Strangeland (album)

This article is about the album by English band Keane. For other uses, see Strangeland.

Untitled

Strangeland is the upcoming fourth studio album by English alternative rock band Keane. It will be released from 4 May 2012 through Island Records. It is their first full length album since Perfect Symmetry (2008), as well as the first to feature bassist Jesse Quin as a permanent official member. The album's name and track listing were revealed in late February 2012. It was preceded by the lead single "Silenced by the Night" on 13 March 2012.

Background

"It's a very emotional album. The title track is about setting off in 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 on the album is about that. (But) it's a more hopeful record than it might sound!"

—Pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, on the album's themes"

Keane began working on demo tracks for Strangeland in 2010. In May 2011 the band met up with English producer Dan Grech-Marguerat, who according to Tim Rice-Oxley is "a massive Keane fan". The producer said the band wanted to "[go] back to the songwriting of their first two albums", while making an album that sounded "rich and simpler". According to Rice-Oxley, the album is inspired by the The Vaccines' album What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? (2011), which was produced by Grech-Marguerat: "We loved what Dan Grech did on The Vaccines album. It had just come out. He'd also done stuff with Radiohead and produced the second Howling Bells album, which I loved."

Compared to Keane's previous full-length studio album Perfect Symmetry (2008), the album focuses more on songwriting: "We wanted it be less production led and focus on making sure that the songs were great. You write a lot of shit songs to get to the good ones." Tom Chaplin also said the sound of the album is reminiscent of earlier Keane, calling Perfect Symmetry "a bit self-indulgent".

Critical Reception

The album has received mixed reviews so far. Lewis Corner of Digital Spy called Strangeland "a redemptive record where a wandering Keane are trying to work their way through life's troubles", citing that "the lyrics feel more raw and personal than any of their previous efforts." Ted Winder of A New Take rated the album 7.7/10, calling Strangeland "the apex of eight years of fine-tuning and maturing", calling the album a "more laid back output and feels a whole lot more positive for it." Chuck Campbell of Knoxville News Sentinel rated it 4/5, stating that the "songs are more complex, their messages more complicated and the sonic nuance saturated in emphatic shine", praising producer Dan Grech-Marguerat for "giving balance to the drama and letting melody and message envelop the listeners and carry them away." Kristi Kates of Pyxis Magazine notes that "the sounds here are actually a throwback of sorts to the audio ambiance of earlier Keane" but praised the band as "self-assured, in songcraft, friendship, and delivery", highlighting "the depth of feeling that’s woven throughout each song." Sputnikmusic rated the album 3.5/5, commenting that while "there is nothing overtly impressive going on in the instrumental department here (or on the entire album)", Strangeland had "varied song structures, interesting lyrical concepts, and a cohesive feel", concluding that it "is a good but not great album that will be enjoyed by fans of classic Keane." Helen Lear from The Music wrote that Strangeland "will still sound to some like middle-of-the-road indie-pop" and "pretty much what you would expect from Keane", but "the tempo is noticeably more upbeat and the style more diverse than previous albums" and "offers some more fun in a grown-up style that may attract new fans to take a listen."

Chris Roberts of the BBC criticised Strangeland as "an unabashed scurry back to the comfort zone", and that "Keane lack blood, guts and muscle", with the album ultimately classed as "a somewhat saddening step backwards." John Murphy of musicOMH rated the album 2 stars, where "melodies are stodgy and predictable", with "a whole bucket of cliches piled in", calling Strangeland "proof positive that playing it safe is not always the best option."

Singles

"Silenced by the Night" was released as the album's lead single worldwide except for the United Kingdom on 13 March 2012. Keane performed "Silenced By the Night" for the first time on 12 March on American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The song was sent to US adult alternative radio stations on March 26, 2012. In the United Kingdom, the single will be released on 15 April 2012 after the release date had been brought forward from 30 April 2012.

The second single, "Disconnected", was released on 27 April 2012 in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin, Richard Hughes, Jesse Quin

No.	Title	Length
1.	"You Are Young"	3:34
2.	"Silenced by the Night"	3:16
3.	"Disconnected"	3:57
4.	"Watch How You Go"	3:40
5.	"Sovereign Light Café"	3:38
6.	"On the Road"	3:56
7.	"The Starting Line"	4:12
8.	"Black Rain"	3:46
9.	"Neon River"	4:52
10.	"Day Will Come"	3:11
11.	"In Your Own Time"	3:43
12.	"Sea Fog"	3:23

Deluxe Edition additional tracks

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Strangeland"	4:36
14.	"Run With Me"	3:29
15.	"The Boys"	3:31
16.	"It's Not True"	3:49

Deluxe Box Set

Packaged in a hardback A4 size coffee table book, the Deluxe Box Set includes:

• Strangeland deluxe edition CD album.
• DVD featuring five live performances, album trailers and behind the scenes footage.
• The 20+ page book features exclusive photos from the making of the album, taken by Alex Lake.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
Germany	4 May 2012	CD, digital download	Island Records
United Kingdom	7 May 2012
United States	8 May 2012		Interscope Records
Japan	9 May 2012		Island Records
Australia	11 May 2012