the Night Train (song-by-song review)

the Night Train has finally arrived!

Keane, the musical magicians that brought us such beautiful songs as Everybody's Changing, Somewhere Only We Know, and Spiralling, (to name a few) has come out with a brand-spanking-new EP "The Night Train". The songs from this mini-album were inspired by long trips on the night trains the band took during the Perfect Symmetry tour.

first off, i have to mention that the album artwork for this EP is DIVINE. it ROCKS !!! i think it's the band's best album artwork yet, which is really saying something.

the overall vibe and style of this record is very different from their previous masterpieces, and this difference has met much controversy with diehard Keane fans. As opposed to deep piano-rock emotional ballads, the Night Train is composed of everything from japanese-pop covers, hip-hop fusion, and of course , killer melodies. personally, this album is a major part of the band's evolution, and shows that Keane is much more than a one-toned band.

SONG-BY-SONG REVIEW:
0) Night Train- iTunes LP ---- if you buy the digital copy of NT, it comes with a digital booklet. instead of the digital version of the physical album booklet, this has an animated version of the album cover. this TOOK MY BREATH AWAY, and even as a jaded ipod-age teenager, this amazed me. this gorgeous piece of artwork that also contains a special band interview, the Stop for a Minute music video, and special tour images. this digibooklet alone is worth purchasing the whole album.

1) House Lights--- when i first heard this, i was honestly like "WTF?!". as it turns out, this is NOT an actual song, but an accompanying audio to the album artwork. once you understand this, it is actually a wicked awesome track to open the cd. it almost transports you into the world of The Night Train and is a great opening to the whole Night Train listening experience.

2) Back in Time---- a funky, dark, introspective song a la vintage Keane but with a modern twist.

3) Stop for a Minute---- an impossibly catchy and inspirational song. it has awesome piano undertones that sound like a cheerful train station. and don't be fooled by its poppy quality- the lyrics are meaningful. k'naan's rap and singing portions truly add to the song, except his entrance rap lyrics of "baby, you're just beatiful from your crown to your cuticles" is just plain ridiculous!

4)Clear Skies---- a very descriptive and low-key song. sounds like descriptions of scenes viewed out of a slow-moving train with insights of life. very sunny and heartfelt.

5) Inshin Denshin (You've Got to Help Yourself) --- ok, this song will NEVER GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD! a contagious, super-happy, sugar-coated, and still inspirational song featuring up-and-coming Japanese artist Tigarah. keane's vocals and the sparkly beat are the highlights, and Tigarah's portion is a little sleepy.

6)Your Love ---- this song is beautiful in its simplicity. a solid and creative take on the love song with a heart-fluttering hook.

7)Looking Back---- taking samples from the "Rocky Theme", which oddly works, this song is one of the album's highlights. unlike in Stop for a Minute, K'naan's rapping perfecly blends with Keane's vocals to create a delicious confection.

8) My Shadow---- AHHHH !!! lovelovelove. love. one of the best songs off their last album "Perfect Symmetry" has been revisited and finished into a full-length masterpiece. impeccable vocals, killer lyrics, simple, stripped-down piano ballad that comes to an intense climax. equivilant to coldplay's "fix you". but truly original.

9) Stop for a Minute (Remix) --- this is like K'naan featuring Keane as opposed to Keane featuring K'naan. it acts as a reprisal of the album's signature song, but i still like the original better.

this album as a whole is truly breathtaking and will possibly be one of the most underrated albums of the year. conceptual without being tacky, upbeat without being cheesy, catchy while being inspirational and thought-provoking, this album is crazy amazing. keane is one of a kind and one of the best bands out there today.

i can't wait to see them live this summer :-)

i promise, i'll tell you all about it.

i hugely recommend this album and any of Keane's albums in general.

keane<3333