Anyone who spends any time with me knows that tho I’m a bit of a music snob (mouths shut), I also have pretty eclectic taste. I was also one of the few New Yorkers to shun the whole lo-fi garage rock thing. My feeling is, pop and rock music should include, oh I dont know…melody. There was some weird taking-pride-in-lack-of-songwriting-skill that I hate, that being the main reason I can’t stand Punk music. So when bands like Coldplay (for which even mentioning that they are always compared to has become ubiquitous) and Travis began worrming their way back into the mainsteam, no one was happier than I to have the melody return to pop music.
And then I heard the Keane record.
Keane are a three piece band consisting of bass, drums and piano. The lack of a lead guitar gives the group a more restrained sound less inclined to veer off toward the power chord moments.
The first three songs solidly land “Hopes And Fears†amongst the most cherished of albums in the realm of music. Solid hooks, soaring choruses, lyrics both simple and heartfelt and production worthy of the songwriting. “Somewhere Only We Know†begins with a hook that would only make any sense on keyboards (check The Killers “Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll†for a similar riff that comes off a lot harsher on guitar) and continues through a chorus that will be in your head for days.
The next track, “This is the Last Time†is one of those soaring songs that you just want to crank up and spin and sing along to at maximum volume. In serious contention, it uses its simple octave bassline and Tom Chaplin’s amazing voice to churn up a slice of massive shimmering U2-meets-â€Friday I’m In Love†that can only be described as majestic.
And so it goes for 11 tracks, some ballads, some weaker than others, but overall this is one of the strongest records of quite some time.
Buy: Hopes & Fears
@iTMS @Amazon
