Keane shock the internet.

Keane- Spiralling (Official HQ Download)

Ok. Wow. I really wasn't expecting anything from Keane to ever surprise the collective internet communities. However, it appears they have really shocked a selection of bloggers who previously despised their music. Some people have been converted.

I like Keane. There, I said it. Some might say they're a tad, well, predictable, but that's not hard to overcome. The only hang-up I have is with their live performances- namely, the use of pre-recorded sounds in the background which are cued by a technician. See, that's not strictly live, unless the technician is on stage. And yet, I get the feeling that this is about to change. Other than that small hiccup, they're fine in my books.

Hot on the heels of 'Crawl', Keane have offered up an mp-free entitled 'Spiralling'. It's an interesting one, certainly different to anything else they've offered up, with a lighter, poppier tone.

I'm not an authority on this, but I can definitely detect guitar and bass in the mix... Can anyone clarify this? This might explain Jesse Quin's (a touring bass player) involvement in the project- the message board queried this months ago when Keane featured a photo with four members, which was quickly taken down. Further to this, Tom Chaplin and Tim Rice-Oxley have also both gone on record as saying that they picked up the guitar during the sessions. And whereas on their previous albums (see 'Is It Any Wonder?') we had a keyboard that was made to sound like a guitar, this new move is a distinct improvement. Their sound is fuller, with serious hints of David Bowie and Talking Heads thrown in the mixer.

'Spiralling' is definite progress. A little on the cheesy side (that spoken interlude is a little bit much for most people), this song is still a sign that Keane weren't content producing another album that sounds vaguely similar to 'Hopes And Fears'.

This song comes ahead of the release of their upcoming 3rd album- 'Perfect Symmetry'- out October 13th. The official first single is 'Lovers Are Losing', to be released on September 29th. An interview which explores the details of the new album can be found here.