keane

Keane started off with a distinct objective: to be a successful pop group that primarily featured piano instead of guitar. Somewhere on the way to their newest release, Perfect Symmetry, this mission was abandoned.

With this development, the Sussex trio lost any shred of originality. What's left is yet another band trying to resurrect the '80s, singing in English accents and writing their lyrics entirely in clichés.

Vocalist Tom Chaplin takes primary focus on the record's 11 songs, a direct byproduct of the piano's disappearance behind cheap, omnipresent synths. Unwilling to exercise a capable singing voice in his native accent, Chaplin stretches for a more American inflection on many of the songs. Interestingly, the result is a sound reminiscent of Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers, and the style suits neither Chaplin nor the band. His lyrics seem as though they were taken directly from a laundry list of overplayed love songs, which becomes apparent after a quick glance at the tracklist. Seriously, two songs with "love" in the title, one with "heart." Inventive.

Although lines like "I saw your face looking back at me/I saw my past, and I saw my future" hint at zero effort, it isn't until forgettable slow-burner "Playing Along" that the album's complete lack of ingenuity is exposed. The band actually adds more instruments and speeds up the tempo as Chaplin sings, "I'm gonna turn up the volume," something so unoriginal that its use almost seems ironic. Sadly, it's not.

Keane does manage to produce some solid hooks, namely on the title track, which benefits from a return to their older style. Intriguing piano and solid drumming are backed by subtle electronics, adding flavor but not overpowering the pop-pleasantness. The chorus is also kept charitably short, solving a problem that weakens many of Symmetry's other songs. Even with its charms, "Perfect Symmetry" is overlong and repetitive, but at least its content deserves to be replayed. The same cannot be said for much else, and this derivative songcraft will not breed repeated listens.

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