Much like Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot<\/i>, Keane\u2019s sophomore release almost didn\u2019t see the light of day. Along with the meteoric success of their piano-based rock debut, 2004\u2019s Hopes And Fears<\/i>, came a divisive inter-band turmoil that fueled the creation of this album, an outpouring of frustration that the banded need to feel alive again instead of deciding to split up instead. Darker and decidedly more mature, Under The Iron Sea <\/i>once again immediately lit up the UK album charts but was nonetheless almost universally trashed by critics. Except for this one (Editor’s note: And one other — Assistant Editor Benjamin Ray put it as one of his top 10 albums of 2006). <\/i><\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s because playing this album takes me back to the sweltering June it was released. Los Angeles was Keane\u2019s second US tour stop and the majority of the setlist was new and fresh and exciting, coloring all subsequent spins of Under the Iron Sea with the same atmosphere of summer freedom and a swaying audience. <\/p>\n
But then again, it\u2019s probably also because whatever their missteps, Keane always manage to sound entirely endearing. Coupling Tom Chaplin\u2019s warm, soaring vocals and the band\u2019s knack for anthemic choruses, even their occasional lapses into mid-tempo monotony are buoyed by gorgeous instrumentation. <\/p>\n
Just check out opening track \u201cAtlantic\u201d for a taste of Edgy Keane 2.0, all swirling synths and moody lyrics (\u201cAnd if I need anything at all, I need a place that\u2019s hidden in the deep where lonely angels sing you to your sleep.\u201d) I know most everyone has dismissed this song for one reason or another, but to me, in the same vein as \u201cYour Eyes Open\u201d on Hopes and Fears, <\/i>as it finally solidifies the band as more than just palatable pop purveyors. <\/p>\n
Of course, that\u2019s not to say Keane has lost the chart-topping charm behind \u201cSomewhere Only We Know.\u201d Lead single \u201cIs It Any Wonder?\u201d bashes Britain\u2019s involvement with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with a stick-in-your-head U2-esque distorted piano riff, while \u201cNothing In My Way\u201d may bemoan the miseries of marriage but also boasts a driving beat and an infectiously catchy refrain (inspired by Eminem, of all people.) <\/p>\n
Following a theme similar to \u201cIs It Any Wonder?,\u201d \u201cA Bad Dream\u201d takes its inspiration from the W.B. Yeats poem \u201cAn Irish Airman Foresees His Death.\u201d Beginning as a languid dream sequence, the track slowly builds layer upon layer until finally erupting into a vast soundscape as the pilot\u2019s anger overtakes his initial serenity. <\/p>\n
Though the band describe Under The Iron Sea <\/i>as \u201ca sinister fairytale world gone wrong,\u201d the workings of relationships outside the world of Grimm shine through as well. Influenced by Motown, \u201cPut It Behind You\u201d warns against becoming bogged down in regret while \u201cLeaving So Soon\u201d is the most upbeat on the album despite its brash lyrics (\u201cDon\u2019t look back if I\u2019m a weight around your neck \u2018cause if you don\u2019t need me, I don\u2019t need you\u201d). Said to be a kiss-off to the press, some fans have nevertheless questioned songwriter and pianist Tim Rice-Oxley\u2019s intentions following news of Chaplin\u2019s intended solo release. <\/p>\n
Averting the band\u2019s near implosion and hopefully silencing any claims of coasting on Hopes And Fears\u2019<\/i> acclaim, Under The Iron Sea <\/i>evades the dreaded sophomore slump with a mature grace. Amid an album full of loneliness and despair, the band\u2019s uplifting hope is ultimately what resonates. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":28667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[7752],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-40154","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-keane","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/40154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/40154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40154"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=40154"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=40154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}