Keane's astonishing 2012 Strangeland

Keane's Strangeland, from 2012, is a true masterpiece, and you are going to see why as we go trough some of the high points of the album!

The band

Keane were "born" in 1995, in Battle, a south English town, in the county of East Sussex. The band consists of four members: Tom Chaplin (lead singer), Tim Rice-Oxley (piano and synths), Richard Hughes (drums) and Jesse Quin (bass). The first LP (Hopes & Fears) was released in 2004, sold over 4 million copies, only during that same year, and earned them many awards, such as the British Album of the Year, in 2005. They now count with 4 studio albums, all number one in the UK when released.

Album cover

Now talking about the masterpiece. Strangeland was released on the 4th of May, 2012, under Island Records, featuring 12 (the regular version) and 15 tracks (the Deluxe version). The LP is a complete trip, from the beginning to the end, with a big touch of nostalgia. Tim wrote over 80 songs, from which 15 were chosen to work on, for the record. The opening shot is "You Are Young", a shiny and exciting song, which starts with a massive synth pad sound and the porcelane kind of beautiful voice of Tom Chaplin. Then, the drums, the bass and the beautiful piano arpeggio begin to take part. To end the track Tom evokes "You are young", the name of the track. 

Silenced By The Night single 

Another highlight of this musical trip is "Silenced By The Night", a lustrous and thrilling musical gem. It was the first single from Strangeland. It begins with a hair-raising piano arpeggio with a stunning synth pad that goes along the track. As we end the second and final chorus, we have this breathtaking piano  riff  and the mindblowing and stunning voice of Tom Chaplin, as mentioned earlier.

Tim playing the Yamaha CP70, with some FX pedals above it

The ne plus ultra of Strangeland is, without a shadow of a doubt, "Run With Me", a harmonically, lyrically and vocally huge track. It has that tremendous 80s vibe. So, so... good! The stupendous use of the synth, the bass, the piano, the Mellotron and that catchy drums make this one of the best 80s inspired songs of the decade. Not to mention the astonishing lyrics.

Omnichord

The album ends with the stunning "It's Not True", a piano and synth-driven tune, featuring the use of the Omnichord, a famous and mind-blowing vintage beautiy of a sound from the 80s. Its arpeggio sounds are so pleasing and makes the listener go on a mental trip through his memories and dreams.

Yamaha CS-80

Keane also used the Yamaha CS-80, the legendary 8-voice synthesizer from the 70s, which was heavily used in performances at the time. Now it has been used by bands such as Cut Copy, Phoenix, etc. They also used the Juno-6 and 60, the Yamaha CP70, which its use they are famous for, the Arp Solina, an accalaimed string machine from the 70s, etc.