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Track Listings
| 1. You Are Young |
| 2. Silenced By The Night |
| 3. Disconnected |
| 4. Watch How You Go |
| 5. Sovereign Light Cafe |
| 6. On The Road |
| 7. The Starting Line |
| 8. Black Rain |
| 9. Neon River |
| 10. Day Will Come |
| 11. In Your Own Time |
| 12. Sea Fog |
Product Description
Product Description
2012 release, the long-awaited fourth album from the British Pop band. Keane is singer Tom Chaplin, drummer Richard Hughes, keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley and bassist Jesse Quin. Four years have elapsed since Keane's last album Perfect Symmetry; two since Night Train, the EP which followed its three full-length predecessors to the top of the British album charts, securing them a place in pop history. If Keane's feverishly loyal fan base wondered what the group's next album would sound like, they weren't the only ones. In the eight years following the release of 2004's 9x platinum Brit award winning Hopes & Fears, every Keane album has marked a clear progression from the previous one: the anxious emotional terrain mapped out by Under The Iron Sea to the iridescent poptimism of Perfect Symmetry. Strangeland was produced by Dan Grech (Radiohead, The Vaccines, Howling Bells), recorded at Sea Fog, Keane songwriter/pianist Tim Rice-Oxley's studio in South Downs, UK.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By klr4evr
Format:Audio CD
I don't get it. There are 4 more songs on the import edition which, not surprisingly, is priced higher. So 12 songs on this edition, 16 on the import and 17 on iTunes. Interesting part is the song that is missing from the lower priced CD is the CD Title song?? Weird marketing if you ask me.
By jlind44
Format:Audio CD
Strangeland is an ironic album in terms of (perhaps accidentally) matching its style with its content. The lyrical content of the album is reflective; re-examining the decisions and moments of your past. At the same time, the musical style reflects on each of Keane's past three full length albums, focusing on reliving the style that made them famous in the first place on 'Hopes and Fears', while also incorporating elements of 'Under the Iron Sea' and 'Perfect Symmetry'. That being said, the album is somewhat more mature in nature than the previous three. The sounds are more melodic and focus on the vocals even more than their previous work. The lyrics have moved away from hostility towards acceptance, with Tim Rice-Oxley writing songs that look back at the tougher moments in life after deep thought. The result is less pure emotion than the other albums, containing messages and words of advice for people of a younger age to heed their warning and listen to their stories (some songs feel like a message to their own children). The result is the band pushing in a new lyrical direction (many reviews mention a 'Step Backwards' almost as though they missed the ways the band has moved in new directions). However, the album at times feels like the band is playing it more safe than they did on 'Perfect Symmetry', to the delight of those who did not enjoy the experimentation and to the disappointment of those looking for another new stylistic direction.
So where does 'Strangeland' match up compared to other Keane albums? 'Hopes and Fears' remains their most well received album by the general population, with the individual songs that the band may never be able to duplicate. 'Under the Iron Sea' remains their peak of musical achievement. The conditions of turmoil that created that album are difficult to recreate, and those emotional times are what created what I consider to be a masterpiece. The album as a whole is not as good as the first two, but to be honest they set the bar very high. Instead, the quality of the songs is more similar to 'Perfect Symmetry' with the classic 'Hopes and Fears' sound. Therefore, it will be well liked by fans of the band, but rarely pushes the boundaries of their capabilities.
I recommend that all fans of the band from the H&F/UTIS era buy this album, you will not be disappointed. Anyone who is looking for the experimentation of PS I recommend giving a few tracks a listen before making the investment. If you've never heard the band before, start with their first two albums and then try out Strangeland and Perfect Symmetry (I loved Perfect Symmetry, but many a Keane fan did not so proceed with caution). In terms of individual songs, "Sovereign Light Cafe" and "The Starting Line" are two of the better Keane songs out there and are must listens. "Silenced By The Night", "Disconnected", and "Watch How You Go" will take fans back to the H&F era, as they share similar qualities and are classic Keane tracks. "On The Road" and "Day Will Come" are highly upbeat and share qualities similar to the UTIS songs, while "You Are Young" and "Neon River" are the closest songs to PS. For a very mature and fresh sound from the band, try the melodic "Black Rain" and "Sea Fog", where beautiful vocals and melodies take the center stage. Not a poor track in the bunch, although most of the songs are not quite at that H&F/UTIS level.
In the end, I really like this album. I have now listened to it many times and it is a great addition to the Keane collection, or any album collection in general. It is strong start to finish and takes most fans back to the version of the band they fell in love with in the first place.
So where does 'Strangeland' match up compared to other Keane albums? 'Hopes and Fears' remains their most well received album by the general population, with the individual songs that the band may never be able to duplicate. 'Under the Iron Sea' remains their peak of musical achievement. The conditions of turmoil that created that album are difficult to recreate, and those emotional times are what created what I consider to be a masterpiece. The album as a whole is not as good as the first two, but to be honest they set the bar very high. Instead, the quality of the songs is more similar to 'Perfect Symmetry' with the classic 'Hopes and Fears' sound. Therefore, it will be well liked by fans of the band, but rarely pushes the boundaries of their capabilities.
