Keane probably still sell more CDs at Tesco superstores than anywhere else. Yet, all of a sudden it seems, they´ve become hip as well as popular. Cult novelist Irvine Welsh has directed one of their videos and genre-splicing DJ Shadow has remixed them. Forget sophomore slumps, ´Under The Iron Sea´ is a genuine contender for album of the year, with ´Crystal Ball´ another example of Keane´s pop with added snap and crackle. “I lost my heart, I buried it too deep under the iron sea,” sings Tom Chaplin. Against the crashing waves of Tim Rice-Oxley´s guitar-impersonating keyboard and Richard Hughes´ insistent percussion. The second single off ´Under The Iron Sea´, this will only cement the band´s place towards the top of rock music´s hierarchy. Keane are here to stay. That much is crystal clear.
Rating: 4.75/5
Release date: 21 August 2006
Record Label: Island
Words by: Matthew Hirtes
