Hopes and Fears (Keane)

i recently updated itunes. that matters because it changed how some things were ordered in the "browse" function of the program that i am using as a way to go thru all my music here. but from what i can tell, the only thing that has been affected so far has been the addition/rearrangement of basement tapes to the compilations tab.




keane is a band i have mixed feelings about. they are a more pop-friendly version of bands like travis, who i think have considerably more talent than these guys. interesting fact: i've read that they originally had a guitarist, but he quit the band and they decided to keep playing anyways. they've made it just fine w/o the guy. but make no mistake: these guys are no ben folds five.

this album is mediocre. initially, they didn't impress me much. they make good pop songs, but that isn't always my cup of tea. i used to cringe when em would play them. revisiting this album though has made me appreciate the band at least a little bit more. the piano melodies and refrains are friendly. some of the lyrics are respectable. my favorite songs are "we might as well be strangers," "everybody's changing," and "she has no time."

the detriment of the band for me isn't in the musicians, it's in the singer. i just don't like the guy's voice that much. it's good, but also a little bland. his voice, style, and melodies are derivative. and i saw him dance like an idiot on snl once. that didn't help my opinion of him.

i am obviously coming to this album with considerable bias. but i never promised to be objective. nonetheless, after having listened to the album a couple more times, i have developed a capacity to endure their music. i may even voluntarily put their music on from time to time.