I recommend that all fans of the band from the H&F/UTIS era buy this album, you will not be disappointed. Anyone who is looking for the experimentation of PS I recommend giving a few tracks a listen before making the investment. If you've never heard the band before, start with their first two albums and then try out Strangeland and Perfect Symmetry (I loved Perfect Symmetry, but many a Keane fan did not so proceed with caution). In terms of individual songs, "Sovereign Light Cafe" and "The Starting Line" are two of the better Keane songs out there and are must listens. "Silenced By The Night", "Disconnected", and "Watch How You Go" will take fans back to the H&F era, as they share similar qualities and are classic Keane tracks. "On The Road" and "Day Will Come" are highly upbeat and share qualities similar to the UTIS songs, while "You Are Young" and "Neon River" are the closest songs to PS. For a very mature and fresh sound from the band, try the melodic "Black Rain" and "Sea Fog", where beautiful vocals and melodies take the center stage. Not a poor track in the bunch, although most of the songs are not quite at that H&F/UTIS level.
In the end, I really like this album. I have now listened to it many times and it is a great addition to the Keane collection, or any album collection in general. It is strong start to finish and takes most fans back to the version of the band they fell in love with in the first place.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
102 reviews
35 of 40 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's NOT another Hopes and Fears
May 10 2012
By Tyro
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
Some professional reviewers have bashed Keane for playing it safe with the piano sound reminiscent of Hopes and Fears. But the similarities are pretty superficial. Strangeland is much more personal, and has elements of Perfect Symmetry as well as Hopes and Fears.
Songs like "Bend and Break," "Everyone's Changing," and "This is the Last Time" were about changing relationships. They had widescreen epic melodies, and we all remember these as among Keane's best songs. The lyrics were general and could apply to anyone: "When you forget your name/ When all faces look the same..."
Basically speaking, Keane writes songs about relationships and the difficulties of life and upbeat or encouraging songs, or songs that offer advice. I've always preferred the more personal ones, and Strangeland has some of both. Overall, though, it has many breakup songs that seem to be about specific situations from Tim Rice-Oxley's life: the sad "Watch Yourself Go" (wishing a lover well while saying goodbye); "Silenced By the Night" (predicting a new stage in a benighted relationship - lots of light/dark imagery in the album); or "Disconnected" (describing estrangement). These are far more specific than the anthemic songs about alienation and fear in "Hopes and Fears." They're more grown up.
The piano sound has changed too. "Sovereign Light Cafe" and "Neon River" have tasteful synthesizer touches (but nothing like the overwhelming synth on Perfect Symmetry). Tim pounded the keys like Elton John in the early stuff; along with Richard's rock-style drumming, this gave the songs real kick. The playing is more complex here - and functions more as an accompaniment to the vocals, which absolutely take center stage. No one has every complained about Tom Chaplin's singing, to my knowledge.
And there are surprises: the Radiohead-like melody of "Black Rain"; the rock-style songs like "On the Road." They've come a long way from blatant pop like "Crystal Ball," and this album has as much variety as Under the Iron Sea.
Tim's lyrics have always been uneven in my opinion, and I think inspirational songs like "You are Young" or "Starting Line" have a blandly optimistic quality. Personal material like Sovereign Light Cafe hits straight home, and, luckily, Strangeland is much more personal than Perfect Symmetry.
It's a rich album, wistful, emotional, and thoughtful, but with an upbeat quality. It's very Keane; at the same time, it's a step forward, not a safe return to past glories. What more could we want?
Songs like "Bend and Break," "Everyone's Changing," and "This is the Last Time" were about changing relationships. They had widescreen epic melodies, and we all remember these as among Keane's best songs. The lyrics were general and could apply to anyone: "When you forget your name/ When all faces look the same..."
Basically speaking, Keane writes songs about relationships and the difficulties of life and upbeat or encouraging songs, or songs that offer advice. I've always preferred the more personal ones, and Strangeland has some of both. Overall, though, it has many breakup songs that seem to be about specific situations from Tim Rice-Oxley's life: the sad "Watch Yourself Go" (wishing a lover well while saying goodbye); "Silenced By the Night" (predicting a new stage in a benighted relationship - lots of light/dark imagery in the album); or "Disconnected" (describing estrangement). These are far more specific than the anthemic songs about alienation and fear in "Hopes and Fears." They're more grown up.
The piano sound has changed too. "Sovereign Light Cafe" and "Neon River" have tasteful synthesizer touches (but nothing like the overwhelming synth on Perfect Symmetry). Tim pounded the keys like Elton John in the early stuff; along with Richard's rock-style drumming, this gave the songs real kick. The playing is more complex here - and functions more as an accompaniment to the vocals, which absolutely take center stage. No one has every complained about Tom Chaplin's singing, to my knowledge.
And there are surprises: the Radiohead-like melody of "Black Rain"; the rock-style songs like "On the Road." They've come a long way from blatant pop like "Crystal Ball," and this album has as much variety as Under the Iron Sea.
