Keane - Perfect Symmetry: pop CD of the week review

Adam Sweeting reviews the pop CD of the week, Keane's Perfect Symmetry Keane's third album arrives two years after its predecessor Under the Iron Sea, and in the wake of baby-faced vocalist Tom Chaplin's battle with drugs and booze. There have been rumours of a revolutionary new Keane sound, perhaps inspired by the thumping poppiness and high-pitched "oooohs" of pre-release teaser track Spiralling. However, listening to the album itself, it soon becomes clear that the new material offers few surprises while delivering now-trademark easy-on-the-ear melodies and chord sequences. Nevertheless, the trio are thinking mega: most of these tracks sound like blueprints for stadium-sized singalongs couched in easy-listening rock, the musical equivalent of Esperanto. You can already hear the outro of Playing Along ringing out across... [read full story]