Review: Keane "Perfect Symmetry"

With eager anticipation, I downloaded this new Keane release last week. It has been incubating with me for quite some time now, but still is not growing on me as much as I'd hoped. I am a big fan of the previous two releases, and the main problem I believe I am having with "Perfect Symmetry" is that it does not sound like Keane.

I have no problem with bands wanting to experiment and try something new, but the direction Keane has gone with this one is not pleasing to my ears. This does not even sound remotely like a Keane record until we get well into the second half...only then do the soaring vocals and piano-driven melodies that we expect come into play. The first track and single, "Spiralling" is a surprising jolt of irritating synth effects and 80s dance grooves. I almost thought Amazon screwed up with the download and gave me an old track from E.M.F. The 80s vibe continues with the next track, "The Lovers Are Losing", which has shadows of The Pet Shop Boys. "Better Than This" is goofy and all over the place, trying to mesh banjo, hand claps, synths, U2-esque backing chants, and a falsetto lead vocal.

After all this unorthodox stuff, Keane gets back to basics by track 5, the title track. Unfortunately, it sounds more like a b-side of "Hopes and Fears" to me. Much better are "You Don't See Me", "Again and Again", and "Pretend That You're Alone". And while the synth in "Black Burning Heart" almost sounds like it came from a John Cusack 80s movie soundtrack (especially "Better Off Dead"), the song is one of the standouts tracks for me. The epic "Playing Along" is also notable, in which the band interweaves noisy choruses with soft and subtle versus, to match the lyric, "I'm going to turn up the volume till I can't even think."

Kudos to Keane for trying to explore new musical possibilities...some are going to love it, but it is not my taste. I will proceed with caution before blindly purchasing the next release from this band.

iPOD-worthy: 6, 7, 9, 10

Keane on MySpace. Official site.

Here is the music video for "Spiralling":