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Keane Album: “Under the Iron Sea [Japan]”
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Under the Iron Sea [Japan] |
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Release Date:2006-06-19
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Type:Unknown
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Genre:Rock, Adult Alternative, Indie Rock
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Label:Universal
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Explicit Lyrics:Yes
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UPC:4988005432520
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Review - :
In the two years since releasing their debut album {^Hopes and Fears}, {$Keane} has quickly established itself an integral part of the mainstream {\rock} canon. Hit singles such as {&"Somewhere Only We Know,"} {&"Bedshaped,"} and {&"Everything's Changing"} made {^Hopes and Fears} a transatlantic hit, earning the trio two Brit Awards, a Grammy nomination, and a host of sold-out world tours. They're as likeable and as accessible as {$Coldplay} yet {$Keane}'s return isn't as buoyant as their initial introduction. Whereas {^Hopes and Fears} faced uncertainty head on with joyous enthusiasm, {^Under the Iron Sea} is a darker, less romantic set of songs affected by a disenchanted outlook on life and the world's problems. {$Keane} feels the frustration of a world torn apart by war, but also expresses their own growing pains as a group. Songs such as the grayish ebb and flow of {&"A Bad Dream"} and {&"Crystal Ball"} connect with such reflections. Frontman {$Tom Chaplin} faces the disappointment of growing older on the haunting {&"Atlantic,"} another stone-cold gem of synthesizer strings and {$Tim Rice-Oxley}'s gorgeous piano delivery. When you think it might be totally depressing, there are some hints of life hidden in the corners of {^Under the Iron Sea} and these mysterious loops highlight {$Keane}'s new sonic experiments. Thus far they've existed without guitars. Though the bounty of this record breathes with a collection of various analog synths and an old electric piano, {$Rice-Oxley}'s usual performance is now enhanced with a bevy of guitar effect pedals. Debut single {&"It Is Any Wonder?"} is layered with pianos and {$Chaplin} cries out, "Stranded in the wrong time/Where love is just a lyric in a children's rhyme, a soundbite." Such words capture how crucial it was for {$Keane} to come up with something that's tangible and thought-provoking, but the guitar pedals are just a bit too dramatic. {$Keane} should be applauded for going after a different sound; there's no harm in that, but die-hard fans might rush to judge {^Under the Iron Sea} as sounding a bit too much like {$U2}. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
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![Keane Album: “Under the Iron Sea [Japan]”](http://www.musicpopstars.com/covers_yaK/keane/2006_170_170_Under%2520the%2520Iron%2520Sea%2520%255BJapan%255D.jpg "Keane Album: “Under the Iron Sea [Japan]”")