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September 29, 2008

New Keane Video - "Spiralling"

thumbnail icon: New Keane Video - "Spiralling"

Rest assured I am the only person on staff who loves this song. For their third album opener, English piano dudes Keane have crafted an explosive (for them) slice of synthpop, reminiscent of great singles by the Fixx. This makes "Spiralling" cheesy, yes, but also miles more fun than their plodding (but pleasant!) superballad you remember from Radio 2, VH1, Grey's Anatomy, etc. No other track from the forthcoming Perfect Symmetry has caught my ear quite like "Spiralling," despite its promise of production by Jon Brion and Stuart Price.

The geometry-inspired clip for this tune is, appropriately enough, totally eighties. Only singer Tom Chaplin appears, and he plays a Max Headroom-type broadcasting to percussionist robots and a sexy android reclining on a couch. According to Tim Rice-Oxley on the band's website, "[Director] Andras Ketzer has perfectly represented the difference between the idealised dream and the dystopian reality of human existence." I.e., he designed a rad screensaver.

Perfect Symmetry is out 10/14 on Interscope.

Posted at 2:16 PM by Scott in
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24 Comments

brandon flowers is apparently the new lead singer of keane

Posted by: joe at 09/29/08 2:27 PM  | Reply
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holy crap im so glad im not the only one who caught that
this... cant be the same keane.

Posted by: cobalt  in reply to joe's comment at 09/29/08 3:18 PM  | Reply
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Also I can do w/out Tom's toasting toward the end, but will let that slide.

Posted by: Scott profile link at 09/29/08 2:41 PM  | Reply
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one of this bands pansy compact discs has been on the rack at my local Goodwill for over a year if anyone needs it. zip: 24502

Posted by: k profile link at 09/29/08 2:44 PM  | Reply
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Reminds me of those old computer animation compilations they used to have at my public library.

Posted by: Devin at 09/29/08 2:47 PM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

Stuart Price is the newTimbaland, but for iffeminite faux-indie rock bands.

Posted by: Michael at 09/29/08 3:48 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

It's like U2 meets Rick Astley.

Posted by: Will3 at 09/29/08 4:28 PM  | Reply
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That's song is actually pretty class.

I'm pretty interested in hearing this new album now..

Posted by: Look_On profile link at 09/29/08 4:46 PM  | Reply
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Catching us up on Keane, huh? Why do I have the feeling were going to be seeing Goo Goo Dolls reviews soon?

Posted by: buns profile link at 09/29/08 5:30 PM  | Reply
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i only read started reading this cause I thought you guys spelled "kanye" wrong

Posted by: dissapointed at 09/29/08 5:40 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

I wouldn't give a shit if they were an effeminate (spelled right) faux-indie rock band, of they were a macho ultra-indie fart orchestra. I still like it.

Posted by: me at 09/29/08 6:07 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

When did I ever say the song was bad? I didn't. The comment was about Stuart Price being the hot commodity producer of the moment for these not-so-seminal-in-their-own-right indie bands.

Posted by: Michael  in reply to me's comment at 09/29/08 8:28 PM  | Reply
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Admittedly, the video sucks though.

Posted by: me at 09/29/08 6:09 PM  | Reply
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The music kind of reminds me of Let's Dance era Bowie.

Posted by: chris at 09/29/08 6:54 PM  | Reply
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Trying to be 'cool 'is such a sad way to live your life, and slagging off a band just because they do not conform to your ideas of 'cool ', merely exposes a tiny, narrow-minded, chip-on-the -shoulder personality, (This to anyone who has only to see the word Keane to start typing abuse, music journalists included). The thing is, you have to let the music in, make an emotional connection, and it can be quite painful when the words mean something to you, and the music is beautiful and stirring, but ultimately you can achieve an emotional maturity,and no longer need to feel 'cool'.

Posted by: Ginga at 09/30/08 4:56 AM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

Or we can just get on with laughing at how bad keane are - i saw their performance of this song on a bbc tv show on friday, it was hilariously bad, i don't think that making a tron video is gonna save the bandwagon jumping nitwits...IMHO of course

Posted by: indigoguy  in reply to Ginga's comment at 09/30/08 6:34 AM  | Reply
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spiralling on the jonathon ross show was actually excellent--a nicely stripped down version of the song.

and if anyone says keane sucks, watch this and be amazed at their live prowess:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0POGSb8_g

Posted by: Tommy  in reply to indigoguy's comment at 09/30/08 7:51 PM  | Reply
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It seems like everyone on stereogum hates anything that you can dance to and that has some rhythm.

Posted by: Cord at 10/01/08 4:44 AM  | Reply
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I don't know. I dance to Grizzly Bear and The Walkmen all the time. Stereogum likes them...

Posted by: Will3  in reply to Cord's comment at 10/01/08 1:53 PM  | Reply
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What the fuck happened to his voice?

Posted by: I PEE GOLD profile link at 10/03/08 7:42 PM  | Reply
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the song is way better than the video.

Posted by: parker young profile link at 10/03/08 11:52 PM  | Reply
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i'm glad they are progressing and having fun

Posted by: tata at 10/04/08 4:48 PM  | Reply
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Apparently they really, really like Happy Mondays. Which isn't a bad thing because it's about 1000 times better than anything they've done before.

Posted by: Rob S. at 10/05/08 4:27 AM  | Reply
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Haha what the fuck Keane, where did this come from

Posted by: Andrew at 10/06/08 1:52 PM  | Reply
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