Keane: Whats Your opinion?

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Are they the new Coldplay?
British rock trio Keane have been voted the most promising new music act by a panel of UK music critics, DJs and playlisters

― Roy's Keane, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I was about to say he isn't as good as he was and Man U aren't going to win the title this year.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I got the last fierce panda single.

Track 1 was OK
Track 2 was a soundalike
So was track three.

So, slowish tracks on a piano with a drummer and bass. Heck, even coldplay rock out occasionally.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

can't. be. sarcastic. enough.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Some of my mates are going to see them tonight. They like Coldplay. And worse, Feeder.

― Nick H (Nick H), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Are they top of NME's 2004 'Pyramid'?

― Roy's Keane, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I first heard the track that's doing the rounds now in the middle of last year. A&R men were utterly creaming themselves. I was privvy to a hilarious conversation where two industry boffins were going on about how they had to put some guitars in there at the very least to try and make them more saleable. That's the world they're in.

To give you an idea, they gigged last year at a lot of college end-of-year do's supporting people like David Sneddon. See the marketing? See it? Feel it? There is a hell of a lot riding on these boys, a load of cash behind them. I wonder what the hell the pressure is like at the moment.

Oh and they look like puddings.

Basically they're a wet dream for the average A&R these days, and they're being thrust upon us as such. Things either recoup big or fall flat these days and "people" are looking for quick returns and instant buzz. Being what they are they are not exactly the most-likely-to but the least-likely-to-fuck-up.

I wasn't convinced by the other material I heard, it seems at the moment the style is in place but the songs aren't quite there yet. Wether they'll write those songs remains to be seen, although with them being stylistically perfect for a current and well established marketing model, I'd say they ain't going away soon.

― Bystander, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Any band that has their fsecond single playlisted by housewives' favourite Radio 2 are wrong, wrong, wrong. But if you think they're middle of the road, wait till you hear HAL - they're the cat's eyes.

― laticsmon (laticsmon), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Is this the three-piece piano/drums/vocals thing with the ugly child singer and the video where they walk through a stream?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd rather listen to radio 2 than radio 1 to be honest. But the Keane song i've heard flat out sucks. OTM about an A&R mans wet dream.

― Roy's Keane, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm ashamed to say I accidentally really like "Something Only We Know", but it remains to be seen whether or not Keane will turn out anything else of interest. Certainly, the above single's b-sides are blissfully unmemorable. I just found out they all went to the same school as me, so posho public schooled a&r guys had even more reason to cream themselves.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 19 February 2004 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Much as I love Robbie K, Keane really is a shit name for a band. Can people not do better than using a bland surname?

― Nick H (Nick H), Thursday, 19 February 2004 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

i've only heard the debut single so far (the one going for ludicrous amounts on ebay) but i like it, especially "bedshaped" which i think is fab. i don't know if their subsequent singles are to the same standard.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 19 February 2004 22:00 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

New single in at No4 and its as awful as you can imagine.
Keane are vile. Album out tomorrow according to the adverts plastered all over TV.

― Roy's Keane, Sunday, 9 May 2004 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I am reviewing it as we speak, hopefully for publication tomorrow. I'm just off to the pub though, and will finish it when I get back, so maybe I will SPIT. VITRIOL. AT. THEM. But probably not. I hear they're very nice in person. Polite.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Sunday, 9 May 2004 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

When reviewing the album pretend they're the wankers who spilled your pint!

― Roy's Keane, Sunday, 9 May 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't imagine why anybody would want to make time for something so beige in their life.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Absolutely detested the first single..made me pretty much foam at the mouth. The new single is surprisingly quite pleasant though..I like the chord progression on the chorus and the piano stabs.

― David (David), Sunday, 9 May 2004 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

i like the single a lot. so there.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Sunday, 9 May 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

i enjoy the wussiness of it. it's like the song from that "indie club" sketch on the fast show.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Sunday, 9 May 2004 18:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Err, David: The new single is the first single. Re-released.

My take is: Every song anyone should write should have the following question applied: Is it better than Keane? If not, into the wastebasket and try again. Oh they are all right in an averagely OK kind of way. But I have bought one single (see upthread) and I may be kinder if they record a different song!

― mark grout (mark grout), Sunday, 9 May 2004 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh I see..so it was the 2nd single I detested?

― David (David), Sunday, 9 May 2004 19:54 (twenty-one years ago)

probably the third actually. this is their fourth single (if you don't count the pre-fierce panda self-released thingies)

― the 'surface' 'noise' (electricsound), Sunday, 9 May 2004 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Does anyone else find it odd that their TV advertising campaign is really strongly centred round the fact that the fella plays a PIANO rather than a GUITAR, like this was a first in popular music?

