Perfect Symmetry (Keane album)
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Perfect Symmetry is the third studio album by English rock band Keane, released on 13 October 2008 in the United Kingdom.[2] The album's title was released on 31 July 2008. The band had completely transformed their look and their new album was said to be also very unexpected. According to international Island Records manager, Jon Turner, the general international feel is of excitement and "Spiralling" is a favourite track of the US company.[3]
Musically, Perfect Symmetry is a departure from Keane's established piano-pop sound, with the band employing guitars for the first time since their early musical beginnings and a larger reliance on synthesizers than their previous effort Under the Iron Sea, as well as experimenting with other instruments such as the musical saw, saxophone and string arrangements. Also most notable is the emergence of a 1980s' synth pop-influenced style on most songs such as "Spiralling" and "Again and Again". The album is the result of a more relaxed and creative recording process in comparison to the tense sessions for Under the Iron Sea.
The cover for the album was revealed on 5 September. Tim Rice-Oxley explained that the imagery of the band are photographs of bigger than life-size sculptures of the band members, made by Korean artist Osang Gwon. It was implied that these sculptures will form the basis of the album's image and promotion up to the date of release.[4] It was also revealed that the first full single release from the album was "The Lovers Are Losing", which was released on 20 October 2008. The next single was "Perfect Symmetry", released on 29 December 2008. On 6 October the entire album was made available to stream, along with commentary from the band, on Last.fm.[5]
Track listing
- All tracks written by Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin and Richard Hughes, except Track 1 (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes, Jesse Quin).
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spiralling" | 4:19 |
| 2. | "The Lovers Are Losing" | 5:04 |
| 3. | "Better Than This" | 4:04 |
| 4. | "You Haven't Told Me Anything" | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Perfect Symmetry" | 5:12 |
| 6. | "You Don't See Me" | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Again and Again" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Playing Along" | 5:35 |
| 9. | "Pretend That You're Alone" | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Black Burning Heart" | 5:23 |
| 11. | "Love Is the End" | 5:40 |
| Total length: | 50:40 | |
- Bonus Tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "My Shadow" | 4:47 |
| 13. | "Time to Go" | 3:50 |
Bonus DVD
- Making of Perfect Symmetry documentary
- Track by track commentary
- "Spiralling" (Live Rehearsal)
- "Spiralling" (Demo)
- "The Lovers Are Losing" (Demo)
- "Better Than This" (Demo)
- "You Haven't Told Me Anything" (Demo)
- "Perfect Symmetry" (Demo)
- "You Don't See Me" (Demo)
- "Again and Again" (Demo)
- "Playing Along" (Demo)
- "Pretend That You're Alone" (Demo)
- "Black Burning Heart" (Demo)
- "Love Is the End" (Demo)
Themes
![[icon]](/enwiki/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2008) |
For this third album, the band have explored a new theme relying on human kind. "Spiralling" and "Perfect Symmetry" deal about life's nonsense; while "Better Than This" and "Pretend That You're Alone" regard human evolution.
Perfect Symmetry's Tour Dates
Release
- 13 October 2008 worldwide, excluding:
- 10 October: Austria, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland
- 11 October: Australia
- 14 October: Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, United States
- 15 October: Finland, Romania, Sweden
- 16 October: Thailand
- 17 October: South Africa
- 20 October: Indonesia
- 21 October: Korea
- 23 October: Argentina
- 28 October: Brazil
- 31 October: Denmark
- 17 November: France
- 2 January 2009: China
Personnel
- Tim Rice-Oxley – piano, keyboards, guitar, percussion, synthesizers, composition, backing vocals
- Tom Chaplin – vocals, guitar
- Richard Hughes – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Jesse Quin - bass, guitar, (on "Black Burning Heart"), percussion, backing vocals
- Stephen Hussey - violin (on "Love Is the End")
- Chris Fish - cello (on "Love Is the End")
- Jo Silverston; Ian Harris - musical saw (on "Love Is the End")
- Jim Hunt - saxophone (on "Pretend That You're Alone")
- Anaël Train - french vocal (on "Black Burning Heart")
- Jake Davies - engineering
- Mark "Spike" Stent - mixing and additional production
- Stuart Price - co-production (for "Again and Again" and "Black Burning Heart")
- Jon Brion - additional production (for "You Haven't Told Me Anything")
- Scott Johnson - on Studio Tech
- Stephen Marcussen - mastering
- Beth Louise Warren - band assistance and recording co-ordinator
- Osang Gwon - sculptures for booklet
- Rob Chenery at Tourist - design and art direction
- Shamil Tanna - photography
- Adam Tudhope - managing
Worldwide sales: 540.500
! Country !! Peak position !! Sales !! Certification |- | United Kingdom || #1 || N/A || N/A |- | Mexico[6] || #1 || N/A || N/A |- | Australia || #33 || N/A || N/A |- | Argentina || #2 || N/A || N/A |- | Netherlands || #3 || N/A || N/A |- | Ireland || #4 || N/A || N/A |- | Portugal || #5 || N/A || N/A |- | Switzerland || #6 || N/A || N/A |- | Canada || #7 || N/A || N/A |- | Spain || #7 || N/A || N/A |- | United States || #7 || 44,000 || N/A |- | Belgium || #8 || N/A || N/A |- | Germany[7] || #10 || N/A || N/A |- | Sweden || #18 || N/A || N/A
See also
References
- ^ Keanemusic - Next single revealed, 6 November 2008
- ^ "Archive". keanemusic.com. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ "Music Week: Keane return in Perfect Symmetry". Retrieved 1 August.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Keanemusic.com - Album Cover Art Revealed
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/keane/Perfect+Symmetry
- ^ "Mixup Top Ten (as of October 20)". Retrieved October 23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|acessyear=ignored (help) - ^ http://www.keanemusic.com/archive-comment.php?rnd=lqAXQiu2A2JzhvMjvCmJpfRUPo6ofZVKW4rlCMYcLuw%3D
External links
- The UrbanWire's review of Perfect Symmetry
- Perfect Symmetry at Keaneshaped