Perfect Symmetry
Keane
Engineer: Stephen Marcussen, Jake Davies,
Producer: Jon Brion, Keane, Stuart Price
Interscope Records (USA), 2008
1 CD
Catalogue #: 8557
EAN: 0602517855786
UPC: 602517855786
You save: 20%
Adapter: Chris Fish.
Personnel: Tom Chaplin (vocals, guitar); Tim Rice-Oxley (guitar, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); Jesse Quin (guitar, bass guitar, percussion, background vocals); Chris Fish (cello); Richard Hughes (drums, percussion, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Anael Train (vocals); Stephen Hussey (violin); Jim Hunt (saxophone); Jo Silverston, Ian Harris (musical saw).
Audio Mixer: Mark Stent .
One glance at the cover art of 2008's PERFECT SYMMETRY, and it's clear that Keane has made a notable shift in its aesthetic, with geometric shapes replacing the more ornate, vintage look of past albums. SYMMETRY's music, not surprisingly, follows suit, with the British alt-rock band veering off in a striking synth-pop-influenced direction. While frontman Tom Chaplin's plaintive vocals provide the crucial thread of familiarity, the album's arrangements are generally beat-driven and keyboard-heavy, often edging on techno territory (particularly the robotic rhythms of "You Haven't Told Me Anything"). Though the record isn't a complete departure (see the aching, piano-led "Love Is the End"), it's certain to be divisive among diehard fans, with plenty of debate spurred on by "Spiralling" and other telltale signs of Keane's glossy, synth-loving makeover.
Tracklist
Keane
British trio Keane, who trade in the sort of grandiose, melancholy Britpop that was the chief domain of Coldplay for much of the early 2000s, broke big with their 2004 debut album, HOPES AND FEARS. While many hear the band's sound as yet another watered-down version of Radiohead, the guitar-less ensemble's anthems of heartache and self-doubt ring with a buoyancy that calls to mind pop songwriters like Billy Joel and Elton John, thanks in part to the band's infectious piano-based melodies.
