#5 - Keane - Strangeland
For their fifth album (I kind of consider Night Train to be their fourth), the band have gone back to their original sounds, after experimenting a little on Perfect Symmetry and a LOT on Night Train. But this time, they have experience of what makes a massive pop song. And therefore, we have twelve massive pop songs, filled with melody, led on by Tom Chaplin's powerful voice and Tim Rice-Oxley's brilliant songwriting. There are some clear singles, particularly on the first half of the album, with Silenced By The Night sounding like it could have come straight off their debut album, or Sovereign Light Café, which is a nice slice of nostalgia for the band, and results in their greatest song ever, and On The Road, which is immensely catchy. The second half of the album deals more in being a bit more varied, from Black Rain's ethereal, haunting sounds, through to epics Neon River and In Your Own Time, finally ending up at gorgeous piano-heavy closer Sea Fog (the 'oooh's that close the entire album are real goosebumps moments). So, although the experimentation has gone down a bit, the band are back to their roots, and they're back in force. Definitely their best work yet.
RECOMMEND: Sovereign Light Café, Neon River, In Your Own Time
LOW POINTS: Watch How You Go, The Starting Line
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