Keane are an English rock band from Battle, East Sussex. They are recognized worldwide because, unlike most rock artists, they have largely resisted the use of guitars in their music, and because of Tom Chaplin's soft voice and falsetto. Keane's earlier work has a particular piano-based, melodic style that many have compared with Coldplay, members of whom they met when they were at school. Their third LP, Perfect Symmetry, embraces a wider range of electronic textures, including the use of guitars, which were first introduced staply in the band's work on the promotional tour that followed the Under the Iron Sea album.
Keane are known for using a piano as their lead instrument instead of guitars, significantly differentiating them from most rock bands. The inclusion of a distorted piano effect since 2006 and various synthesizers are now a common feature in their music that nowadays combines the pure piano rock sound used during their first album and the alternative rock sound which developed during 2005. Acoustic and power ballads are also a highlight in the group's music and have evolved into many fan favourite songs such as "On a Day Like Today" and "We Might As Well Be Strangers".
Keane's first two studio albums, Hopes And Fears and Under The Iron Sea, achieved great success in the United Kingdom upon release and very high sales worldwide: their multi-award-winning debut was the best-selling British album of 2004 and their follow-up sold 222,297 copies during its first week on sale in June 2006.
Their third album, Perfect Symmetry was released on 13th October 2008. First single 'Spiralling' was available for free download, and half a million copies were downloaded worldwide. The album has clear 80s influences, and is compared in Q magazine to both David Bowie's 'Scary Monsters' and The Dandy Warhols' 'Welcome To The Monkey House'. The band have cited Talking Heads as another key influence. This is their first album to include guitar, successfully breaking away from their original set-up.
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From Wikipedia:Keane are an English alternative rock band from Battle, East Sussex, formed in 1995. The group currently comprises Tim Rice-Oxley (piano, backing vocals), Tom Chaplin (lead vocals) and Richard Hughes (drums, percussion). Their original line-up included founder and guitarist Dominic Scott, who left in 2001.
Keane achieved mainstream success with the release of their debut album, Hopes and Fears, in 2004. The album won multiple awards and was the second best-selling British album of the year. Their second studio album, Under the Iron Sea, continued the band's success, topping the album charts in the UK and debuting at number-four on the Billboard 200 chart. Their third album, Perfect Symmetry was released in October 2008. In May 2008, both Hopes and Fears (#13) and Under the Iron Sea (#8) were voted by readers of Q magazine within the best British albums ever, with Keane, The Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead the only artists having two albums in the top 20.
Keane are known for using a piano as the lead instrument instead of guitars, differentiating them from most other rock bands. The inclusion of a distorted piano effect in 2006 and various synthesisers were a common feature in their music that back then combined the piano rock sound used during their first album and the piano rock sound which developed on the second and third albums. Since the start of their career, the band has sold over 10 million albums worldwide.