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Monday, 10 May 2004 09:08 (twenty-one years ago)

that voice, ugh.

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 10 May 2004 09:11 (twenty-one years ago)

and EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEF yeh have a minute why don't WEEEEEEEEEEHHH GOOOOOOOOOOOO, TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK about it somewhere only weeeeeeeeeeeya know

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 10 May 2004 09:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Annoyingly, they're here to stay as well.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 10 May 2004 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"Everybody's Changing" is a great pop record. That echo on the piano makes me think of Marmalade playing "Double Barrel" at half-speed.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 10 May 2004 09:18 (twenty-one years ago)

he's right! something oddly re-assuring about it's dullness - like a motorway on a grey dawn, right before you pull into Hook Moto services to take a dump

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 10 May 2004 09:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm undecided as to whether "Everybody's Changing" is a great pop record or wherther it just sounds like I've heard it before - I thought it was a cover initially, or an old song rereleased.

DJ Mencap - the early demos are COVERED in guitar.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 09:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I see. It was just like, I look up and there's all these cartoon black pianos flying around the screen. Pianos! Everywhere! And now some music with a piano on. Keane! They play the piano! TASTE OUR GIMMICK, out now in all good shops.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Monday, 10 May 2004 09:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"Great pop record" what in the fuck are you all ON?! I specially downloaded it because of that and it is simply DREADFUL. His voice! I had to stop the song at the two minute mark because my ears cannot take three-and-a-half minutes of that NOTELESS WHINE. And this much-vaunted piano line sounds like a Grade 1 finger exercise.

UGH, UGH, UGH.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:12 (twenty-one years ago)

oh come on it could have been worse, you could have had Jamie Cullum playing the piano, and hitting it, and dancing around it, ad nauseam.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 10 May 2004 10:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't hate Cullum cos he's short, people.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:17 (twenty-one years ago)

...and corralling horrid jazz-lite piano runs into otherwise dull MOR rock songs.

(xpost)

"It could be worse, it could be Jamie Cullum" applies to everything ever though!

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Hate him because he's a billious cocktwat.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Lex, you need to come to the South West for a drink.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, and graduate too.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha I have my first exam in three days and I haven't actually heard of half the theorists it'll be on.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Worst thing about the Keane album = the constant and ostentatious production flourishes shine sheen shimmer shimmy shite.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:19 (twenty-one years ago)

What, worse than his voice?! Could ANYTHING be worse than his voice?

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah. "Listen to how EXPENSIVE this records sounds. They had a PC in the studio! Let's have some filtersweep instead of a guitar solo!"

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Worst thing about the Keane album = the constant and ostentatious production flourishes shine sheen shimmer shimmy shite

Is it overproduced? Surely not - whoever would have thought that could happen...!

― ___ (___), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, Ronan is a cunt. That song is now stuck in my head after his post, and it's the most nasty thing on the record.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I wonder whether Tori Amos's piano was marketed in the same gimmicky way in 1992. Of course, she is a million times better than Keane, but pianos tend to send these record company people into a tizzy.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Who was that wee American or canadian girl with the ostentatious piano single from last year? I blame her.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh - you mean her who played a piano on the back of a truck driven through New York? Forgotten.

― ___ (___), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Yep, that's the one.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Vanessa Carlton, who will smack you down for comparing her to Keane, as she is now GOTH! There are some pretty bits on the Keane album, but BLOODY HELL IT IS DULL. Like a throbbing migraine.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Vanessa Carlton! She was rubbish. Is she still signed and stuff?

(xpost GOTH?!)

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 70 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

he must have confused himself with a rockstar

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/08/22/PH2006082200456.jpg

"Am too a rock star. Am too."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

I always like this post-1990 crop of UK three piece bands where there's the lead doof and the two anonymous dorks. Kingmaker was kinda prescient.

http://www.limeweb.com/kingmaker/images/band1.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

KEANE = TALK TALK.
Chapter 1: 3 poshboys make soaring pop album without guitars, make a fortune.
Chapter 2: Go nuts with artistic and commercial pressures, hole themselves away in farmhouse and produce epic, organic songs about dying.
I'm so convinced about this that I've decided to get in on the ground floor. So I'm going to force myself to listen to "Hopes & Fears" in the same way as "The Party's Over".
You'll see. In 20 years they will be "who?" but also part of the canon.

-- Huey (hue...), March 3rd, 2005.

if this is true it will be nothing short of the best thing ever

― bernard snow (sixteen sergeants), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 17:00 (nineteen years ago)

Tom Chaplin officially on drugs is a sure indication of this actually happening. His 'I Believe In You' is simply begging to be written. Keane are the best band of the 00's, they just haven't realised it yet.

