Hopes and Fears

by

Keane

Edit

Perhaps the biggest band in the UK of this year are Keane. You could say the title belongs to Snow Patrol, Scissor Sisters or Franz Ferdinand, but I think it has to be Keane. They were first dubbed the new Coldplay - not only because they were spotted by the same small record label as Chris Martin's gang, but because their sound was similar. There's a big difference between Coldplay and Keane, however, and that is that Keane don't use guitars to make brilliant and emotional rock, they use the piano as their base instrument. It is ever-present throughout this entire album, and results in a successful stab at setting out what it intends to achieve. Countless bands have tried and failed in the past, but Keane have scored with this stunning debut album.

Lead singer Tom Chaplin is on vocals, whilst Richard Hughes on drums and Time Rice-Oxley on piano, keyboard and bass accompany him in making this powerful music that has gripped Britain like a vice all year. Chaplin's vocals are soft and delicate and have been compared to those of Coldplay's frontman. I suppose there are slight similarities, but I like to think Chaplin resembles Radiohead's Thom Yorke more than anything. Many are saying Keane are better than Coldplay already. I believe this to be untrue. Coldplay are at the top of their game, whilst after only one album Keane are being hailed as geniuses. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here - they still have to prove themselves on the next album...

Keane's debut album "Hopes And Fears" was released in May 2004 and went straight in at No.1 in the UK, and has since gone almost triple-platinum. Lead single "Somewhere Only We Know" opens up the album in fine form. This is the band's trademark ballad that crashed into the charts at No.3 back in January 2004. The song has everything that you can expect from this album - grand vocals, sweeping drums and a Coldplay/Yellow-like pace to it. "Bend And Break" is an uptempo song which has soft and floaty vocals that sail along, held up by a bright piano break. The chorus is brilliant and very memorable. "We Might As Well Be Strangers" is a slow and moving ballad that has a great composition to it which enables you to sing along, especially after it properly kicks in once the first 60 seconds are up. "Everybody's Changing" was the second single to be lifted from the album just before the album was released. Anyone who was unsure whether to buy the album after hearing only the first song was surely certain that this was an essential purchase after hearing this song. It's an upbeat number with brilliant drums and a wicked piano. I loved it from the first time I heard it - everyone's heard it - and I can imagine radio playing this for years to come.

"Your Eyes Open" opens curiously and quietly, before the piano breaks out and Chaplin starts singing. The verses aren't very memorable, but the chorus is just soaring and really makes this an album highlight, with immense single-potential. "She Has No Time" is a slow and moving ballad and one of the album's best on offer, because along with the chilled and laid-back piano we have access to Chaplin's emotional vocals that are particularly high here. "Can't Stop Now" is a very happy and jaunty kind of song which tells the story of not being able to help someone in need because you have troubles of your own. It's a great song and the piano is ever-present. "Sunshine" is a rather strange song, yet I can't seem to stop listening to it. It has a rather eerie tone to it to start off with, but the way Chaplin harmonises his vocals in the chorus when singing "Can anybody find their home?" is absolutely beautiful.

"This Is The Last Time" is another fantastic song that unfortunately has a poor intro. I'm not too keen on the way it starts off, but as the song builds to its chorus, you find yourself in safe hands as Chaplin cradles your ears with his melodic arrangement and pleasant vocals. At this point, you begin to get scared in thinking that this could be an album that has no flaws at all! Most albums don't achieve that, and this unfortunately is another one. "On A Day Like Today" is up next, and not my cup of tea at all. I don't know what went wrong, but this is the worst song on the album and is better best forgotten! Luckily things pick up with the oddly titled "Untitled 1" next, which is a five and a half minute masterpiece with almost a dance beat to kick things off! The song soon picks up even more pace and you soon begin to realise that this song doesn't have a proper title because the focus isn't on the words, but on the instruments. "Bedshaped" closes the album as the final track, and boy what a song it is! As the third single to be released from the album, this is perhaps Keane's finest moment. With that beautiful piano and breathtaking vocals from Chaplin, the band create a true classic here. The video itself is pure genius and really works well with the band's emotional message of loneliness.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

Many people would like to think Keane are some sort of genius and revolutionary band. However, they are not - not yet anyway. Only time will tell if they can go on to produce a second album of this depth and scope. I suffered from disliking this album when I first bought it because I thought every song sounded the same, when all you need to do is take the time to really sit down and listen to each song thoroughly. I urge anyone to buy this album now, it really is fantastic.

Look, this is a solid pop album. Reviews seem to fall into two categories: 1. Those that dig the percussion-piano driven catchy tunes anchored by Tom Chaplin's pretty voice. 2. The angry music nerds who can't write a review without putting the words "derivative" and "Radiohead" into every damned review they write.

Get over it. This is pop in all of its lite and airy glory, and it's pretty damned good. Is this another label's answer to Coldplay? Yeah, probably. But it's a pretty good answer, particularly considering Chrissy Martin and the boys are a little big for their britches now and A Rush of Blood to the Head had fewer great songs than Parachutes.

So that's it. This is a pretty, pretty pop album, nothing more. And it doesn't need to be anything more to be great.