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Keane
Hopes and Fears
(Interscope)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2004, Volume 11, #8
Written by T.J. Simon
For the past few years, every decent ensemble to come out of the U.K., such
as Travis, Elbow, and the Doves, has been branded the next Coldplay. The latest
victim of this exercise in lazy journalistic group-think is Keane, and while
comparisons to Coldplay aren’t off the mark, the band also recalls the
over-the-top balladry of Queen, the ’80s pop of Tears for Fears, and the
schmaltzy-but-fun excursions of Robbie Williams.
Keane’s full-length debut Hopes and Fears is a slickly-produced,
11-track collection with an intriguing gimmick: There’s not a single guitar on
the outing. Instead, the group relies upon the steady keyboard playing of Tim
Rice-Oxley and the soaring falsetto of vocalist Tom Chaplin to propel its music
forward. Unfortunately, the songs on the album are largely hit and miss affairs.
Somewhere Only We Know and This Is the Last Time are as good as
anything to be found on the modern rock radio dial. The same is true for
Can’t Stop Now and Bedshaped, but several otherwise decent tunes —
such as We Might as Well Be Strangers, Sunshine, and She Has No
Time — are plagued with lame drum-machine-style percussion.
Throughout Hopes and Dreams, Chaplin’s voice flies high like a young
Freddie Mercury, but his lyrics need a serious shot in the arm. As for being a
piano-based ensemble, the listener deserves to hear at least a little more
swagger on the ivories à la Ben Folds Five, but alas, the keyboard accompaniments instead serve to give the
album an orchestral feel without ever pulling their weight as the band’s lead
instrument. While there’s clearly a smattering of tunes worth hearing on
Hopes and Fears, it’s clear that Keane is a band whose best work is yet to
come. 
Hopes and Fears is available
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004
The Music Box
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