Tag Archives: Hopes and Fears

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Song of the Day #5,219: ‘This is the Last Time’ – Keane

Continuing my look at 2004, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.

#9 – Keane – Hopes and Fears

The best debut albums are cooked up over time, assembling the best material from a young band’s formative years into a definitive opening statement.

Such was the case with Keane’s Hopes and Fears. The English alt-rock band formed in 1997 and played live shows in London for years, growing in popularity and eventually benefitting from a bidding war among major labels eager to sign them. They joined Island Records in 2003 and began working on this record, with many of its best tracks already in hand.

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Song of the Day #813: ‘Everybody’s Changing’ – Keane

Over the next two weeks, I’ll count down ten of my favorite male vocalists in popular music. Notice I wrote “ten of my favorite” rather than “my ten favorite” because I’m sure I’m leaving some people out and I want to stress that this group is far from set in stone. That said, these are the ten I came up with after some deliberation so that counts for something.

Many of my favorite artists are lacking in the vocal department. That’s not to say they don’t sing their own songs well — in most cases, I can’t imagine those tunes sung by anybody else — but I’m a fan for other reasons. Bob Dylan is a prime example, but you can throw in Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch and many others.

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Song of the Day #281: ‘Bedshaped’ – Keane

keaneTucked away at the end of Keane’s debut album Hopes and Fears is this beautiful little number with an odd title. What exactly does “bedshaped” mean, either on its own or in the context of this song? I’m open to any and all suggestions.

I’m not sure what to make of the song in general. The opening verse seems directed to a friend or lover who is now estranged. Perhaps the chorus is the dream or fantasy of a reconciliation? “Up we’ll go in white light” suggests that maybe this person is dead… is this a song to a ghost?

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