Keepers-4
keeper avg-.363
Keane may not be the first band, or even the first band in the 90's to place a piano-driven band squarely in a rock context, and they serve as a unapologetic-ally genteel counter to Ben Folds's scrappy punk approach - maybe like Elton John is to Billy Joel. Fortunately, Keane's simple instrumental approach, limited to vocal, piano, bass, drums, keeps the sound approachable. Granted this is not manly music by any stretch, but dammit these Brits have a knack for pop songwriting. The classically front-loaded first side jumps right in with "Somewhere Only We Know"****, "This Is The Last Time"****, and "Bend And Break"****, all three equally driving, melodic, and soulful. "Everybody's Changing"**** owes a little more to disco Abba, but it's not less satisfying. Though heartbreak is a consistent theme throughout, the almost excessively exuberant melodies of these tracks are close to inspirational, which can be hard to appreciate un-ironically. Since even ballads like "She Has No Time" and "We Might As Well Be Strangers" are still catchy, the album is consistently enough to make me forget one exception. Though "Can't Stop Now" sounds like a soundtrack to the montage in a cheesy 80's comedy, the real problem is that it's the one time the band completely forgot how to write a melody that can be followed. Closer "Bedshaped" has some pretty bad sampled "ah, ah, ahhhs" in the bridge, but other than that, the synths in the background are actually the best part of the song.
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