Given the twenty-year cycle of music trends, Britpop is due for a major revival, as we’ve seen the last great Brit behemoths disintegrate (and reunite for a few commemorative gigs) and Coldplay assume the of English rock superstardom.
Somewhere beneath the hubbub lies Keane, who have been faithfully been plugging away at their swooning brand of piano rock for almost a decade. You still may know the British threesome best for their mega-hit “Somewhere Only We Know,” but Keane has kept busy since their 2004 moment in the sun, putting a twist on the ‘90s Britpop tradition with their signature guitar-less piano ballads.
Keane play the Strathmore on June 14th in support of their fourth full-length release, Strangeland, their first since 2008’s Perfect Symmetry.
Strangeland hearkens back to Keane’s piano-pop origins circa Hopes and Fears, bringing in Vaccines producer Dan Grech-Marguerat to make a record that he described as “rich and simpler” than their previous few albums. The video for standout track “Silenced by the Night,” a swooning anthem with Bono-esque vocals, was released last month.
To snag a copy of Keane’s Strangeland: in the spirit of the flurry of Britpop reunion gigs happening this summer, post below whether you’d like to see Blur, Pulp, or the Stone Roses record another album and why. Cleverest argument takes home the vinyl!
We’ll choose one winner with a North American mailing address next Thursday, 5/17.
