Keane Album: “Under the Iron Sea”

Simple, energetic, and sonically impressive, Under the Iron Sea is the kind of album that hearkens back to an era where music wasn't about pretentiousness and style or about making money with a relentlessly commercial sound. Keane goes the opposite direction, making the album they wanted to make, full of elegantly simple but incredibly engaging songs and delivering a record better than 95% of the fluff on the market today. Simply stated, this is one for heavy rotation.

Keane's contemporary influences can be clearly heard on this record, with shades of U2, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, and Ben Folds Five heard on various tracks. While paying homage to those influences, Keane still manages to create a sound that is all their own. Tom Chaplin's vocals are emotional and ethereal, blending perfectly with Tim Rice-Oxley's elegant piano, and Rich Hughes does a fine job anchoring the tracks with his steady drumming. From the opening track Atlantic's potent piano melodies, which defies the traditional verse-chorus-verse song structure, to the energetic tracks Is It Any Wonder and Nothing In My Way, the record flows with an exciting and uplifting energy that has already made it #1 on the British album charts.

Crystal Ball with its beautiful chorus is probably the best track on the record, while A Bad Dream and Try Again are the kind of hopeful and anthemic songs Coldplay would kill to write themselves and that flow gorgeously. The album as a whole is a sonic gem, with layers of instruments that embellish and accentuate the simplicity of Chaplin's vocals and Rice-Exley's melodies. This record is light years better than anything U2 or Coldplay has done in recent years. Although some feel this album is darker thematically than Hopes and Fears, I find it exactly the opposite. Though containing lyrics of loss, loneliness and longing, these tracks are surrounded by beautiful and uplifting melodies. Under the Iron Sea is a less commercial album than Hopes and Fears; the tracks are more intricate and deeper on this record, and therefore it takes a bit longer to appreciate. After 2 weeks on heavy rotation, the depth of the CD continues to amaze.

Co-produced with Hopes and Fears' Andy Green, Under the Iron Sea demolishes the commonly held belief in the sophomore slump. This is the kind of album most bands wish they could deliver, full of fresh, intriguing, and resonating songs that stand up to multiple playings. On their website, Keane remarks they needed to make a record that was going to make them feel alive again. With Under the Iron Sea, Keane has made a record that makes us feel alive again. Brilliant work, and hands down one of the Top 5 records of the Year. Highly recommended.

A.G. Corwin

St Louis, MO

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

This is a masterpiece of one kind! You'd think some average teenager at thirteen would be more interested in the more modern immature trend of music (take Gwen Stefani's LAMB for instance..ugh), but that kind of music just isn't my thing. Keane has a wider variety of instruments in this album, with the keyboard (of course) still being the main attraction. The music is playful, energetic, mature, and full of catchy lyric notes. Both of Keane's albums' have done extremely well, and I can't decide which of the two is better! If you're looking for something close to Coldplay, you shouldn't pass this up!

After a band makes a classic album for their debut, it's usually hard to measure up to that. But with Keane's sophomore album Under the Iron Sea, they proved that sometimes such a thing IS possible.

One listen to "Is It Any Wonder" should signal that the band's sound is a little different, which is due to Tim's having switched to the use of the electric piano and synthesizer for the most part (there's only so much you can do with an acoustic piano). And he and Richard still excel in backing up Tom's vocals, as shown in standouts like "A Bad Dream", "Broken Toy" and "Atlantic". "Leaving So Soon" is another example of when Tom really lets his vocals soar, and "Crystal Ball" (the song that inspired the album's title) is another one of those cases where the lyrics look a little corny on paper, but the way they're sung makes the song a highlight.

The only worry that comes with two flawless albums in a row (especially if they're an artist's FIRST two albums) is that maybe the third album will crash and burn; or maybe the band themselves will try too hard to measure up to the earlier success. At any rate, Under the Iron Sea is a high quality album that you should never get tired of.

Anthony Rupert

I first saw Keane on Saturday Night Live and the next day went and got Hopes and Fears, OH DELIGHTFUL CD! When I saw this CD was coming out I felt both anticipation that it COULD be even better, or it might be the sophomore slump many bands experience after having such wild success with their debut. I listened to it through the first time and thought, "pretty good", then the second, third, fourth and fifth time it got better and better and pulled me "under". I love this new CD. I have over 25000 songs in my itunes library from CDs etc... This one has gone right to the top of most listened to on my ipod. I cannot wait to see what the boys come out with next!