Originally written by Andrew Future · 10 May 2004
Keane
Hopes and Fears
Label: Island Release Date: 10/05/2004
If people can sing it, they'll buy it, right? Introducing Keane's Hopes and Fears.
Rock n roll is as much ideology as music. Oasis took working class retro and stuck a Brit Award up its arse, while Hendrix set his guitars alight. Keane... don't have a guitarist. Let's forget novelties and remember that just because they're this year's Starsailor, bring nothing new to the table and sing like a girl, it doesn't make Keane's debut a bad record.
Very much like Maximilian Hecker's recent LP Rose, but without much of the style or beauty.
Rhythmically, Hopes and Fears is all compressed drums, trebled up in the centre of the mix, with the bass tightly wound round in a very Smiths-esq manner. Many of Richard Hughes' fills come straight from the Alan White (Oasis) school of drumming. Although he's undoubtedly proficient, the beats are the same across many tracks. 'Untitled 1' with its programmed simulations, stands out as the only track to break this regrettably formulaic mould.
• 5 Andrew Future's Score