Album Review

Beloved in the UK but still a bit of an unknown in the US outside of their briefly ubiquitous 2004 single “Somewhere Only We Know,” Keane often gets saddled with the knee-jerk criticism of being Coldplay wannabes. That’s because that first single was indeed a redux of Coldplay’s breakthrough hit, “Yellow,” and because both bands base their songs around the piano, which makes them a relatively rare breed.

But, like Coldplay did earlier this year, Keane is attempting to branch out with their third album, Perfect Symmetry. The process actually began for the British group on 2006’s Under The Iron Sea, which featured knotty arrangements and downbeat lyrics far removed from the warmer sounds and sentiments of the band’s excellent 2004 debut, Hopes And Fears.

What Keane has done with Perfect Symmetry is quite impressive. They’ve managed to expand their sound once again while keeping the hooks coming at a rapid rate, something that wasn’t always the case with Under The Iron Sea, an album that was easier to admire than to love. The latest batch of songs, credited to the group but primarily the effort of piano man Tim Rice-Oxley, may take stabs at a little bit of everything on the current Top 40-scene short of hip-hop, but they still pack enough lyrical aching and yearning to tug even the hardest of hearts.

Before they can get to any of that, though, lead singer Tom Chaplin lets out a “whoo” to kick off opening track “Spiralling,” which right away signals the more upbeat bent, at least musically, of the album. Built around a kicky 80’s funk beat that Simon LeBon would have loved, “Spiralling” also includes a little spoken-word string of questions reminiscent of “Once In A Lifetime” by Talking Heads. “When we fall in love/We’re falling in love with ourselves,” sings Chaplin, the “whoos” in the background suddenly sounding mocking instead of cathartic.

That sets the tone for the exploration to come: “Lovers Are Losing” is what The Killers should have sounded like on their last album, with a lush keyboards setting up a gorgeous chorus, “Pretend That You’re Alone” sardonically argues for hedonistic tendencies over Vampire Weekend percussion and Spoon-style horn and guitar stabs, and “Better Than This” kicks off with a dissonant keyboard riff bitten from David Bowie’s “Ashes To Ashes.”

Once they’ve done all this genre-hopping, it’s almost a surprise when Keane so effortlessly returns to the old glories of Hopes And Fears with the piano-driven title cut. While backing vocals tick off the absurdities of modern life (“I dream in e-mails”), Chaplin searches for connection, belting out “Wrap yourself around me.” Keane’s willingness to go for big moments like these are refreshing in such cynical times.

It’s a testament to the group’s confidence that they can even skirt adult contemporary (on “You Don’t See Me”) and come away unscathed. And though some of the efforts to modernize end up masking good melodies, for the most part the group does a nice job of matching the sound with the subject matter.

The final song, “Love Is The End” is the big ballad toward which the entire album has been building, and it doesn’t disappoint. Destined for a montage in some TV drama, “Love Is The End” has all the musical sighs and swells you would expect from Keane, as well as the typically unexpected ending. “Don’t say those words,” Chaplin implores over and over behind Rice-Oxley’s poignant chords, a denouement that’s far more bitter than sweet.

Perfect Symmetry should be the album that puts all those Coldplay-lite comments to bed once and for all. Keane have set their own agenda on this, their best album to date, proving that they can sound both movingly heartbroken and like they’re having a little fun at the same time.

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