ugadawg5 Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 AllMusicGuide.com Review - 3.5/5 Review by MacKenzie Wilson In the two years since releasing their debut album Hopes and Fears, Keane has quickly established themselves an integral part of the mainstream rock canon. Hit singles such as "Somewhere Only We Know," "Bedshaped," and "Everything's Changing" made Hopes and Fears a transatlantic hit, earning the trio two Brit Awards, a Grammy nomination and a host of sold out world tours. They're as likeable and as accessible as Coldplay, however Keane's return isn't as buoyant as their initial introduction. Whereas Hopes and Fears faced uncertainty head on with joyous enthusiasm, Under the Iron Sea is a darker, less romantic set of songs affected by a disenchanted outlook on life and the world's problems. Keane feel the frustration of a world torn apart by war, but also express their own growing pains as a group. Songs such as the grayish ebb and flow of "A Bad Dream" and "Crystal Ball" connect with such reflections. Frontman Tom Chaplin faces the disappointment of growing older on the haunting "Atlantic," another stone-cold gem of synthesizer strings and Tim Rice-Oxley's gorgeous piano delivery. When you think it might be totally depressing, there are some hints of life hidden in the corners of Under the Iron Sea and these mysterious loops highlight Keane's new sonic experiments. Thus far they've existed without guitars. Though the bounty of this record breathes with a collection of various analog synths and an old electric piano, Rice-Oxley's usual performance is now enhanced with a bevy of guitar effect pedals. Debut single "It Is Any Wonder? is layered pianos and Chaplin cries out Stranded in the wrong time/Where love is just a lyric in a children's rhyme, a soundbite". Such words capture how crucial it was for Keane to come up with something that's tangible and thought-provoking, however the guitar pedals are just a bit too dramatic. Keane should be applauded for going after a different sound; there's no harm in that, but die-hard fans might rush to judge Under the Iron Sea as sounding a bit too much like U2. I kind of agree. It is a good album, but doesn't quite match Hopes and Fears song for song. Opinions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
an_cat Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 but die-hard fans might rush to judge Under the Iron Sea as sounding a bit too much like U2. Oh my GOD. I'm a die-hard Keane AND U2 fan and I'm sick of this fucking bullshit. Shove the comparisons up ya ass, why doncha fuckin' reviewers.... *storms off* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMagpie Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 ^ woot. I love U2 alot too haha. Its like all the coldplay U2 comparisons on interference when X&Y came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.B.g Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Pitchfork has totally slaughtered the album. 4.1/10 and they show no mercy whatsoever in tearing it to shreads. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/36958/Keane_Under_the_Iron_Sea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
an_cat Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 lmfao, I'm not even reading it. Because I don't need someone who spends their lives judging other people telling ME what to do. I hate when new albums come out, reviews are lame. Meanwhile, there's a really nice on in Entertainment Weekly, that I totally agree with. Maybe I'll type it up later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ugadawg5 Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Pitchfork has totally slaughtered the album. 4.1/10 and they show no mercy whatsoever in tearing it to shreads. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/36958/Keane_Under_the_Iron_Sea I would agree that some of the album's subject matter is trite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ugadawg5 Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 here are all of the reviews thus far... http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/keane/undertheironsea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldpatrix Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 NEWS - Keane matures, but its growing pains show Keane matures, but its growing pains show By James Reed, Globe Staff | June 20, 2006 Let's pretend you're a genial pop band that's relentlessly compared with another popular band that just happens to be on hiatus. You both play cotton-candy melodies driven by a piano. Both of your sensitive lead singers tap their falsettos to reduce dreamy-eyed teenage girls to sighing messes. And (bonus!) you're both from the UK. The band you've been emulating has now reemerged to claim its heavyweight title, with a mega-selling album and sold-out shows. That's the predicament facing Keane, whose sophomore album, ``Under the Iron Sea," is out today on Island. It's the band's first album since Coldplay returned with last year's big hit, ``X&Y." When Keane released its debut, ``Hopes and Fears," while Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was off tending to wife Gwyneth Paltrow and baby Apple, it was like throwing welcome crumbs to Coldplay's fans. Songs such as ``Everybody's Changing" had a way of getting lodged into your head for weeks at a time. Nothing on ``Under the Iron Sea" seems immediately that infectious, though ``Nothing in My Way" and ``Is It Any Wonder?" will surely wind up in heavy rotation at an H&M near you. The good news is, Keane doesn't quite sound like its former self. And that's also the bad news. If you loved Keane for the shameless power-pop of ``Hopes and Fears," you're in for a surprise. The band has -- gulp -- grown up. Simply put, the approach here is less Coldplay, more Radiohead lite. But what a lopsided pastiche it is. The biggest problem is the band can't figure out if the album should be portentous and edgy or playful and