Hopes And Fears
by Keane

From paladisiac TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/10/2011 04:41 | #32577 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

i count this as 3rd generation radiohead via piano. The choruses are majestic. The statements are more simple (than radiohead). 4 of the first 5 songs are grand, knockout pop songs -- "somewhere only we know", "this is the last time" ("you fall on me for anything you like"), "bend and break" ("If only I don't suffocate / I'll meet you in the morning, when you wake ") and "everybody's changing" ("Trying to make a move just to stay in the game / I try to stay awake and remember my name / But everybody's changing / And I don't feel the same."). But the rest of the album is good too. The desperation at the chorus of "we might as be strangers" feels palpable in a melodramatic way. i love the tinge of beautiful sadness in "she has no time". "bedshaped" is a powerful (for them) closer.

I'd say this band's music is similar to Coldplay -- lots of piano and synth...pop/soft rock. What's truly unique is there are no guitars. The piano is the focus. The singer has a great voice, so good, in fact, that the band seems to eschew the use of vocal harmony. My favorite songs on this album are Bend And Break and Everybody's Changing.

From Charicature 03/11/2010 00:19 | #9780 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Contrary to the notion they're "Coldplay lite" I'd say Keane is a far more polished version of Coldplay. Indeed, Chris Martin heard then Lotus-Eater's pianist Tim Rice-Oxley and wanted him to join the new band he was forming (Coldplay), but Rice-Oxley opted to stick with the Lotus Eaters, invited an old friend of his brother's to join as the new vocalist, and Keane was born.

Their songs are smooth and polished, Chaplin's a top rate singer, Rice-Oxley is a masterful composer and keyboardist, and while you'd be hard pressed to call them "rock" due to the smooth vocals and graceful rhythms and light tunes, they are nonetheless an excellent band. The rebirth of soft rock and - sorry if you don't like it - it's a good thing.

From Brad1770 TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/19/2021 03:01 | #276413 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Ok so it would be super easy to hate on this album and it would be super lazy as well. The musician ship on this album is first class for a debut album especially Oxleys keyboards and there are a handful of top tracks here capped by the incredible “On A Day Like Today”

This isn’t exactly in my musical wheel house but respect brother


Peace out

Apart from the obvious Radiohead/Coldplay influences, there was definitely some U2 in there, too. Nothing groundbreaking, but it got some lovely melodic ballads, voice and piano makes for a combo you can't go wrong with. And the opening track is fantastic. (Edited)