Cause And Effect

Making a welcome comeback after a lengthy seven-year hiatus, English quartet Keane returned with their fifth full-length effort, Cause and Effect. Steeped in the heartbreak and complications that arise from a devastating breakup, the album followed a particularly tumultuous period in the bands history, during which time frontman Tom Chaplin battled addiction and kicked off a successful solo career, while main songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley faced his own demons and saw his marriage dissolve. As such, Cause and Effect forms a loose emotional trilogy with their breakthrough debut, Hopes and Fears, and its dark follow-up, Under the Iron Sea, only this time matured by an appropriately adult point of view. In typical Keane fashion, the heartache is deceptively masked by some beautiful, soaring musical backing and Chaplin doing his best to translate Rice-Oxleys pain with his gorgeous vocals, echoing early-era output like The Lovers Are Losing, Bend & Break, and Leaving So Soon? Less immediate than prior Keane releases, Cause and Effects true power reveals itself through the deeply sad lyrics, which bolster softer tracks such as Phases and Thread with unflinching vulnerability. Charting the lowest points of a relationship headed for ruin (Strange Room and Stupid Things are especially moving), these poetic confessionals create a cohesive experience that is relatable, depressingly bittersweet, and, ultimately, very cathartic for anyone whos ever been in a similar situation. Not completely wallowing in self-pity, Cause and Effect also includes a handful of driving anthems that stand tall aside past hits, including the bright, Night Train-esque Love Too Much and the huge pop single The Way I Feel, which is the most classic Keane-sounding the band has been in over a decade. Amongst these familiar highs and lows lie a couple of standout deep cuts worth further attention. The painfully pretty Put the Radio On pushes denial with an insistent bass groove and atmospherics from Under the Iron Sea that glitter to life, transitioning the energy of the first third of the album into the more pensive material to follow, while delicate closer I Need Your Love features an electronic breakdown that precedes a yearning hymnal that ends the album on a strong, emotionally impactful note. Not a game-changing comeback by any means, Cause and Effect is instead a satisfying return to form that manages to gracefully age Keane by invigorating a familiar formula with wisdom and honesty learned over a dramatic, life-changing decade. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

ハイトーン歌唱と鍵盤を軸にした泣きのサウンドが愛され、デビューから4作連続で全英1位に輝くばかりかUSでの成功も収めたキーン。2012年の無期限活動休止から7年ぶりに新作を完成です! プロデュースはトム・チャップリンのソロ作に関わったデヴィッド・コステンが担当。曇りなき復活シングル"The Way I Feel"に代替不能な魅力を感じた人の期待を裏切らない、メロディアスで叙情的な内容に仕上がっています。
bounce (C)夏野静