Keane - Under The Iron Sea
Hola Amigos
Two days Ago I got Keane - Under The Iron Sea
and I have to say I was nicely impressed by the album. I'm proud to say I'm not the only one
. The critics about the album have been excellent, and the fans ratings and comments on amazon.com say it all
. Here's one of the best reviews I've read from there:
Should you buy this CD?: A Review of UNDER THE IRON SEA, June 25, 2006
Reviewer: Liam F. (Melbourne, VIC Australia) - See all my reviews
Keane's HOPES AND FEARS won the Best British Album at the Brits, and got them attention even in the US when they got nominated for Grammy's Best New Artist (not an easy feat for a British band). It isn't easy at all to follow up such massive success. And here coems Keane's sophomore effort - UNDER THE IRON SEA. But does it match up to HOPES AND FEARS? If you went head over heels for HOPES AND FEARS, then chances are you had been waiting impatiently for the release of this one and would have the CD spinning right now. What if you do not own HOPES AND FEARS, or did not like it (which I find a little shocking)?
UTIS is essentially a rock record, leaning towards alternative. The CD opens with "Atlantic", which features a killer beat (albeit sinister sounding) that sets the tone for the rest of the CD. About 2 minutes and a bit more into this song, the melody completely takes on a new route, switching from melancholic and dangerous to almost angelic and peaceful. This, in my opinion, is sheer brilliance. We could go deeper by trying to analyze what message Keane is giving (a light among darkness?) but that's better left aside for now.
First single "Is It Any Wonder?" comes next. Once again, great beats - and no - THAT is NOT guitar; it is 'distorted piano' - a completely new sound that Keane has invented. This song is ferocoius, it rages forward like a full-speed train - and that's good. We have not heard anything like this from Keane before, and I'm glad they are not sticking to ONE formula (the one that worked in HOPES AND FEARS).
One of my favourite songs on the CD, "Nothing In My Way" is very poetic, and the "addictivity level" is at its peak when the song breaks into the chorus. You'll find yourself chanting along to it in no time at all. I'm also very keen on "A Bad Dream", catchy chorus, good beats and all. I believe the song that most are crazy about is "Crystal Ball" and I'm not surprised at all. This was the first song that jumped out at me and grabbed my attention on first listen - and I still like it. Very singable, very likeable - think "This Is The Last Time" and "Bend And Break" from HOPES AND FEARS. Nevertheless, Keane has not completely abandoned its piano stylings on this record - "Hamburg Song" features complete piano without frills. Peaceful and mystifying.
Having said all that, occassionally I do miss tracks like "Bedshaped" from HOPES AND FEARS. It's not completely absent on UTIS, but very little traces of such songs are to be found. Based on this, UTIS is a solid record and a great listen, but it does not evoke the general feel and melancholy of HOPES AND FEARS. Rather, UTIS ends up sounding rather urgent, as if it were a message of warning, and is undeniably much darker than HOPES AND FEARS. You can tell that Keane have had no desire to match HOPES AND FEARS at all, but rather let their creativity and surroundings take them to a place where genuine music and lyrics are born. UTIS is a remarkably excellent effort. And did I mention the great artwork for the cover? (The cover actually folds out into different layers of what lies UNDER THE IRON SEA - very clever, in my opinion).
The verdict? You should buy UTIS. Great melodies, thoughtful lyrics, crisp voice, immaculate production. It's one of the best CDs to hit the shelves this year.
Liam F.
26 June 2006
I want you to post your comments here, but please, do not start a U2 v/s Keane or Keane v/s Coldplay, Keane v/s Radiohead discussion.
Highly recommended, this record is the finest album I've ever heard Since Radiohead's Hail To The Thief
PS: Glad that the guys are at number 1 in UK at this moment !!!!