Originally written by Tim Scudder · 12 May 2003
Keane
Everybody's Changing
Label: Fierce Panda Release Date: 12/05/2003
There are few things to get excited about in this unoptimistic musical climate, dulled by the graceless squawks of American post-grungers, backwards-looking Englishmen and denim-clad Aussies, so it's perfectly understandable to question whether the entrance of Keane is actually a trick of the light, or is it really this good?
'Everybody's Changing' is a shimmering, electronic-laden ballad that sounds like it was crafted in a velvet-clad keyboard laboratory, run by a honey-voiced, Thom Yorke-esque genius. People may sniff at comparisons with The Pet Shop Boys,* Blue Nile* et all, but they're usually the ones who deride the simple concept of 'the tune' in favour of primal grunting and dextrous fret-work.
Regardless, it's all a bit exciting round these parts; it's not often you get to grab on to the coat tails of something so effortlessly and convinicingly special. DiS'll see you down the front.
• 9 Tim Scudder's Score