Keane

Maybe Keane were sick of hearing their songs on doctor dramas, because Perfect Symmetry sounds more Pretty in Pink than Grey's Anatomy. Wall-bursting choruses and grand buildups are still in play, but pianos have, for the most part, been replaced with synths, and the formerly guitarless trio have found use for the six-stringed staple. Taking cues from the Killers, '80s influences abound with a new wave buzz weaving through "Spiralling," "The Lovers Are Losing" and "Perfect Symmetry." For a heartbreak ballad, however, skip to closing track "Love Is the End."

Who'd have guessed that Keane were the new Thompson Twins? The piano-happy trio
have been lumped in with Coldplay and other anthemetic Brit-pop groups, but on Perfect
Symmetry (co-produced by Stuart Price and pop whiz Jon Brion), the keyboards have
turned bubbly, the tunes have taken a chipper turn and songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley has
begun channeling his inner Howard Jones. The result is a surprising pleasure: 11... More >