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KEANE Under the Iron Sea (Interscope/Universal) |
 DETRACTORS who maintain that Keane is derivative miss out on the band's unique appeal, for where Coldplay is introspective and Snow Patrol is melancholy, Keane is beautiful. In trying to break the mould on just its second album, the band does stumble, but by swapping Britpop influences for U2, these guys have shed much of the stigma of predictability. Lead single Is It Any Wonder? is the rockiest Keane has been, featuring a stomping guitar intro that relentlessly takes over the song. It is in this area that Keane succeeds, marrying new sounds with the familiar concepts that have served it so well. Nothing in My Way and the excellent Leaving So Soon are still pretty, but the lasting image is that of haunting beauty rather than the soaring soundscapes that dominated the band's first album. Tom Chaplin's lyrics, while still somewhat narcissistic, still ring truer than Chris Martin's relatively ham-fisted efforts. In summary, Iron Sea proves that Keane can handle the dark twilight of the soul just as well as it conveys sweetness and light. It's an unbalanced, meandering record, just like its predecessor, but by embracing the fact that love is tragic and pain can be glorious, Keane has given itself an asset the band has been sorely missing -- range. |
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