Perfect Symmetry [PA]

Performer: Keane
Engineer: Jake Davies; Stephen Marcussen; Jake Davies
Producer: Jon Brion; Mark "Spike" Stent; Stuart Price; Jon Brion; Keane; Stuart Price
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Adapter: Chris Fish. Personnel: Tom Chaplin (vocals, guitar); Ana�l Train (vocals); Tim Rice-Oxley (guitar, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); Jesse Quin (guitar, bass guitar, percussion, background vocals); Chris Fish (cello); Richard Hughes (drums, percussion, background vocals). Additional personnel: Anael Train (vocals); Stephen Hussey (violin); Jim Hunt (saxophone); Jo Silverston, Ian Harris (musical saw). Audio Mixer: Mark "Spike" Stent. Recording information: Olympic Studios, London, England; Studio De La Grande Armee, Paris, France; Teldex, Berlin, Germany; The Barn, Sussex, England. Photographer: Shamil Tanna. One glance at the cover art of 2008's PERFECT SYMMETRY, and it's clear that Keane has made a notable shift in its aesthetic, with geometric shapes replacing the more ornate, vintage look of past albums. SYMMETRY's music, not surprisingly, follows suit, with the British alt-rock band veering off in a striking synth-pop-influenced direction. While frontman Tom Chaplin's plaintive vocals provide the crucial thread of familiarity, the album's arrangements are generally beat-driven and keyboard-heavy, often edging on techno territory (particularly the robotic rhythms of "You Haven't Told Me Anything"). Though the record isn't a complete departure (see the aching, piano-led "Love Is the End"), it's certain to be divisive among diehard fans, with plenty of debate spurred on by "Spiralling" and other telltale signs of Keane's glossy, synth-loving makeover.

Rolling Stone (p.129) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "'Spiralling' and 'Pretend That You're Alone' are irresistible dance-pop corkers, and 'Better Than This,' with a keyboard hook lifted from David Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes,' is catchier yet." Spin (p.96) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "On album three, Keane trick out their pretty piano melodies with tasty synths, booming rap beats, and fuzzy new-wave guitars." Entertainment Weekly (p.97) - "[T]he band have suddenly, gratifyingly, found their mojo. 'Spiralling,' the opener and first single, is brash, ambitious, even sexy, built toweringly on strutting melody lines and anthemic vocal woohs." Clash (magazine) (p.122) - "PERFECT SYMMETRY is arguably one of the most unexpected and altogether arresting returns of the year....[The album] bewilders, enchants and entices..."

British trio Keane, who trade in the sort of grandiose, melancholy Britpop that was the chief domain of Coldplay for much of the early 2000s, broke big with their 2004 debut album, HOPES AND FEARS. While many hear the band's sound as yet another watered-down version of Radiohead, the guitar-less ensemble's anthems of heartache and self-doubt ring with a buoyancy that calls to mind pop songwriters like Billy Joel and Elton John, thanks in part to the band's infectious piano-based melodies.

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