Keane- Perfect Symmetry

Keane, a piano-rock band from Battle, East Sussex, UK have finally come out with their third album, “Perfect Symmetry” and, as much as I really want to like every song on the album, some of them leave me wishing there was more effort put into it. The first four songs lack the amazing quality that I know Keane has, but the rest of the album more than makes up for it.

The album starts with their first single, “Spiralling” which I’m told sounds like “Electric Feel” by MGMT. Not a big fan of MGMT, I beg to differ. Keane have clearly branched into a new era, using more computer songs to add to their piano and drum sound. The songs have more oomph than previous albums, “Under the Iron Sea” and “Hopes and Fears” but when Tom Chaplin goes off on a tangent asking…
Did you wanna be a winner?
Did you wanna be an icon?
Did you wanna be famous?
Did you wanna be the president?
Did you wanna start a war?
Did you wanna have a family?
Did you wanna be in love?
Did you wanna be in love?
…I got a little irked at the uselessness of the part of the song. The questions don’t even really make much sense to begin with. He seems to have just thrown them in because there was open space to sing it.

The second single, “Lovers are Losing” is up next. The song has a bit of an 80s feel, which can be said about a majority of the album but the lyrics are so good that it makes up for the annoying ABBA quality the song has.

“Better Than This” make me want me to applaud Tom for his vocals but “Better Than This” seems so out of place in the album. The Moog usage is very hard to get over and it detracts from the music.

“You Haven’t Told Me Anything” reminds me so much of “Under the Iron Sea.” I’m very glad they decided to add it to the album. It definitely compliments it and allows long-time fans to remember the way they were.

“Perfect Symmetry” is quite possibly the most amazingly heart-wrenching song I’ve heard in a long time, and that includes “Bedshaped” from “Hopes and Fears.” “Who are you, what are you fighting for/ Holy truth, brother I chose this mortal life/lived in perfect symmetry” and “I dream in emails, worn out phrases/ mile after mile of empty pages” resonate through the perfectly chosen vocals and piano and can make anyone fall in love with the song.

“You Don’t See Me” reminds me of something one would hear on a Disney movie, “Again & Again” takes us back to the 80s but then takes previous fans back to Hopes and Fears. “Playing Along” takes the album for a dive and “Pretend that You’re Alone” and “Black Burning Heart” don’t really help to save it. If they dropped the 80s techno licks, the songs would have much more power. All the extra noise detracts from Tom’s voice, Tim Rice-Oxley’s piano and Richard Hughes’ drums. “Black Burning Heart” makes up for it with amazing lyrics but Keane are known for amazingly pithy and deep lyrics.

The album ends with “Love is the End,” a slow song with just the three guys, no extra stuff added. It’s simple and ends the album with a sweet note.

Yes, lets stay out until 1 a.m. and then work at 8 that morning!

The Involuntary Movement tour came to the Midwest and it seemed that no one in Chicago was going to miss it. So we paid the $2.50 for tolls and finally got to see the show my friend and I had been awaiting for months. Regardless of the fact that the tour didn’t make it to Milwaukee, the money and time I spent getting to see The Matches, The Status and Valencia opening for Bayside was well worth it (and that includes the sore throat from all the screaming).

The show started with The Status, which I only got to see a few of their songs, but I was pleasantly surprised since there’s been some bad luck with tour-mates for the bands I go to see. The Status has a Mae-like feel and sound. The lead singer was very clear and, other than feeling the bass throughout my entire body, I could hear each part individually. The guys weren’t over the top but they had just enough to keep the crowd interested and alive.

Valencia came next to the stage and I, again, was very happy to hear that there was another good band on this tour. Let me tell you though, when you’re on the outskirts, you tend to get pushed around and not in a good way. Bruised pride and shins aside, Valencia did a lot to get the audience into the music and bassist George Ciukurescu even began crowd surfing during one of their final songs. I got a great deal on their latest album, recently released called “We All Need a Reason to Believe.” Those 11 tracks are definitely as great as what I heard from the stage and I’m interested to see what they can do in the future.

