Much has been made of the recording sessions for Under the Iron Sea. The studio was allegedly fraught with tension on a daily basis as the three piece piano-driven band struggled to come up with a worthy successor to their four million selling debut Hopes and Fears.
Ironically, such environments have often been found to produce an artist’s best work. Keane’s heroes U2, for example, almost split up during the making of 1991’s Achtung Baby. But the Irishmen emerged from the endless arguments and physical assaults with a stunning reinvention. They still have the scars to prove it.
Indeed, amidst the whirlwind of pre-release hype surrounding Under the Iron Sea, Humpty Dumpty lookalike singer Tom Chaplin promised fans an album that is “almost unrecognisable” from their previous work. But is he a man of his word?
They say:
Click Music: “Over-produced to the point of ridiculousness and desperately asking their Mums to cut their hair more like Bono.”
The Observer: “They plod along, piano clip-clopping under all the electronic fuss, in thrall to their own pseudo-profundity.”
Gigwise: “Apart from ‘Is it Any Wonder’ being an ear-catching number with promise and power, the rest of the album conforms to a tried and tested former type: yawn.”
We say:
The album opens in ominous style with ‘Atlantic’. “Though the world is broken/ I need a place to make my bed,” Chaplin sings whilst riding a wave of eerie electronica and minimalist trip-hop beats. Internal conflicts, persistent touring, and a small taste of the fame game have obviously made Keane a little world weary.
The pace picks up with first single ‘Is It Any Wonder?’, a love letter to U2 with Tim Rice-Oxley’s piano spewing out chiming guitar-esque notes via an array of foot pedals. While far from a being a classic, it’s the hippest and most rocking thing Keane have ever done.
Unfortunately, this is the point where the sonic experimentation comes to an end, as the rest of the material here is merely a duplication of Hopes and Fears.
‘Bad Dream’, for instance, is a close relative of ‘Bedshaped’, while ‘Leaving So Soon’, in which Chaplin manages to ape both early Freddie Mercury and Bono’s vocal hook on U2’s ‘Yahweh’, is smothered in the trio’s tired shimmering sound, as always to hide the gaping cracks underneath.
‘Crystal Ball’, meanwhile, shows signs of life, bouncing along ably and blessed with a killer middle eight, only to stumble under the weight of hackneyed lyricism (“Oh crystal ball/ Saves us all/ Tell me if life is beautiful/ Mirror mirror on the wall”).
Fans of Hopes and Fears will certainly find much to like here. But for those seeking something fresh, Under the Iron Sea fails to deliver. When it comes to promoting his music, Mr. Chaplin is evidently a man not to be trusted.
Like this? Try these:
U2 – Achtung Baby
David Gray – Life in Slow Motion
Coldplay – X&Y
RELEASED
Mon 12th June
LABEL
Island
POSTED...
Thu 8 Jun 2006 at 12:28am
