Keane

來自英國薩西克斯郡Battle小鎮，從小一起長大的Keane樂團，成員只有三名，鼓手Richard、鍵盤手Tim、再加上主唱Tom，獨缺吉他手，英國各大樂評很愛拿這點來大作文章，其實沒有吉他手是因為原來的吉他手離團，“Keane”覺得他們的強項“鋼琴”可以彌補吉他的不足，所以暫時不想找替補人選，結果這卻成為Keane樂團獨特的曲風和特色。在走唱英國小鎮6年，以及于獨立廠牌Fierce Panda(發掘Coldplay、Supergrass)發行兩張單曲之后，2003年底Keane樂團正式加盟環球音樂，他們的首支單曲“Somewhere Only We Know”登上英國金榜Top 3，成為2004年各大樂評眼中的“21世紀披頭四”。2004年在最具公信力的媒體“英國國家廣播公司BBC”年度樂評票選活動中，更獲選為“2004年最具潛力團體”，一時之間，Keane受到前所未有的注目，首張專輯的發行成為2004萬眾矚目的盛事。 Keane's uplifting, piano-driven pop/rock is created by vocalist Tom Chaplin, drummer Richard Hughes, and pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, three childhood friends from the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. Formed in 1997, Keane initially started out as a college-aged cover band. Guitarist Dominic Scott was part of this early incarnation, having previously played cover songs with Hughes and Rice-Oxley in a band named the Lotus Eaters. Keane toured the East Sussex circuit for several years while internalizing the epic sounds of their set list, which included songs by Oasis, U2, and Beatles. The schtick would only last so long, however, as the musicians soon desired to compose their own music. They began performing original material in 1998; later that same year, Chaplin left for Edinburgh University to study art history. The move proved to be brief, as he returned to London in 1999 and doubled his efforts with Keane. Buoyed by Chaplin's soaring croon and Rice-Oxley's inventive keyboard effects, the group debuted in 2000 with the self-released single Call Me What You Like. Wolf at the Door followed one year later, but the band still struggled to find its momentum as Scott left the lineup in July, citing a desire to continue his studies at the London School of Economics. Keane's big break ultimately arrived in December 2002, when Fierce Panda Records representative Simon Williams (who had helped discover Coldplay several years prior) was summoned by a friend to attend a Keane gig in London. Williams was impressed with the band's performance and offered to issue Keane's next single, Everybody's Changing, on the spot. The limited-edition release became a success on U.K. radio and attracted attention from major record labels, several of whom began to swarm around the pop/rock trio. Keane signed with Island Records in 2003 and released This Is the Last Time, the band's final single for the Fierce Panda label, before the year was up. The debut album Hopes and Fears then arrived in May 2004, hitting the top of the U.K. album charts during its first week of release and beating out Morrissey's You Are the Quarry. The single Somewhere Only We Know became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and Keane received two Brit Awards (for Best Breakthrough Act and Best Album 2005) while also earning a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. The album went on to become the second highest-selling record of the year in the U.K., barely losing out to the Scissor Sisters' debut. Keane opened several shows during U2's 2005 world tour while enjoying the success of their Live Recordings 2004 EP. When it came time to return to the recording studio, the band once again enlisted producer Andy Green and fashioned a dark, thought-provoking record titled Under the Iron Sea. Arriving in 2006, it debuted at number four on the Billboard Top 200 during its first week of release; the album also debuted atop the U.K. charts and spun off the band's most successful single to date, Is It Any Wonder? Keane returned in 2008 with a slightly retooled sound — including the presence of electric guitar, musical saw, and synthesizer — for the band's third album, Perfect Symmetry.