‘The Best of Keane’ Coming to Vinyl
Initially released in 2013, the greatest hits collection features nearly every single from the British indie band’s first four studio albums.
A compilation from the British indie band Keane is coming to vinyl soon. The Best of Keane features greatest hits like “Everybody’s Changing,” “Somewhere Only We Know,” and “Is It Any Wonder?.” Initially released in 2013 to celebrate the band’s 10 year anniversary, the album debuted at No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart. A limited edition Aqua Blue 2LP vinyl version of The Best of Keane is out on November 21.
The 20 song collection features nearly every single from the band’s first four studio albums, Hopes and Fears, Under the Iron Sea, Perfect Symmetry, and Strangeland. Two exceptions are “The Lovers Are Losing” and “Better Than This,” which are replaced by “My Shadow” from the Night Train EP and “Hamburg Song” from Under the Iron Sea. (Vocalist Tom Chaplin called “My Shadow” his favorite Keane song in 2013.) Also included are two then-new songs, “Higher Than the Sun” and “Won’t Be Broken,” written during the Strangeland era.
Composed of Chaplin, Tim Rice-Oxley, Richard Hughes, and Jesse Quin, Keane formed in the mid-90s. Their first album, Hopes and Fears, topped the UK Albums chart upon release in 2004. Five of its hits are included here: “Everybody’s Changing,” “Somewhere Only We Know,” “Bend & Break,” “Bedshaped,” and “This Is The Last Time.”
According to Chaplin, Keane’s sophomore album, Under the Iron Sea, was a “much darker, introspective record” than its predecessor. Among the highlights included here are “Atlantic,” “Nothing in My Way,” “A Bad Dream,” “Try Again,” and “Crystal Ball.” There’s also “Is It Any Wonder?,” which was a Top 3 hit in the UK and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2007.
Keane returned in 2008 with Perfect Symmetry, an adventurous album that would be a creative and commercial success. Two of its singles are here, “Spiraling” and “Perfect Symmetry.”
Among the tracks from 2012’s Strangeland are “Silenced By The Night,” “Disconnected,” and “Sovereign Light Café.” The songs heralded a return to the simple and rich songwriting of their early albums. “[Strangeland] is a very emotional album,” Rice-Oxley told NME. “The title track is about setting off on a certain path in life and thinking it’s going to go one way, but finding out life’s taken a detour. Pretty much every song is about that, but it’s a more hopeful record than it might sound.”
