Tag Archives: Strangeland

A piece of fabulousness called KEANE

Not sure how many years ago it was, but I do remember how it happened: posters in London portraying a band I’d never heard of before, and a few music videos on MTV at home. I purchased “Hopes and Fears” in Bideford and then listened to it for months. My immediate environment went bananas and their hatred toward Keane soon became permanent (same thing with James Blunt, due to my abusive listening to “Back to Bedlam”, but that’s another story). I didn’t care, I was in love. This music… it felt new to me, it had an energy that struck chords with me.

It still does today. In a few weeks, I’ll (finally!!!) be fortunate enough to see the band live in Budapest. To prepare for the gig, I downloaded “Strangeland” a few months back. Yesterday on the train I listened to the album for only the second time – today, at work, it has been playing on a loop. It is, to my mind, the most positive, uplifting album of theirs up to date, the lyrics prove that the boys have grown older and wiser and have learnt from their experiences, but instead of wallowing in despair at the fucked-up state of the world, they choose to see the bright side of it. Gotta love ’em for that! My spirit is sufficiently balmed by these lyrics, even the most “boring” songs from the album carry something precious in their lyrics. As for the music, it’s still brimming with that same energy, that pulsating mood that got me hooked almost a decade ago.

Thanks, boys. I think “Strangeland” is now my favourite album of yours.