Great Covers: Keane - Under Pressure

I can not believe I haven't blogged about this before! I was looking for my old blog post about it, but no there were none. Well, here goes. The mark of a great vocalist to me is in many ways that he/she is able to do many different things with his or her voice. I think most people who have heard Tom Chaplin from Keane knows that he can do very impressive stuff with his voice, but to take on David Bowie and Freddy Mercury in one song and do it well! Who can not be impressed?? If you are not, you can try the original and see how well he's doing. I also love to see how he's really working to get it! So many different parts of the song as well. Ok, he gets one note really wrong, but bless him, that's ok :) Enjoy! Oh, and of course the rest of the band is also doing amazingly well, not to mention the extra bloke on guitar there. Recognize him? :)

Fran Healys first singel from his solo album

I have for months been awaiting Fran Healy of the band Travis' new solo album. As followers of this blog will have noticed, I am huge fan of Travis. I think I might be just as big fan of Andy Dunlop's guitarsolos as Fran's writing skills though. They have been a little up and down the last years too, I think, though I really liked their last album where they went a little back to their rock'n'roll roots. Anyhow I was eager to hear Fran's new song, but at the same a little prepared that it would be a bit boring maybe. And yepp, I am sad to say, but I was right. It's a very cute little pop song, but not particularly catchy, the lyrics seam quite random and a bit boring, and yepp I really miss the sound of the rest of the band. It's just quite frankly a little blend. I don't hate it, but it doesn't give me a little kick like a lot of Travis songs do. Let's hope there are other stuff to come from the album that I will like better or/and that Travis will come back soon. I am sure they will and sometimes you have to try something else to see what you are missing ;)

Here you can judge for yourself:
http://www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-song-travis-fran-healy-goes-solo

Fran is also writing a quite amusing little blog and he wrote about trying to fill inn for Tom Cheplin of Keane the other day. Very well written. Here.

Keane's new single - Spiralling

This one has been sneaking up on me through speakers in shops and all around for the last weeks while I have been running around like a headless chicken.. hehe. Finally I had a little time to sit down and really listen to it today, and my oh my it's a great thing. It's like Keane has turned a corner I think.

1) it's a happy Keane song. Amazing. I love it
2) They have guitar now, and I have always loved guitars. And even a telecaster. It can't be better.
3) And not only a guitar. Does anyone know how hard it is to play that riff and sing at the same time. I could never do it!!

Here it is live at Later:


And the official video is proving very hard to find, but I give you the official version here, at least when it comes to sound and with lyrics. I haven't really had the time to listen to them yet, but love what I have heard so far.