mannered. And if you believe the woe-is-me lyrics, it sounds as if someone has gotten his heart broken since the last album. Opener ``Atlantic" sets an industrial darkness against Tom Chaplin's lament: ``I don't want to be old and sleep alone / An empty house is not a home / I don't want to be old and feel afraid." But then, on the chorus, there's the Keane you expect, with Chaplin dishing out honeyed Brian Wilson harmonies on top of cascading layers of overdubs. Ballads still tend to be three-hanky affairs, with ``A Bad Dream" echoing previous tear -jerkers such as ``She Has No Time" -- plodding, cloying, and inexplicably catchy. ``Crystal Ball" is an obvious (and miserable) stab at Top 40 radio, with Chaplin pleading, ``Oh, crystal ball / Crystal ball / Save us all / Tell me life is beautiful." Better yet, tell me how this dreck ended up making the cut. Still, there's a lot to like here. Chaplin possesses one of the loveliest falsettos in the business (step aside, James Blunt), and he shoots it to magnificent heights on songs such as ``Try Again." The piano, as played by songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley, is still in the mix, but now it's buried under Richard Hughes's clopping drums and Chaplin's squealing electric guitar. And Andy Green's production is akin to dropping a sponge capsule into water: It just gets bigger and bigger, until it fleshes out the sound to arena-size proportions. So maybe you can't knock Keane for trying to mature, both sonically and lyrically. Perhaps the fans just need to grow up with them. Source: The Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2006/06/20/keane_matures_but_its_growing_pains_show/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondes Martenot Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 is this a Keane forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldpatrix Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 No, but this article speaks about Coldplay, so...it could be interesting for some Coldplay fans, isn't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victaniac Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Eh.. Keane. :thumbsdown: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondes Martenot Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 this article speaks about Coldplay where? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berrywoman Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 its a forum about MUSIC.... so its perfectly justifiable... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondes Martenot Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 its a forum about MUSIC.... so its perfectly justifiable... ;) it was posted in "COLDPLAY" first and after moved ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
an_cat Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 From a myspace bulletin I got today: Subject: US instores/ABC News today Hey folks At lunchtime today, Keane are appearing at a World Cup event at Virgin Megastore in LA (Hollywood & Highland location). The store will be showing the England v Sweden game from 12noon, with the band playing two tracks fully live at half-time (approx 12.45pm). The half-time performance will also be featured in a piece on ABC News at 6pm tonight (nationwide!). Then, on Friday June 23, the band will be doing an instore/signing at Borders in New York (Time Warner building, Columbus Circle). The show starts at 1pm. To ensure entry to the signing afterwards, you'll need to buy the album from the store that day (then you'll be given a wristband). Thanks Keane HQ I am so freakin' excited for the instore signing/gig in NYC. I'm not buying the album for that reason, so I can get it Friday. This should be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sienna Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 i just read it too. :stunned: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldplay_steph Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Keane tickets for London out on Friday :) Would like to see them, hope I manage to get some! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sienna Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 omg!! really??? goood luck steph!! :D i do hope they come around here!!!!!! last time i missed them because of coldplay.(which i obviously chose Coldplay :D) even if i have to travel like 8 hours by car i so want to see them. Keane is an amazing band!!!!! :nice: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMagpie Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 I bought the album today. Well worth the agony and wait of not listening to the album when it was leaked a few weeks back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsterdam528 Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 I just bought the album like an hour ago! :) I've listened to the first 5 tracks so far, and my favorite is probably A Bad Dream. I can't wait for the rest. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
an_cat Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Bad Dream is the best.... :nice: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldplay_steph Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Bad Dream is an amazing song :heart: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMagpie Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Yeah I was really impressed with Bad Dream on the first listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dd Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 yep bad dream is a very catchy songs it's one of the best songs on the album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsterdam528 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Time to listen to the album A SECOND TIME! Is It Any Wonder? is starting to grow on me a lot. Maybe it's cause I watched Leno last night. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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