Keane are an English alternative rock band from Battle, East Sussex, formed in 1997. The group currently comprises Tim Rice-Oxley (piano, backing vocals), Tom Chaplin (lead vocals, guitar), Richard Hughes (drums, percussion) and Jesse Quin (bass guitar, percussion), who first played with the band in late 2007 during the concerts of the single The Night Sky. Their original line-up included founder and guitarist Dominic Scott, who left in 2001.
Keane achieved mainstream success with the release of their debut album, Hopes and Fears, in 2004. The album won multiple awards and was the second best-selling British album of the year. Their second studio album, Under the Iron Sea, continued the band's success, topping the album charts in the UK and debuting at number-four on the Billboard 200 chart. Their third album, Perfect Symmetry was released in October 2008. In May 2008, both Hopes and Fears (number 13) and Under the Iron Sea (number 8) were voted by readers of Q magazine as among the best British albums ever, with Keane, The Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead the only artists having two albums in the top 20. Their fourth record, Night Train, was released in May 2010, debuting at number 1 on the UK Chart and at number 25 at Billboard 200 US chart.
Keane are known for using a piano (or a synth) as the lead instrument instead of guitars, differentiating them from most other rock bands. The inclusion of a distorted piano effect in 2006 and various synthesisers were a common feature in their music that back then combined the piano rock sound used during their first album and the more electronic sound which developed on the second and third albums. Since the start of their career, the band has sold over 10 million albums worldwide. From their album Perfect Symmetry in 2008, they included the electric guitar, making the sound of the band much more varied, but not leaving aside the traditional piano.
Musical style and themes
Tim Rice-Oxley and Dominic Scott were the main writers of the band's songs during their early years. When Scott left in 2002, Rice-Oxley became the main composer. However, Rice-Oxley credits the rest of the band on all compositions, so that royalties for song credits are shared.
The band has been known as "the band with no guitars", because of its heavily piano-based sound. By using delay and distortion effects on their piano sound, they often create sounds that aren't immediately recognisable as piano. Rice-Oxley said during an interview in Los Angeles that they tend to think piano-related music is boring and what they really wanted to do was try something different. He referred to the piano as an odd instrument to form part of a rock band instrumentation, comparing it to The Beatles' set of instruments. Rice-Oxley's distortion piano has been key to most of Keane's multifaceted style, varying from Hip Hop on "Dirtylicious" to house on "Tyderian".
During their early years most songs were about love or broken relationships (most notably "She Has No Time" and "On a Day Like Today"). However, other themes — including the relationship between Rice-Oxley and Chaplin — have emerged in more recent compositions. Other themes have been explored; for example, "Is It Any Wonder?" and "A Bad Dream" are both about war.More recent themes have included the impact of being a celebrity in "Better Than This" and "Clear Skies" and criticism of religious violence in "Perfect Symmetry"
Keane have cited artists such as Rufus Wainwright, U2, Nick Drake, Blur, Oasis, Depeche Mode, R.E.M., Massive Attack, David Bowie, The Beatles, Paul Simon, Genesis, Radiohead, A-ha, The Cult, Simple Minds, Pet Shop Boys, Queen, Blondie, Talking Heads and Michael Jackson as influences. "I guess it's classic song writing that is the main influence rather than one band in particular - we love people like Nick Drake who can convey so much emotion and write songs and albums that will be loved and cherished for many years - the things that will be in people's record collections for their whole lives."
Members
Current
- Tim Rice-Oxley - piano, keyboards, synthesisers, electric guitar, backing vocals (1997–present)
- Tom Chaplin - lead vocals, organ, piano, lead electric guitar, acoustic guitar (1997–present)
- Richard Hughes - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1997–present)
- Jesse Quin - bass guitar, rhythm guitar, electric guitar, synthesisers, additional percussion, backing vocals (2007–present)
Former
- Dominic Scott - backing vocals, lead electric guitar (1997–2001)
Discography
- Hopes and Fears (2004)
- Under the Iron Sea (2006)
- Perfect Symmetry (2008)
- Night Train (2010)
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar