This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Guitars? They don’t need no stinkin’ guitars.
Newly minted U.K. phenoms Keane are getting plenty of ink for their unique sonic makeup, which pares down British mope-pop to its bare essentials: Keyboards, vocals and drums. Sure, it’s an intriguing (if slightly gimmicky) concept — but it works strikingly well within the reality of their debut full-length Hopes And Fears. Freed from the shackles of guitar-rock cliche, these 11 piano-based cuts are able to swirl, swoon and soar to their hearts’ content, their bleepy keyboards and low-impact rhythms intertwining to form a lushly textured backdrop for the melancholy lyrics and yearning, falsetto-flecked vocals. I’m not sure how well it would all play out live, but in the studio at least, Keane’s Hopes And Fears proves the adage that sometimes less really can be more.