This was the first time I was able to see the new Matches; with bassist Dylan Rowe taking the place of Justin San Souci who left the band earlier this season. Dylan fit perfectly with the guys and I was very pleased at how great of a bassist he is.
Guitarist Jon Devoto broke one of the fingers on his left hand about a a month and a half ago, forcing him to learn how to play the guitar on one hand and he did it flawlessly. I was amazed at how well he played the pieces during their set and during the acoustic set which occurred after the concert was over which included "Scratched Out" from their first album "E.Von Dahl Killed The Locals" and "Salty Eyes" from "Decomposer."

There were two parts of this set that I enjoyed so much. We saw the set list earlier than the show when guitar tech Ben Young was sitting by the Merch table and had it just lying on the table. It didn't have one of my favorite songs, "What Katie Said" on it so we assumed they wouldn't be playing it. Little did we realize that after singing "Point Me Toward the Morning" off their third album, "A Band In Hope," we were excited when they started singing the song. It got the crowd riled up and Shawn even broke into Spanish, saying "muchacha" in his attempt to sing the song in spanish. I've heard him sing it before and it was just as much of a thrill this time around.

Another surprise to the set list was during the last song, "Papercut Skin," near the end, they slipped into "Between Halloweens" mixing their second and third albums. It was fantastic and I'd never heard something like that done before at all the concerts I've been to.

Bayside came next and, it may have been where I was in the venue or that I didn't know their music, but I couldn't hear anything of this band I'd never heard before. The foursome, from Bayside, Queens, New York, which is where their name originates, recently released their newest album "Shudder" at the end of September and it seemed that they played every song from that album and then some. The set lasted for what seemed like more than an hour yet the fans never wavered and it wasn't until after the band finally finished did I see even the smallest crowd of people outside the staged area.

I would highly suggest that you check out these bands and keep track of when they'll be visiting the area again. Most definitely they are great bands to be watched over the next seasons to see if they can come up with something equally as great as they've already done.

Plain White T's- Big Bad World

I became a fan of Plain White T’s two years ago, when Every Second Counts just came out. I instantly fell in love with the melodic sounds of frontman Tom Higgenson and the angry break-up songs which always had a way of making you feel better, as if you had gone through that pain, and I even liked Hey There Delilah, before it blew up over the radio. I was a fan of the band before all the youngin's learned who they were and I enjoyed the low-key feel they had. I’m still a closet fan (I guess not so closet anymore…) but when Big Bad World came out, I was just so disappointed while listening to the album that I’ve all but lost my faith in them. It’s Infinity on High all over again.

I didn’t want to make this a mean review of Plain White T’s fifth album but I felt like I was watching a kids show while listening to Big Bad World. If they had done something more like what they’d previously done, it would have been much better and they would have received a much better response from their long time fans.

The album opens with "Big Bad World" which makes me want to watch High School Musical or something one would find on early Saturday morning kids television.

"Natural Disaster" and "Serious Mistake" are a couple of those songs that are just so bad that they never leaves your head. I kept hoping without payoff that it would get better.

"Rainy Day" gives the listener a relief of bad music by reverting to their previously tried and true options. I almost left the album on repeat so I wouldn't have to bear any further pain. It's too bad I didn't.

"1,2,3,4" sounds like a bad Beatles' cover and it's just not that well-done of a song. The backup vocals are nice but the song is just so cheezy and over-done that I felt like I've heard it from 10 other pop artists before.

"That Girl" and "Sunlight" are just badly composed and finished. "That Girl" says nothing of substance and it's a song that not even kids shows would put into their repertoire. "Sunlight" starts off with a flat thud and stays sad and nonplus.

"I Really Want You" takes us back to another attempt at becoming The Beatles again and again, fails to make the grade. "Meet Me In California" has its moments where it's good but it's not when anyone is singing. The guitar parts are well done but it could have been put to a different song. Something with more power would make it a much better song, quite possibly a hit.

"Someday" is the other good song of the album, making the "good song count" finish at two. It's a good song and it reminds me of their previous albums but with 80 percent of the songs not being good enough to want to listen to again, "Big Bad World" bites the big one.