Britpop still rules

Two established names are back with new CD’s (coincidentally, in both cases, their third studio albums). Both Keane and Dido were part of the renaissance of Britpop in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Keane had two minor masterpieces with its Hopes and Fears (2004) and Under the Iron Sea (2006) albums; while Dido charmed with her No Angel (1999) and Life for Rent (2003) CDs. Dido, in fact, seemed to have dropped off the public radar; and it’s good to report that both these acts are back in fine form.

Perfect Symmetry — Keane (MCA Universal). If the buzzword this season is neo-’80s music, Keane is ready to count itself at the forefront of any movement celebrating this type of music. Similar to what bands like The Killers are into, Keane seems to have done quite a bit of “lightening up” for this CD, and it works! Formerly, I would jokingly refer to Keane as Coldplay Lite, given the kind of music and lyrics it would come up with. But with this CD’s first single, Spiralling, Keane shows it is up to something radically different (almost sounding like the aforementioned Killers). The first five songs are dreamy, synthesizer driven “homages” to the ‘80s music of such bands as Human League, Soft Cell and Echo & the Bunnymen. From the title track onwards, we’re back on more accustomed ground, the Keane we’ve known and loved. A bit of a schiz act for the members, but one I’ve been listening to a lot.

Safe Trip Home — Dido (Sony BMG). After her 2003 Life for Rent CD, Dido seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Apparently, it was something of a sad time for her, with the death of her father — who she was very close to. Fast forward to late 2008, and she releases this Safe Trip Home album, one that clearly reflects the past years; and while it can safely be called an extension of the music we appreciated, it is also a progression of sorts. There’s more instrumental interplay with this new batch of music — the dreamy trip-hop music is still there, but a few numbers have more of an English folk feel to it, and there are songs that have ambition stamped on them. The themes of loss, death and heartache are evident on a number of songs; but it’s the extended pieces — such as Grafton Road (co-written with Brian Eno and with Mick Fleetwood on percussion) that herald this more ambitious approach to her music.