrated in the past, Keane have once again shown us that when it comes to Brit-Pop… they’re still sitting pretty at the top.

Album rating: 7.5/10

Album Trailor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPWnHvT8ya0

Track Listing:

• 1. You Are Young
• 2. Silenced By The Night
• 3. Disconnected
• 4. Watch How You Go
• 5. Sovereign Light Cafe
• 6. On The Road
• 7. The Starting Line
• 8. Black Rain
• 9. Neon River
• 10. Day Will Come
• 11. In Your Own Time

(Deluxe edition bonus tracks)

• 12. Sea Fog
• 13. Strangeland
• 14. Run With Me
• 15. The Boys
• 16. It’s Not True

Keane’s official website: www.keanemusic.com

By Daniel Woods