Yes, KEANE.
Now, I’ve never paid them much mind, let alone bought any of their guitarless records, but every bedwetter has its day and Keane’s arrived when they decided to beef up a bit, tighten up the songs and listen to a shedload of A-ha records. Because that’s what the best bits of Perfect Symmetry are – Scoundrel Days ‘08. ‘Spiralling’ was the eye-opener, the rather too eager Bowie-aper that put down an emphatic marker saying, “We’ve changed! We’re still pop, only more so, and look – guitar!” (seriously, it said that), but ‘The Lovers Are Losing’ has one of the most startlingly great choruses of the year so here it is.
Still, some things they’ll never shake off. Junior’s response is a flurry of air-piano and a general look of guileless choir-girl benevolence. Satire, that.
Are we human
or are we pudgy?
He looks like my friend Derek, bless him. Can be as skinny as he likes, he’ll still look tubby.
Not Derek – Derek’s fat.
Not heard it. I’m sure it’s great though.
Perhaps sure is a touch strong.
In fact, so is great.
I’m relatively certain I might not totally want to cut my wrists after hearing the first few bars.
And that, in these straitened times, is about all we can hope for.
Oh, I had heard it. It’s balls. Shiny balls.
I think it’s quite good. Rousing, in a platonic way.