Rejecting the gloom, Perfect Symmetry embraced 1980s New Wave. The title track “Perfect Symmetry” , with its pulsing synth bass and Chaplin’s Bowie-esque delivery, is a left-turn that could have ended the band. Instead, it became a European hit. “Spiralling” , included here, is pure pop ecstasy—a drum machine, a four-on-the-floor beat, and Chaplin scat-singing. Critically, the deluxe edition adds “Time to Go” and “Better Than This” , which are more raw and guitar-like in texture (despite no guitar), proving that the band’s experimentation extended beyond album tracks.
The lead single from Perfect Symmetry. This is Keane with a drum machine, a funky bass synth, and a falsetto Tom Chaplin. It polarized fans initially, but it aged into a dancefloor anthem. The Deluxe Edition includes the extended mix here, which adds a vital minute of synth breakdown.
A major selling point of the 2013 Deluxe Edition. Myth was recorded during the Strangeland sessions but left off the album. It is a blistering, angry track where Chaplin’s voice cracks with real rage. It deals with the pressure of fame and the fabrication of celebrity persona. For fans who thought they had heard everything, Myth was a revelation. Keane - The Best Of Keane -Deluxe Edition- -201...
If Hopes and Fears was dawn, Under the Iron Sea was a thunderstorm. The compilation includes “Is It Any Wonder?” , where Rice-Oxley abandoned acoustic piano for a distorted, effects-laden keyboard that mimicked a snarling guitar. This track marks Keane’s most aggressive moment. Meanwhile, “Crystal Ball” and “A Bad Dream” reveal the band’s debt to 1980s U2 (specifically The Unforgettable Fire), with Chaplin’s lyrics descending into paranoia about lost identity. The deluxe edition’s inclusion of “Let It Slide” (a B-side from this era) shows a looser, groove-based Keane rarely heard on studio albums.
To understand the weight of this "Best Of," you have to remember the context. When Keane burst onto the scene with Hopes and Fears (2004), they were anomalies. Tim Rice-Oxley’s piano didn't just fill the space left by absent guitars; it created a sonic cathedral. The Deluxe Edition of their greatest hits captures the evolution of this sound perfectly. Rejecting the gloom, Perfect Symmetry embraced 1980s New
Disc One is a relentless barrage of hits. It opens with the iconic delayed piano of "Everybody’s Changing," a track that still sounds as urgent and pristine as it did in 2004. From there, it’s a journey through the band’s ability to make sadness sound epic. "Somewhere Only We Know" remains their magnum opus—a track so universally beloved it has become a modern folk song, covered by everyone from Lily Allen to the cast of Trolls.
But the compilation does more than just replay the hits. It showcases the band’s bravery. By the time you reach "Is It Any Wonder?" (from Under the Iron Sea), the piano has been twisted, distorted, and delayed to sound like a jet engine. It was the moment Keane proved they weren't just "soft rock"—they were experimental pop innovators. “Spiralling” , included here, is pure pop ecstasy—a
A rough demo from the Hopes and Fears era. It is lo-fi, slightly out of tune in places, but emotionally raw. It shows the band working out their sound in real time.