Under the Iron Sea

1	Atlantic 4:13
2	Is It Any Wonder? 3:06
3	Nothing in My Way 4:00
4	Leaving So Soon 3:59
5	A Bad Dream 5:06
6	Hamburg Song 4:37
7	Put It Behind You 6:33
8	Crystal Ball 3:53
9	Try Again 4:27
10	Broken Toy 6:07
11	The Frog Prince 4:22

Barnes & Noble

While they didn't exactly come across as purveyors of sweetness and light on their wildly successful debut, Hopes and Fears, this British trio have set the controls for the heart of the dark side on this much-anticipated follow-up -- with bracingly good results. It would be oversimplifying things to paint Under the Iron Sea as Keane's "rock" album, but there's considerably more brawn on display in songs like "Is It Any Wonder?," on which frontman Tom Chaplin lets loose an arena-ready cry that cuts through an arrangement shot through with angular guitar figures. The new sense of urgency crops up even when the songs aren't conventionally structured anthems. "Broken Toy," for instance, oozes a quiet desperation from a dissipated, purposefully disjointed melody that recalls the more introspective areas explored by the Cure circa Disintegration, while the Air-styled "A Bad Dream" drifts along mistily, letting its electronic side kiss the synapses ever so gently. Folks who were drawn into the band's universe by Chaplin's finely crafted piano ballads won't go completely lacking here -- both the keening "Crystal Ball" and "Nothing in My Way" strike the same balance between raw emotions and sleek arrangements that dominated Hopes and Fears. It's nice to hear that Chaplin and company haven't forgotten where they came from -- but hearing where they're going makes Under the Iron Sea a disc to dive into head-first. David Sprague

All Music Guide

In the two years since releasing their debut album Hopes and Fears, Keane has quickly established itself an integral part of the mainstream rock canon. Hit singles such as "Somewhere Only We Know," "Bedshaped," and "Everything's Changing" made Hopes and Fears a transatlantic hit, earning the trio two Brit Awards, a Grammy nomination, and a host of sold-out world tours. They're as likeable and as accessible as Coldplay yet Keane's return isn't as buoyant as their initial introduction. Whereas Hopes and Fears faced uncertainty head on with joyous enthusiasm, Under the Iron Sea is a darker, less romantic set of songs affected by a disenchanted outlook on life and the world's problems. Keane feels the frustration of a world torn apart by war, but also expresses their own growing pains as a group. Songs such as the grayish ebb and flow of "A Bad Dream" and "Crystal Ball" connect with such reflections. Frontman Tom Chaplin faces the disappointment of growing older on the haunting "Atlantic," another stone-cold gem of synthesizer strings and Tim Rice-Oxley's gorgeous piano delivery. When you think it might be totally depressing, there are some hints of life hidden in the corners of Under the Iron Sea and these mysterious loops highlight Keane's new sonic experiments. Thus far they've existed without guitars. Though the bounty of this record breathes with a collection of various analog synths and an old electric piano, Rice-Oxley's usual performance is now enhanced with a bevy of guitar effect pedals. Debut single "It Is Any Wonder?" is layered with pianos and Chaplin cries out, "Stranded in the wrong time/Where love is just a lyric in a children's rhyme, a soundbite." Such words capture how crucial it was for Keane to come up with something that's tangible and thought-provoking, but the guitar pedals are just a bit too dramatic. Keane should be applauded for going after a different sound; there's no harm in that, but die-hard fans might rush to judge Under the Iron Sea as sounding a bit too much like U2. MacKenzie Wilson

Rolling Stone

Under the Iron Sea is outfitted with darker, less immediately accessible songs and bigger doses of atmospheric keyboard, but it offers some of the same tuneful pleasures as the [band's] debut. Christian Hoard

Entertainment Weekly

The pristine sound and hushed majesty of tracks like ''Hamburg Song'' and ''Try Again'' are seductive enough, but it's Tom Chaplin's lovelorn lyrics and overwrought near falsetto that really hook you. [Grade: A-] Tom Sinclair

Billboard

An album to return to again and again, whose depth grows with every spin. Chuck Taylor