Monday, August 23, 2004
Hopes And Fears

I am not a particularly active consumer of pop music,especially of the variety churned out by truckloads,such as Britney Spears,Justine Timberlake or any of the American Idol prdoucts.This means that basically I do not have a keen ear for the average radio single(I never appreciated Black-Eye Peas,Sum 41 whatever because I found them too derivative),even though I like a good pop hook like any other person.Which is why I approached Keane with a certain amount of caution.Keane is a British three-piece pop-rock band that's based on pianos/keyboards,instead of the usual guitar band stereotype.This,in a way,is refreshing.But I've heard piano-based bands before and didn't like them much(the likes of Ben-Folds Five)so I still wasn't sure how much I'd like them although the TV adverts certianly sounded good.

Brit bands have a way of replicating themselves.After the success of Travis and Coldplay,there have been countless other bands following their template and attempting to replicate their success.How of those bands have you taken notice of?Me?None.Keane does not differ much from this group of copycats,besides the fact that they employ the use of pianos rather than guitars.There is that certain amount of angst and the catchy pop melodies that almost always goes with being a Brit band of this "genre".But what they do,they do quite well.And as many critics have mentioned,they may be a guilty pleasure.

Honestly,I did find quite a bit of pleasure from their debut LP,Hopes and Dreams.And I certainly did not count that.But they did deliver in a sense and that is more than welcome.Of the entire LP,I was particularly bowled over by two very strong singles,the opener "Somewhere Only We Know" and "Everybody's Changing"(both showcased on TV)although the majority of the rest of the album is quite pleasant as well.A slick and posh production certainly did their sound no harm and I can see why they are selling not too badly.

Opener "Somewhere Only We Know" is a storming single.It's got a very good hook that just wouldn't quit but sets up such a grand stage that I felt that the rest of the LP has a very hard act to follow."This Is The Last Time" is a pretty (almsot equally) melodic follow-up to the opener and keeps the momentum up well.While the third song"Bend And Break" is also a very good pop song,I didn't find it as engaging. For me,while it starts promisingly,the chorus did not pack as much punch as its two predecessors.But I'd think this is highly debateable because I am quite sure I can find a lot of people who'd like this song alot more than I did.

Skip forward to the aforementioned "Everybody's Changing"and the trio again showed their knack for a brilliant melody.It's catchy and very singalong.I'd skip past the next few songs and their descriptions although that doesn't mean they are not good.Most of them are.A couple of songs are a bit iffy for me though but one or two fillers in an album are probably justifiable."Sunshine" and "Bedshaped" closes the album on a good note although by the end,I began to have the feeling the whole album sounded exactly the same to me without much variation in sound and tone.

Many critics have sniffed at Keane for being inconsequential.That their music will not stand the test of time and is something you'd soon forget after listening.This I do not dispute.But not every band is capable of producing transcendental music and not everyone needs to make music that makes a difference.Not everyone is a Bob Marley or Bob Dylan and I don't think Keane sets out their store to emulate bands/singers of this kind of scale or influence.They are a radio band and will stay one.There is a place for such music.

7/10