The English music press are always quick to hail the next big thing, and in this case, the next big
Coldplay is
Keane. They haven't positioned themselves to be kings of anything, though, let alone the next
Coldplay. Sure,
Coldplay's biggest hit to date, "Clocks," included only pianos, and they released the
Safety EP on
Fierce Panda, which is also
Keane's label, but those are the only things
Keane have in common with
Coldplay. Alongside their beautiful, emotive dalliance of instrumentation is one thing that'll separate them from all the rest, and that's drive. The band's open-hearted ambition on
Hopes and Fears is audible on every song. Lead vocalist
Tom Chaplin's rich vocals are as vibrant as any choir, and track such as "This Is the Last Time," "Bend and Break," and "Can't Stop Now" reflect Keane's more savory, dramatic moments. Confidence bursts throughout, and for a band that has been around seven years and has never released a studio full-length album until now, achieving nearly epic-like status is quite impressive.
Keane obviously have the songs and they have a strong voice leading the front; however,
Tim Rice-Oxley (piano/keyboards/bass) and
Richard Hughes (drums) allow
Hopes and Fears to come alive with glamour and without the sheen of slick studio production. Even slow build-up tracks like "Bedshaped" and "We Might as Well Be Strangers" are just as passionate, if not more so, than some of the bigger numbers on the album. Some might find
Keane's debut a bit stagy, or too theatrical at first, but that's okay. Listening to "Somewhere Only We Know" alone a few times is more than enough to convince you that
Keane stand next to Coldplay -- challenging them rather than emulating -- and it's a respectable match at that. [For the 20th anniversary of their Brit-winning, breakthrough debut
Hopes and Fears,
Keane opened the vaults for a deluxe reissue that collected B-sides, rarities, and demos from the era. In addition to a remaster of the original album -- a perfect, no-skips classic that features "Somewhere Only We Know," "Everybody's Changing," and "Bedshaped" -- a full LP's worth of B-sides and rarities gives listeners a dozen more moments that capture the band's earliest sound: earnest, piano-backed gems packed with emotion and frontman
Tom Chaplin's soaring, angelic vocals, of which "Fly to Me," "To the End of the Earth," and "Walnut Tree" are standouts. The tender "Love Actually" also deserves mention for a fun bit of trivia: originally penned in 2003, the band hoped it would be used as a theme for the eponymous rom com, but it didn't make the cut and they released it in 2023 as a primer to this compilation. For diehards, the demos -- recorded from 2002 to 2003 and available on the CD and streaming versions -- offer a peek into the process for every track from the original. "Everybody's Changing" is presented as a more vulnerable, dreamlike exploration than the robust anthem that it became as, while
Rice-Oxley's early version of "Somewhere Only We Know" sounds like a heartwarming, piano bar singalong. While not completely exhaustive (hardcore fans will notice a few odds and ends missing),
Hopes and Fears 20 serves as a reminder to revisit the timeless songs on this early aughts classic.] ~ MacKenzie Wilson & Neil Z. Yeung
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![Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602448247032_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]")
