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Keane - Nothing In My Way

Keane: Nothing In My Way

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by Thomas Ferguson
  • Type: Single
  • Release date: 30/10/2006
  • Label: Island

Scoff all you like - I’m too far away to glare at you effectively enough - but I never hated Keane. Never a seething dislike or contempt and, hey, if we were picking sides I’d stand somewhere near the back of the 'pissing champagne' crowd. Yes, Keane were always slightly bland, a bit wet, generally (in the derogatory sense) very nice. But at least they were bland and wet and nice and good at it. Plus, with the advent of the actually surprisingly agreeable ‘Is It Any Wonder?’, it did almost seem like Keane could break loose from the straightjacket that marked them as lacking in spine as they were in guitar.

But a song like ‘Nothing In My Way’ makes it very hard to give them the benefit of the doubt anymore. It’s telling enough that the third single from Under The Iron Sea already sounds like scraping the barrel (or, at least, making a replica barrel exactly like the barrel that they carried songs from their last album in). But in a disheartening and all too predictable manner, ‘Nothing In My Way’ sounds like you would expect most bands to after they realise their template sells by the squillion. All the Keane hallmarks are here but neutered and hollow: derivative piano plonking; infuriating inoffensiveness that even a promo video about horse porn and knife crime couldn’t cancel out; lyrics about “lonely souls” and having “such a nice time”, what ho!; a chorus that you can imagine Mr Chaplin punching the air along to. It’s the sign of a band slipping numbly back into their familiar ‘sound’ only to find that, the second or third or umpteenth time around, it isn’t all too flattering.

Oh yeah sorry, blah blah drug addict blah blah middle class blah blah fat face blah blah blah. Can I go home now?

  • Keane 2 / 10

lol

@ punching the air.

Enduring image.


i heart this review

good job sir.


I heartily agree

Really well put. This should be used as an example of how to write a negative review and not come across as overly mean-spirited or biased.

I wrote a highly negative review recently of a band (who shall remain nameless) and the father of the lead guitarist messaged me on myspace to thoroughly reprimand me. In retrospect it was a pretty lazy review which was done in a rush so I felt quite bad(although I stand by the rating!).


You should cut out the first two paragraphs

and leave the end. It says all that is needed.


haha

says 'timeforheroes'


This song sounds

much less individually bland than some of their earlier singles, but i like it...i mean how can you have your highbrow indie spagghetti without at least a little bit of cheese...HOW?!


It's not cheese.

Cheese is tasty.


^Correction

Good cheese.


Good point.

Good cheese is tasty.


I don't mind it.

But it pales compared to much of 'Under The Iron Sea'.


I great its a great track

but there are better choices for a single release. A Bad Dream, Leaving So Soon, The Frog Prince, Try Again or Put It Behind You, all superior tracks.


Uhm,

great.


Whoopsie

Allow myself to correct myself...

"I think its a great track"