Keane
Under The Iron Sea

THE REVIEW

Evidently, drawing inspiration from U2 pays off.

The Keane must have thought so, as while working on this new "Under The Iron Sea," they watched Coldplay soar on the wings of over ten million copies sold. And the first release from the latest album, "Is It Any Wonder", pushes in that direction, even though the track showcases an enviable freshness that Bono and company can only dream of now.

Fortunately, the rest of the album also moves in other directions, as in the case of the beautiful "Atlantic", the album's opener and a sort of head-on collision between Thom Yorke and Rufus Wainwright. "Nothing In My Way" follows the footsteps of the old "Somewhere Only We Know", but proves to be more incisive and radio-friendly (it's no coincidence that it's the new single and the soundtrack of Fifa '07). Then we move to "Leaving So Soon", which raises the tempo and showcases Chaplin's good vocal abilities, and the beautiful ballad "A Bad Dream", already presented in live performances before the album's release. "Hamburg Song" proves to be among the most interesting pieces of the work, with its slow pace and ethereal, rarefied atmosphere, and it is counterbalanced by "Put It Behind You", which picks up the tempo. This brings us to the superhit "Crystal Ball", indebted to certain closer-to-dance elements of the New Order, and already one of the classics of the British group. "Try Again" moderates the tone once again (paired with the following "Broken Toy"), while the conclusion is entrusted to "The Frog Prince", a midtempo piece that neither adds nor detracts from the album's economy.

A mature effort, this "Under The Iron Sea", which attempts a greater variety of styles compared to the somewhat monotonous "Hopes And Fears" and catapults the Keane to the forefront of the European pop scene, thanks to a trio of well-chosen hits. Even though the masterpiece hasn't arrived yet, who knows if it will.