Hopes & Fears [Import]

Keane | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Universal Import
• ASIN: B0003040BC
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #943,500 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Somewhere Only We Know

2. This Is the Last Time

3. Bend and Break

4. We Might as Well Be Strangers

5. Everybody's Changing

6. Your Eyes Open

7. She Has No Time

8. Can't Stop Now

9. Sunshine

10. Bedshaped

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hopes for "Fears", May 11, 2005

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hopes & Fears (Audio CD)

British mope-rock is alive and well, as Brit-pop trio Keane makes their debut with "Hopes and Fears." Strong, soaring vocals from Tom Chaplin are backed up by some solid piano-based pop and rock. Despite constant comparisons to Radiohead, Travis and Coldplay, Keane shows plenty of promise as a unique new band.

It starts off with a strong piano solo in the quiet "Somewhere Only We Know," followed by a stream of catchy pop like the thoughtful "Everybody's Changing" and the shimmery "Bend And Break," and gossamer ballads like the melancholy "We Might As Well Be Strangers" and soaring "She Has No Time." It wraps up on a strong note with the plaintive "Bedshaped." This also has a bonus DVD with TV spots and music videos, as well as live performances.

As a dualdisc CD, this also has a DVD side if you flip it over. It includes several music videos of okay (though not great) quality, including one that is different in the U.K. It also contains a special photo gallery and song lyrics, which are a pleasant accompaniment to the CD itself.

If any British band breaks the rock mold, it seems to be labelled as a Radiohead/Coldplay wannabe. On some superficial levels, Keane sounds rather like those bands. But it manages to remain a bit apart, rocking a bit harder and sounding a bit more straightforward and simple. It's hard to truly classify Keane as really being pop -- the lack of guitar and the prevailing piano seem to edge its catchy melodies closer to classical pop.

The first thing to know about Keane is: No guitarist. At all. Ever. Don't let it scare you -- the mix of rippling piano and gentle percussion are enough to make their melodies catchy without electric riffs. At the same time, they take some musical risks. Psychedelic piano-pop? Believe it or not, Keane does that.

Tom Chaplin's vocals are the strongest point of Keane's lineup; his solid, high soars along with the shimmery music. At times his vocals get a bit TOO high, like when he sings the title line of "She Has No Time," but most of the time he manages to sound like a heartbroken guy exorcising his breakup demons. The songs themselves aren't terribly complex or insightful, but they can be quite poignant: "And if you have a minute why don't we go/talk about it somewhere only we know?/This could be the end of everything/so why don't we go/somewhere only we know?"

Keane needs to distance itself more from the other Brit-mope-rock bands before it can blossom into true greatness. But in "Hopes And Fears," they have succeeded in the basics: bringing forth some beautiful, sometimes heartrending music.