Among the most successful British bands of the past decade with over ten million albums sold, Keane have now added to their success, topping the UK Album Chart for the fourth time in as many releases with their latest, Night Train. Diverse and genre defying, the collection reflects a bold creative shift for the trio—vocalist Tom Chaplin, pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, and drummer Richard Hughes—which is only magnified by Somali rapper K'naan and Japanese MC Tigarah making select appearances.
Despite it currently being the Number One album in the UK, at eight tracks Night Train is considered by the band as an EP. However, as Chaplin seems to suggest, in the course of broadening their sound, Keane may have unwittingly surpassed that intention.
Other than having eight songs instead of twelve or thirteen, what prevents Night Train from being Keane's fourth LP?
The way that we went about recording it wasn't really done in the conventional fashion. We started it with the intention of it just being a curiosity. We did a couple of songs with K’naan, and that was really all it was going to be. But we felt kind of buoyed up by that experience and, while we were on the road last year, we carried on. We had a mixture of different styles and different songs. It was something we just compiled as we went along in various different cities around the world. So it had this looseness in terms of the way it was made. And it turned from being what would've been sort of a single for the benefit of our hardcore fans to being something bigger. I don't think it ever felt like a full-album project. And I suppose conceptually we don't see it like that, but the way it's been received has almost kind of changed our outlook on it.
Perhaps people are responding to how eclectic it is, that you're exploring different avenues that maybe you hadn't as fully before.
Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
Nice work as always, Donald, and a nice "get." Love their first album and will love it forever. Those melodies are stuck to me.
2 - echozhong
hoho,good to see the m again, i've been their fans for long . love tom!
3 - David Mark
The presentation was spectacular and the cover of the Cramberries "go your own way" was impressive Keane congratulations and good luck are the best band of all time are great please come to mexico do not forget about us love your music Keane.
4 - Mª Louise
Please, Keane are always together. We three are a genials musics. I come from Barcelona, Catalonia, and I like your music. I would like you will go here.
When shall you go ? Tim composes very well and Tom sings sweetly and it is very nice for me. Thanks you.