Keane Album: “Hopes & Fears”

Keane (pronounced Keen) is an impressive band that truly baffles me with its remarkable sincerity. "Hopes and Fears" is simplistic music--one singer, one bass guitar, a pianist, and a drummer. That's it. Yet every time I listen it bewilders me how lavish and solid the music is. Every musician is altogether in harmony and balance. Furthermore they equip Tom and the songs the absolute best way possible. Tom's voice is unbelievable; his range is mindblowing, his intonation and phrasing are perfect and his heart is exposed. I can't find anything wrong with this album which astonishes me. I've listened to "Hopes and Fears" obsessively off and on for weeks at a time always fully expecting to get sick of it--but I never do! Each and every song can solidly stand alone and yet holistically, the cd is painstakingly and exhaustively gorgeous. I Love listening to Keane and I Love singing along; I Love it during the day, I Love it at night. It's the Real Deal. I give "Hopes and Fears" one of my highest recommendations. I think it should be in every music lover's library. Thank you, Keane. o8E

Soar!

British mope-rock is alive and well, as Brit-pop trio Keane makes their debut with "Hopes and Fears." Strong, soaring vocals from Tom Chaplin are backed up by some solid piano-based pop and rock. Despite constant comparisons to Radiohead and Coldplay, Keane shows plenty of promise.

It starts off with a strong piano solo in the quiet "Somewhere Only We Know," followed by a stream of catchy pop like the thoughtful "Everybody's Changing" and the shimmery "Bend And Break," and gossamer ballads like the melancholy "We Might As Well Be Strangers" and soaring "She Has No Time." It wraps up on a strong note with the plaintive "Bedshaped."

If any British band breaks the rock mold, it seems to be labelled as a Radiohead/Coldplay wannabe. On some superficial levels, Keane sounds rather like those bands. But it manages to remain a bit apart, rocking a bit harder and sounding a bit more straightforward and simple. It's hard to truly classify Keane as really being pop -- the lack of guitar and the prevailing piano seem to edge its catchy melodies closer to classical pop.

The first thing to know about Keane is: No guitarist. Don't let it scare you -- the mix of rippling piano and gentle percussion are enough to make their melodies catchy without electric riffs. At the same time, they take some musical risks. Psychedelic piano-pop? Believe it or not, Keane does that.

Tom Chaplin's vocals are the strongest point of Keane's lineup; his solid, high soars along with the shimmery music. At times his vocals get a bit TOO high, like when he sings the title line of "She Has No Time," but most of the time he manages to sound like a heartbroken guy exorcising his breakup demons. The songs themselves aren't terribly complex or insightful, but they can be quite poignant: "And if you have a minute why don't we go/talk about it somewhere only we know?/This could be the end of everything/so why don't we go/somewhere only we know?"

Keane needs to distance itself more from the other Brit-mope-rock bands before it can blossom into greatness. But in "Hopes And Fears," they have succeeded in the basics: bringing forth some beautiful, sometimes heartrending music.

Throw in part Radiohead , A splash of Morissey ,A Touch of Muse, & A Pinch Of Depeche Mode ,And you end up with Keane.

There are Vast facets of love in This Peice of superb &Unique work. The Cd takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of Love,Loss,Hopes & Fears. There is alot of melancholy feelings of Lost Love iced with a proclaimed hope of just being loved.

This is truly one of the most moving CD I've heard in along time!

Branching out to "We might as well be strangers(#3)" A Sorrowful Story of a familiar couple ,as they live each day as the last & the next, taking for granted what Love is.

"She has no time(#6) " is a beautiful peice,of tragic desire for the one that got away.

"This is the last time(#9)" Is a bitter sweet kiss goodbye .

This album is a awesome mix of Electronic Expression ,& Acoustic Laced Ballads.

You're reading this review so you either heard Keane and liked them, or you heard the hype and wanted to see how they stack up to the hype. Unfortunately they do stack up. The music is catchy British near Emopop and it's better done than anything America is putting out right now. The singer has an amazing voice, the piano player is better than bad (He's not good enough to clean Ben Folds piano, and Ben Folds isn't good enough to tune Elton John's piano, but enough about that). The drumming is average too, it's really the production and song value that gets you. Sweeping melodies and heartfelt lyrics really are par for the course on "Hopes and Fears". If you like Coldplay, you'll like Keane. They are very similar. The sound, even though it's coming from a two-piece band manages to sound much more than minimalist (Thank you slick production values).

In the end, "Hopes and Fears" captures teenage angst, as wrung through the corporate music machine. It's classic 80s pop reborn as British pop. Tears for Fears begat this album. I promise.

First off, I have to confess, I am not a huge consumer of music. I have my stash of 300+ CDs that have accumulated and served me well through the years--most purchased before 1990. Secondly, I generally find the music played on "pop radio" despicable--most of today's music strikes me as awful, overproduced, hideous bubblegum nonsense that makes the Bay City Rollers look downright dignified.

Keane's debut album has blown me away. I purchased it solely on the strength of their live performance on SNL, and later was astounded to learn that the only OTHER artist whose albums I've purchased since the turn of the millenium (Rufus Wainwright) is actually opening for them right now on tour in Europe.

This CD is on constantly in my car. It's impossible not to love this music. It catches in your synapses and stays there. The album's pure, spare, melodic, honest compositions soar.

Very few things through the years have dragged me out of my old, tired "comfort zone" in music. Hopes and Fears did that and put me on the lookout for this band's next album.

Do yourself a favor and meet a new favorite.