― Scourage (Haberdager), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 22:46 (nineteen years ago)

He's 27 isn't he?

*tolling bells*

Brian... Jimi... Janis... Jim... Kurt... errrrrrrrrrrr, Tom Chaplin

― dud Hab 'C' dEva (Dada), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 08:16 (nineteen years ago)

If he's in The Priory, the same rehab clinic as Pete Doherty and Justin from The Darkness, maybe they'll write songs together! (I don't think I would want to hear them, but anyway)

― StanM (StanM), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 08:38 (nineteen years ago)

Wah, Justin is in rehab?

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 10:05 (nineteen years ago)

I heard he was in a hair transplant clinic

― dud Hab 'C' dEva (Dada), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 10:07 (nineteen years ago)

yep, he is.

― StanM (StanM), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 10:11 (nineteen years ago)

If it's possible to find out what combination of drink and drugs Tom's been taking then maybe we'll discover how to make the music sound good.

― lexurian (lexurian), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 10:13 (nineteen years ago)

Keane Chaplin [Blando], Doherty [Shambolic] and Darkness Justin [Glam Dork]

Can the Priory clinic cure them never to inflict music on the British nation again, thanks

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 11:47 (nineteen years ago)

Hmmm. Just when you wondered how Keane could get any more boring and you find out that this was them off their tits. God help how dull they'll be sober.

― T B (T B), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 11:53 (nineteen years ago)

Wah, Justin is in rehab?

Getting dropped by EMI must have made him sober up.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 11:54 (nineteen years ago)

well it's not like The Darkness' novelty rock was going to sell a second time around was it?

― T B (T B), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:03 (nineteen years ago)

go tell it to the red hot chilli peppers/smiths/[insert other novelty act]

― Bashment Jakes (Enrique), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

They already had the second time around and 'were' working on the third.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:20 (nineteen years ago)

Turd more likely. I think it's actually an plot.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:33 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...

The gods clearly hate me today. Apparently the next single from these fools includes a cover of Depeche's "Enjoy the Silence."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 5 January 2007 07:10 (nineteen years ago)

NO.

― John Justen says Toonces was one of the most talented cats on televison (johnjus, Friday, 5 January 2007 07:20 (nineteen years ago)

It's alright, Ned - they're probably releasing it on 3.5 floppy disk.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 5 January 2007 09:27 (nineteen years ago)

Keane. What an incredible band. My passion for them knows no bounds. Such stirring, yet somehow frail, melodic anthems. Obviously if they were to split up I'd be heartbroken, but I somehow feel that if any of them went off and did side projects, or even if, for whatever reason, they changed their name, I wouldn't feel at all the same about them. Whenever I hear rumours about such things happening I get worried... so worried in fact that I have to go round to their houses and give them a bit of a tongue lashing - "Oi! Keane! You are Keane! You will always be Keane! NEVER CHANGE!" - that kind of thing. Often I have to slap them around a bit as well, it sounds harsh but I feel it's the only way. Treat 'em mean, keep 'em Keane, that's my motto.

Ayethangyou.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 5 January 2007 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

The gods clearly hate me today. Apparently the next single from these fools includes a cover of Depeche's "Enjoy the Silence."

Ah the gazillion jokes we could make about said choice of cover. But alas no I think my migraine just exploded in a million more migraines.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Friday, 5 January 2007 14:05 (nineteen years ago)

It's alright, Ned - they're probably releasing it on 3.5 floppy disk

A dream.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 5 January 2007 15:06 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

"Somewhere We Only We Know" and "Nothing In The Way" = great. Most of their other singles = less good but still enjoyable. On the whole, their acute MOR melodic sensiblities more than make up for the lack of charisma/flamboyance, and the fact they seem to be dullards - but that could be unfair.

― Freedom, Saturday, 23 August 2008 17:45 (seventeen years ago)

The only Keane related thing to have given me any pleasure was when someone (Charlie Brooker?) wrote that the singers face seemed to be made of 'runny cheese'.

― spaghetti, Saturday, 23 August 2008 18:18 (seventeen years ago)

I remember that. You're correct, it was Brooker.

― chap, Saturday, 23 August 2008 18:23 (seventeen years ago)

Dull people tend to make the best music: Coldplay, Travis, Keane, Dodgy, Kooks. Noen of them providing the tabloids with the best headlines - all of them GREAT music.

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 23 August 2008 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

(And going a bit back in time, you can add Howard Jones too - the press tends to get hostile towards acts that don't give them the headlines they need to sell papers)

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 23 August 2008 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

Actually "HEADMASTER SUSPENDED FOR USING BIG FACED CHILD AS SATELLITE DISH" was about the singer from Keane

― DJ Mencap, Saturday, 23 August 2008 18:55 (seventeen years ago)

THey should be slowly dunked into vast, tepid vats of each others' vomit for what they did to "She Sells Sanctuary."

― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 23 August 2008 22:35 (seventeen years ago)

"She Sells Sanctuary" is rubbish anyway.

― Freedom, Saturday, 23 August 2008 22:36 (seventeen years ago)

OUT

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 23 August 2008 22:37 (seventeen years ago)

Ha!

― Freedom, Saturday, 23 August 2008 22:38 (seventeen years ago)

Geir's line about dull people reminds me of the guy on the DMB thread who said some of the best music ever is bland.

― Herman G. Neuname, Sunday, 24 August 2008 02:17 (seventeen years ago)

After reading everything else in my bag after I forgot my book for the bus, I read that Spin piece on Coldplay and found myself wondering if they're actually the sound that I'll remember for the early 2000s (especially since, not being British nor particularly mindful, I can't tell Travis from Keane from Starsailor from Athlete).

Certainly seems like that's the background music for most of the advertisements aimed at my demographic (occasionally replaced by cooing female indie voice number three: vulnerable and fey). But whenever I hear that sort of sweeping, vague music, I feel like I've been sneezed on—damp and oozed-on and annoyed.

― I eat cannibals, Sunday, 24 August 2008 07:53 (seventeen years ago)

fucking thing sucks.

― Moka, Sunday, 24 August 2008 07:57 (seventeen years ago)

Geir's line about dull people reminds me of the guy on the DMB thread who said some of the best music ever is bland.

Dull people don't necessarily make dull music. For instance, Bach apparently was a very dull guy.

― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 24 August 2008 16:57 (seventeen years ago)

truth bomb

― Z S, Sunday, 24 August 2008 17:08 (seventeen years ago)

When I described Keane as dull, I wasn't referring to the absence of tabloid headlines - that would be intensely idiotic - but rather to the fact that in interviews they come across as rather dull-minded. But, as I said, that may be unfair.

I think Keane might be damned by the bands they're associated with. Travis, Kooks, Athlete, Starsailor etc. are all fairly ghastly. What Keane have over them - superior songwriting, melodic sophistication - perhaps aren't sufficiently in-your-face characteristics for people not to just lump them in with all the other dullards.

― Freedom, Sunday, 24 August 2008 17:42 (seventeen years ago)

And are the Kooks actually dull people? I know they said that the Strokes saved music, which is a pretty dull thing to say, but even so?

― Freedom, Sunday, 24 August 2008 17:44 (seventeen years ago)

It's alright, Ned - they're probably releasing it on 3.5 floppy disk

I sincerely hope The White Stripes, Billy Childish or some other technologically luddite act does so.

― Billy Dods, Sunday, 24 August 2008 18:28 (seventeen years ago)

two weeks pass...

At the risk of being punched, I would say that "Spiralling" sounds like a mixture of Low-era Bowie and Colour of Spring era Talk Talk with what's-his-face from the Blue Nile on vocals, topped off with a post-ironic nod to "Fix Up Look Sharp" by Dizzee Rascal.

― Freedom, Friday, 12 September 2008 16:26 (seventeen years ago)

^drunk

― rizzx, Friday, 12 September 2008 20:45 (seventeen years ago)

Does the singer/Penist still look like a plate of melted cheese?

― Fer Ark, Friday, 12 September 2008 22:30 (seventeen years ago)

three months pass...

Got 'Spiralling' on repeat at the moment. Outstanding, so it is.

― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, 16 December 2008 21:34 (seventeen years ago)

Still going. Yeah, this is great.

― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, 16 December 2008 22:37 (seventeen years ago)

suggest ban

― generally seems to hate all the right people (special guest stars mark bronson), Tuesday, 16 December 2008 22:38 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

A year later. I still really like this tune, but it is agony to listen to - this is one band who could really do with a remastering.

― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 19 December 2009 22:23 (sixteen years ago)

two years pass...

i have not been as up to date on music like i once was. anyways i stumbled upon this:

In the United Kingdom, Strangeland debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 47,839 copies. It is Keane's fifth consecutive number-one album, a record only beaten by ABBA (eight), Led Zeppelin (eight), The Beatles (seven) and Eminem (six). The album has sold around 100.000 copies in the UK, being certified gold. The album also reached number one in Ireland and the Netherlands, becoming their second number-one album in both countries. It debuted and peaked at #17 in the US, before falling to #70 the next week.

― Bee OK, Thursday, 20 September 2012 03:13 (thirteen years ago)

Strangeland was just released in May of this year.

i'm just shocked as i had no idea that this is one band that really, really took off. i might have to go and listen to this.

― Bee OK, Thursday, 20 September 2012 03:18 (thirteen years ago)

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