Keane in Perfect Symmetry

It must have been difficult for Keane to have come up with a new album after the likes of Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea. Both are considered two of the best piano-rock albums of all time and were big hits worldwide. In fact, Hopes and Fears was the biggest selling CD in the UK in 2004 and Under the Iron Sea two years later also did very well.

I am sure that there were times when the members of Keane felt like retreating from the limelight. Just go off and make that escape from the pressures of stardom. They could, after all, just spend the rest of their lives riding on the wave of those early albums. Besides everything else that they do would only be compared to those two. None will escape getting minutely scrutinized if they do not come up to the public’s perception of what the Keane standard should be.

But then, Tim Rice-Oxley, pianist, bassist and composer; Tom Chaplin, vocalist; and Richard Hughes, drummer, have been through all that before. A lot of blood, sweat and tears probably also went into the making of Under the Iron Sea. It was the crucial sophomore album after the phenomenal Hopes and Fears. But they rose up to the challenge and the result is a darkly magical collection you can daydream to again and again.

Remember Is It Any Wonder, Try Again, Crystal Ball, Nothing in My Way, Broken Toy and The Frog Prince? There is so much imagination in those titles that they could have easily scored a film or two. Fans loved everything in that CD. Some even claimed it to be better than the first. So they should feel the same about the British trio’s third, which they call Perfect Symmetry.

Keane is on an experimental mood in Perfect Symmetry. The sweet, haunting melodies are present and Chaplin’s singing still conveys so much pain. But they have cut back on the piano, and gone neo-romantic with lots of synthesizer sounds. Listen carefully to the Better Than This cut. It is also very noticeable that they are trying to stay away from the nicely commercial but also predictable hooks in favor of surprising turns.

These do not always work and you cannot help but wish they could have just gone formulaic. But you cannot really blame Keane for opting to make some changes. It must feel so confining having to stay in an old box, albeit even a pretty, comfortable one. So let us forgive them for The Lovers Are Losing, You Haven’t Told Me Anything, and Pretend That You’re Alone. Then we can admit that this album will never join Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea in the greatest CDs lists.

But Perfect Symmetry still has a lot going for it. The title track is all it says it is, Keane in perfect symmetry. The perky Spiralling is great fun to listen to. Playing Along rocks. You Don’t See Me is a great arena rock song where everything comes together in full emo mode. Again and Again and Black Burning Heart have the band’s trademark soaring choruses. And Love Is the End is so quiet and so sad in its simple beauty.

Truth to tell, the entirety of Perfect Symmetry is still better than most emo rock sets we get these days. It just happens to be by Keane and those boys really raised the bar when they trekked out four years ago.

Billboard’s Top 10 tracks

And now the hit lists. The Top 10 titles in this week’s Top 200 Albums tabulation from Billboard Magazine are: Fearless by Taylor Swift; I Am... Sasha Fierce by Beyoncé; Dark Horse by Nickelback; Notorious, the soundtrack by Various Artists; 808s & Heartbreak by Kanye West; Twilight, the soundtrack by Various Artists; Circus by Britney Spears; Intuition by Jamie Foxx; A Different Me by Keyshia Cole; and David Cook by David Cook.

The Top 10 songs in the Hot 100 Music Chart are: Just Dance by Lady GaGa featuring Colby O’Donis; Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) by Beyoncé; Heartless by Kanye West; Live Your Life by T.I. feat Rihanna; Love Story by Taylor Swift; Gives You Hell by The All-American Rejects; I’m Yours by Jason Mraz; Hot N’ Cold by Katy Perry; Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf feat Lil Wayne; and Circus by Britney Spears.