Thursday, May 19, 2005
All Keane cares about is the music, Rice-Oxley says.
When Keane's erstwhile guitarist decided to quit the group four years ago, band member Tim Rice-Oxley eagerly dropped his bass, grabbed a piano and keenly crafted an ivory-based sound that has not only defined but separated the U.K. group from its Britpop compartmentalization.
"When we had a big re-think of how are we going to play music without guitars, what I thought is I really want to get back to hammering away on the piano," Rice-Oxley said. "It was almost as if we had a kind of blank canvas and we were starting again. I feel sonically it's much more exciting and much clearer. I think we're more into the vocals and the actual heart of the song comes through."
With Travis-like bouncy sounds and Coldplay-esque lush orchestrations, Keane's debut "Hopes and Fears" arrived Stateside late last summer with the same overblown U.K. hype that has set up many a band to fail in the oftentimes skeptical environment of the red, white and blue indie rock world.
Patience, patience
However, after analyzing the situation, the three members of Keane felt that many U.K. bands fail when they quickly lose interest after not receiving a Beatles-like screamfest reception upon arriving in America. So the trio decided to remain patient whenever possible, not rushing what can only be the natural process of success.
"Certainly coming out of Britain you get a sense the kind of hype is a hindrance as much as a help," Rice-Oxley said. "People are certainly very suspicious of bands touted as being the next big thing. But we're not a fashion band. We're not wearing extra tight trousers or taking whatever the latest variety of smack is or having sort of ironic haircuts or saying controversial things about other bands. Really, all we ever care about is music and I think an awful lot of people are desperately crying out for just basically really good songs that actually make them feel something. Make them react and feel alive."
What's to come
So far, the plan has worked with a handful of Stateside tours, including growing from a Grog Shop show last June and a House of Blues gig this past January to an upcoming May 22 show at the Scene Pavilion. Armed with various radio friendly hits, including radio-friendly single "Everybody's Changing," it appears as though Keane has discarded the U.K. hype-based monkey on its back.
With a new album planned for next year, and a few new tracks - "Nothing In Your Way," "Hamburg Song" and "Try Again." - garnering stage time in its current set, the threesome has high hopes for its all-important sophomore album.
"I think we have some really fantastic stuff," Rice-Oxley said. "I guess what we want to do is make a really, really great record, which seems to be a kind of rarity these days. That's a lot for us to think we can do but I guess you have to aim high and I think we really have that kind of self-belief. We feel we can make something really amazing."