Tim's lyrics have always been uneven in my opinion, and I think inspirational songs like "You are Young" or "Starting Line" have a blandly optimistic quality. Personal material like Sovereign Light Cafe hits straight home, and, luckily, Strangeland is much more personal than Perfect Symmetry.
It's a rich album, wistful, emotional, and thoughtful, but with an upbeat quality. It's very Keane; at the same time, it's a step forward, not a safe return to past glories. What more could we want?
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Something's missing...
May 22 2012
By CMM
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
The "classic Keane sound" is back. While that is definitely good news, it comes with some baggage.
For background purposes, I will say that I loved the first two Keane albums and loathed the second two. This album, as others have already said, brings back the piano and gives us some catchy, snappy tunes similar to the first two albums.
That being said, there is something lacking on this album- I think it lacks a certain depth. A lot of the songs come across as generic and almost forced; there is a lot of good music here but not a lot of emotion.
The album opens with "You Are Young." It's a nice little song, but carries the depth of the average television commercial. "You've got time to realize / you're shielded by the hands of love / `cause you're young!" Blah.
"Disconnected" has my favorite "hook" of the album- it features a great chorus that's tough to get out of your head. However, it starts with two weak verses that almost sound like it was written too low for Tom Chaplin's vocal range. "Something's crept in under our door" - those are the opening lyrics that provide a bizarre visual to a song with more promise than what's delivered.
"Silenced By the Night" and "Sovereign Light Café" come the closest to the emotion of the older Keane albums. There are plenty other bright spots as well.
I struggled between giving this album 3 or 4 stars; 3.5 sounds about right. It's not fair to compare Strangeland to Hopes and Fears or Under the Iron Sea and to give it credit, Strangeland has its moments. But there is no "Atlantic" on this album, a song that is heartbreakingly raw and emotionally charged. There is a lot of pleasant-sounding music, but once you give it a few listens, the charm wears off. It's good background music and compared to the last two albums, I'll happily take it. But while I want to like this album more than I do, I know Keane is capable of more than this. In the meantime, I'll take what I can get.
For background purposes, I will say that I loved the first two Keane albums and loathed the second two. This album, as others have already said, brings back the piano and gives us some catchy, snappy tunes similar to the first two albums.
That being said, there is something lacking on this album- I think it lacks a certain depth. A lot of the songs come across as generic and almost forced; there is a lot of good music here but not a lot of emotion.
The album opens with "You Are Young." It's a nice little song, but carries the depth of the average television commercial. "You've got time to realize / you're shielded by the hands of love / `cause you're young!" Blah.
"Disconnected" has my favorite "hook" of the album- it features a great chorus that's tough to get out of your head. However, it starts with two weak verses that almost sound like it was written too low for Tom Chaplin's vocal range. "Something's crept in under our door" - those are the opening lyrics that provide a bizarre visual to a song with more promise than what's delivered.
"Silenced By the Night" and "Sovereign Light Café" come the closest to the emotion of the older Keane albums. There are plenty other bright spots as well.
I struggled between giving this album 3 or 4 stars; 3.5 sounds about right. It's not fair to compare Strangeland to Hopes and Fears or Under the Iron Sea and to give it credit, Strangeland has its moments. But there is no "Atlantic" on this album, a song that is heartbreakingly raw and emotionally charged. There is a lot of pleasant-sounding music, but once you give it a few listens, the charm wears off. It's good background music and compared to the last two albums, I'll happily take it. But while I want to like this album more than I do, I know Keane is capable of more than this. In the meantime, I'll take what I can get.
25 of 32 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Return to greatness for Keane. A masterpiece!
May 8 2012
By Bflo
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I couldn't be more stunned by the three reviews before mine. "Strangeland" is an exceptionally strong return to solid ground for Keane, whose first two albums set the bar. I do agree that the third album, "Perfect Symmetry," as well as the fourth, "Night Train," were disappointments with only a few standout tracks each. That's partly why I love "Strangeland" so much -- it's a return to the sublime Keane sound of old, yet burnished with maturity and confidence. Even if this were the first Keane album I'd ever heard, I'd be feeling just as good about it. High points, in my opinion, are "You Are Young," "In Your Own Time" and "Strangeland," but it's hard for me to single those out when nearly all 16 tracks are so good. There is NOTHING I want to skip here, and that's rare for me. "On the Road" and "Day Will Come" round out the top 5. As I listen to the album more, I suspect that "Black Rain," "The Starting Line" and others will grow on me. The astonishly good b-side, "Myth," is not included on the album, but I was able to get that elsewhere and thus complete the package. Weakest tracks -- and these are still fine, just not memorable -- are "Neon River," "Boys," and "Sea Fog" -- I don't know why some listeners like "Sea Fog" so much, it's got a pretty sound but it's so boring compared to the rest of the tracks. If there's one complaint I'd make, it's that the songs are short; almost all of them are under 4 minutes. That's a shame, because with tunes this good, you really want to get into them and make them last. Fortunately, Keane gives us 16 songs here, so the album's total length is a very fine one hour. Bottom line: I'm really impressed by "Strangeland" and it will be stuck in my player for quite a while going forward.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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