Hopes and Fears – Keane – 2004

First listen?: No

I remember the chart battle between the debut albums from Scissor Sisters and Keane for the biggest selling album of 2004 quite well, there ended up being less than 1000 copies in the end. Scissor Sisters edged it in the end, but Keane manage to find themselves two places above them in the overall best sellers list. Keane dominated 04 and 05 with a string of inescapable hits from Hopes and Fears songs you’ll probably still hear today on Heart or Radio 2. Somewhere Only We Know and Everything Is Changing are shining examples of the Keane style, soft pop rock with a focus on hooks over riffs; like Coldplay if they were a boyband. Their focus on pop is why I think they resonated so well with the British public, an influence that can be seen in so many of the current British bands, the likes of Rixton and Lawson probably owe a lot to the years of Keane’s dominance. As an album Hopes and Fears is still a strong debut. The high points are obviously the singles, specifically the soaring This Is The Last Time and haunting closer Bedshaped. It does get a bit samey at points, but this probably worked in the album’s favour when finding potential hits. Hopes and Fears is an album that feels homely, even if that’s just because I remember hearing it blasting out from out Kitchen for about 2 years straight.

Rating: 7/10

Will I listen again?: Possibly, I rediscovered This Is The Last Time by going back to this album so it could find its way into my iTunes library soon.

Best Track: This Is The Last Time