August 01, 2010|By Sam Sessa, The Baltimore Sun
The British rock trio Keane performed and recorded in obscurity for years, but as soon as they released their debut album, "Hopes and Fears," they were stars. Based on songs like "Somewhere Only We Know" and "Everybody's Changing," some rock critics ranked Keane right up there with the Beatles and Oasis.
Keane doesn't have a guitarist, which sets the trio apart from most mainstream rock bands. Instead, Tim Rice-Oxley's piano work and singer Tom Chaplin's soft, aching voice anchor most of Keane's music. (Drummer Richard Hughes rounds out the lineup.) Keane has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The EP "Night Train," which came out May 10, is the band's latest effort. Thursday, the band will be at Merriweather Post Pavilion.
On "Night Train," the band brought hip-hop artist K'Naan in as a guest and recorded on the road. It was a refreshing new way to take on an album, Chaplin said.
Question: How spontaneous was the new EP?
Answer: We didn't have much time to worry about what were doing. Whichever city we were in when we went on tour, we thought, "Let's get in the studio and record some new music and keep ourselves creative and fresh." It wasn't a record that was made with much fooling around or thinking too hard. We just threw stuff down. It had a very fresh, live feel to it.
Q: What was it like working with K'Naan?
A: He's interesting, for a hip-hop artist. His music is probably a little more melodic and song-based than some of his hip-hop contemporaries. He's hungry for new melodies. I was talking to him when he was over in England last; he was saying, "Can you recommend any Beatles albums to listen to?" I guess the world he grew up in was very musical, but he never really got into the Beatles. It's crazy for me to recommend "Revolver" or "Sgt. Pepper's" or "Rubber Soul," and be like, "Those are great tracks."
Q: If you could look back on the last few years and put Keane in context, where would you say the band is now?
A: We're in a really great place. There were a lot of demons after the first record or two. There were a lot of problems with the band — for me and for all of us. We lost sight of the reasons we got into being in a band and the reason we made music.
Over the last two years, our live show's come on, and we feel accomplished and assured when we play live now. We have the sense that we can go anywhere now.
Q: While you've sold millions of albums, none of your records have been quite as successful as the first one, "Hopes and Fears." Is that something you think about?
A: It's strange because I remember when we finished with the first record, it was a monster. It did unbelievably well, and it exceeded all of our expectations, but we all sat down after it and said, "We never want to make a record like that again." We could have easily done that — we could have easily cashed in. We said, "It doesn't matter if we don't sell as many records the next time around. Let's make a record for ourselves, for the right reasons." I think ultimately that puts you in a better place.
You never know what's around the corner. We could easily make an album that's a big smashing hit. At the same time, we could end up making an album that's very strange and off in a different direction. We'll just have to wait and see.
sam.sessa@baltsun.com
If you go
Keane performs Thursday at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Ingrid Michaelson and Fran Healy will also perform. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $29-$39. Call 877-435-9849 or go to merriweathermusic.com.
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