Keane - 'Perfect Symmetry' (Island) Released 13/10/08

Over the years Keane have taken a real beating, mostly from the mockery of the music industry. The Sussex trio have spent the last four years trying to prove that they are not too middle of the road and not too calculating. However, this is a band who employed a branding consultant months before they signed a record deal. Not even front man Tom Chaplin’s spell in the Priory for his Cocaine addiction… or Port Addiction if you speak to Kasabian, gave them any credibility. The flip side is that the band have had number one singles, albums and are about to set of on an arena tour to support 'Perfect Symmetry', which, this weekend knocked Oasis off the number one spot to take the glory for themselves for the third time.

Keane can not be accused of harbouring insufficient ambition for their third album, as they try to broaden their skills and actually play guitar and add a bass player! It’s a revelation… maybe the trend will follow suit. To give them their due, the album isn’t all bad, in fact the best they have done so far, its must be the guitars/bass.

Opening with ‘Spiralling’, with its killer style hooks, the song is the perfect comeback, as Tom sings “Now We’re tumbling down/We’re spiralling/Tied up to the ground/We’re spiralling…”. This brief moment of fun and frolics is damped by ‘The Lovers Are Losing’, where the piano rock we all know and hate has returned for another ear bleeding moment. ‘Better Than This’ and ‘You Haven’t Told Me Anything’ have a 80’s feel to it and the piano is less rock and more disco, the use of synthesizers is refreshing but is still not original. Fortunately, the lyrics are catchy and clever; which is one of Keane’s big selling points.

Title track ‘Perfect Symmetry’ starts as another boring, bog-standard Keane song but throws in a few surprises towards the end with a lovely strings and choir section, building an intensity and seeing a vocal performance from Chaplin that you can't really fault. This is probably the best track on the album. Fleeting through songs such as ‘Again and Again’ and ‘Black Burning Heart’ the album is brought to a close with ballad ‘Love Is The End’. Soft piano and gentle vocals, this song if anything highlights the song writing skill within the band, true, honest and intimate “…Take it back, don’t let me die/Oh rage against the fall of the Night/Because I still so depend on you…”.

Keane, love them or hate them, are still one of the best selling artists in the past few years so although not your cup of tea, they are the ones who are revelling in success and that's set to continue on the back of this album.