Keane
Hopes And Fears

THE REVIEW

That brit-pop has evolved since the days of Oasis and Blur, the flag bearers of Beatles-styled guitar riffs, is a self-evident truth. After the elegance of Starsailor and the technique of Coldplay, now "brit" can also be considered the sound of Keane who, paradox of paradoxes, abandons any type of guitar for their debut album, leaving the same bass with "sampled" spaces.

The result is an "easy-listening" album of excellent craftsmanship, with a soft sound and elegant lyrics, low rhythms, and some vague, non-exasperated '80s sounds, all serving as a backdrop to Tom Chaplin's elegant voice, a frontman with a simple figure but impeccable technique.

The beginning is certainly of a very high level: "Somewhere only we know" is a piece of great class, it sounds like something complete, it relaxes but at the same time does not slip away without leaving its melody on you. "This is the last time" starts gently, but rises and envelops quickly, Chaplin exalts himself and makes it a little gem. "Bend and Break" is a masterpiece, nothing very different from the first two, but in itself, it’s exceptional, if only because closing your eyes for a moment, it’s impossible not to dream while listening to it. The rhythms change with "We might as well be strangers", intimate and soft, it reminds more of the best A-ha than Coldplay. What about "Everybody's changing" ?!!? Vodafone plays it around the world, but popularity takes nothing away from this fabulous song which will become one of the most played hits on the radio in the 2004 season.

The melodic "Your eyes open" and the slow, melancholic "She has no time" are also very beautiful, where Chaplin's voice stretches and continues to resemble more Morten Harket than Chris Martin. "Can't stop now", also very sweet, recalls track number 2, but that's okay, so that the album does not lose consistency. Excellent are also "Sunshine" and "Untitled I", which precede another little masterpiece: "Bedshaped", a deep piece, among the most characterizing of the "Keane sound", with a beautiful ending that even greatly resembles the latest Marillion of the great Mark Kelly (keyboardist).

In summary, I would say that Keane hits the mark with their debut, offering something original without wanting to disrupt the rules of music. A truly pleasant and delicate sound, well-written lyrics, fully marrying interesting melodies arranged in a fresh way.

Definitely not to be missed.