TEN KEANE TRACKS IN SONG OF THE DECADE TOP 100

You might remember that, back in November, we told you about Absolute Radio's Song of the Decade poll. Well, we're pleased to report that the results were announced earlier this month and Keane had a whopping 10 songs in the Top 100! The Keane track positions are:

10 - Somewhere Only We Know
30 - Bedshaped
36 - Everybody's Changing
67 - Spiralling
69 - This Is The Last Time
70 - A Bad Dream
73 - Is It Any Wonder?
75 - Nothing In My Way
76 - Crystal Ball
79 - The Lovers Are Losing

Big thanks to all of you for voting for Keane. Head over to songofthedecade.com to check out the full 100.

WHAT IS KEANE GOING TO DO FOR 2010?

Right, a new year it's coming, with a new decade. After a excellent 2009 in the Keane world, the guys have a lot of plans to begin this 10' decade. So, what are Tom, Tim and Rich going to do in 2010? Here are a couple of things that Keane announced for the next year:

- The Night Train EP or "mini-album": 8 brand new tracks will be released on May 10, globally.

- The Forest Tour: With (up to now) 6 forest shows confirmed, the band will be playing the songs of The Night Train EP.

- Writing, Recording, Going Back To The Studio: On a special xmas podcast of Beyond The Iron Sea, Tim said this was one of the plans of he band for 2010.

- "Sovereign Light Cafe" on the next album: On the xmas podcast, Tim said this song wasn't finished, that it was going to be on the new album, and that he love it.

- Other plans of Tom, Tim and Richard: On Beyond The Iron Sea, Tim said that he has been collaborating with a lot of people, including Cathy Dennis, and that he has worked on an alternative project of counry rock. Tim doesn't know if anything of this it's going to be released, but for now he's only interested in Keane.
Tim added that the band talked about a solo album from Tom Chaplin, because Tom has some songs to do an album by himself, but that it's his choice. But Tom seems to be only interested in Keane too.
About Richard, there are no rumours about himself doing any other thing related to music but Keane, so he will be doing stuff with Amnesty International and Death Penalty.

TIM'S BOOK CLUB #2

Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles

I read a lot of music books. I've got a pile of them called things like Tips From Great Record Engineers, which will be endless stories of what microphone they used on the snare drum and stuff. They're specialist to say the least. I've been trying to get back into just reading for pleasure and I suppose also for inspiration, and not trying to get quite so hung up on the technical side of things.

But this book offers the best of both worlds. It's the autobiography of Geoff Emerick, the guy who engineered a lot of the Beatles' most important albums. Being a lifelong Beatles fan, I've read pretty much every book on them that there is. I don't think this one is massively well-known, but I've found it, as a musician, much more insightful, exciting and atmospheric than pretty much any of the others. It's got so much about the creative process of the Beatles. It was interesting to read about the way they spent their time in the studio. You always have this sort of image of the Beatles turning up in a chaotic mess, recording a masterpiece in about three hours, and then speeding off in an E-type Jag to some trendy club. But it really gives you an impression of how hard they worked and how much time they put into their writing and pre-production before they started recording stuff, working out harmonies and polishing up songs. For instance, he talks about sitting there with Paul McCartney all night working on a bassline note by note. I found it quite encouraging, because you always imagine that these guys had an almost supernatural talent to put down these amazing songs and productions without even thinking about it. It's kind of reassuring to know that they had to work really hard for it too.

It's a very, very interesting book if you're into learning about the actual creative process of a band. And this kind of book really does help you as a musician. I was actually reading it while I was writing songs for Perfect Symmetry, and I remember finding it very exciting and having that feeling of being in a room while great music is being made, which is definitely inspiring. It makes you think, "Oh, I could sit at a piano now and try and write a song like that." You get this surge of excitement and a feeling that you can do it too. And that's always a really, really great feeling.

Tim

(This book is not currently in print, but you should be able to find it on eBay or through Amazon sellers)

Tim's Book Club #1

BEST OF 2009 BANNER

Best of 2009 on km.com

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM KM.COM

Hello folks. To thank you for all your amazing support for keanemusic.com over this past year, we wanted to give you a little something. So here it is, a km.com desktop wallpaper / calendar for you to download. Click on the thumbnail to get it (and then save it to your computer).


Have a brilliant Christmas and we'll see you in 2010!

km.com

TIM LOOKS BACK ON 2009

Hi everyone. Just a quick note to say thank you so much for all your love and amazing enthusiasm and support in 2009.

I think it's been our best year of touring ever - so many new places and new friends, and every tour has been fantastic fun.

It's been great to keep up the creative momentum too, and we've got loads of great memories of recording the Night Train EP on our travels - Berlin, Copenhagen, Washington DC, Brisbane and many others. I think we may well be the luckiest people on the planet!

One thing that has really stuck in my head this year - I already mentioned this in a blog I think - was a message from someone in South America saying thanks for making music that "protests against everything that harms our world". That's a huge compliment for us, but it strikes me that I also think that spirit is embodied by you guys, the fans who come to shows all over the world and are always so passionate and joyful, but also so courteous and considerate of other people. You are a positive force in the world and we couldn't ask for a better bunch of people to share our music with.

2010 is nearly upon us already, and it's nice to have some plans other than "write lots of songs and make a record" already laid. The EP will be fun, and it's great to know we already have some touring booked. And, of course, we can't wait to get into the studio and make new music together once again.

Anyway, thanks again and here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Tim

TIM ON PODCAST XMAS SPECIAL

Yesterday afternoon, Tim headed along to Beyond The Iron Sea Towers to record a special Christmas edition of Chris and Andrew's much-loved unofficial Keane podcast. Head over to beyondtheironsea.com to download it for free.

VIDEO CONTEST: TOP PRIZE WINNER

Yes, after much head-scratching, debate and soul-searching, the band have picked the overall winner for our Hopes and Fears video contest. Over to Richard, who's holding the virtual golden envelope...

Watching back through all the song winners I was blown away again - they are all brilliant - such a variety of styles, and from all around the planet. But we've decided that the overall winner is Untitled #1 by Elmira Temirgaliyeva from Kazakhstan. I wish we could make a video that good!

I've loved watching the videos, and just want to thank every single person involved - we had no idea how huge this was going to be, and how many people would make videos!

Congratulations Elmira! Your amazing video wins you the deluxe Hopes And Fears bundle featuring a double CD, a T-shirt and a limited edition signed poster. Here is that fantastic winning video...

The seven other song winners will each receive a signed copy of the Hopes And Fears Deluxe Edition double CD. Congratulations to those guys too. Here are their videos again:

She Has No Time by Muhammad Abiyoso from Indonesia

Bend and Break by Kaidy Kuna from the US

Snowed Under by Karen Loewy from Barranquilla, Colombia

Can't Stop Now by Karla Solalinde from Monterrey, Mexico

Sunshine by Manida from Minnesota, USA

We Might As Well Be Strangers by Lareindedecoeur1 in Belgium

Your Eyes Open by Airiin from Estonia

We really had no idea that we started this that we'd end up with so many amazing videos. Thanks once again to everyone who entered.

VIDEO CONTEST: YOUR EYES OPEN WINNER

Hello. So, here it is, the very last indivudual winner of our H&F video contenst - for Your Eyes Open. This one was judged by Tom. Thanks again to everyone who submitted videos. All indivudual winners each get a signed copy of the Hopes And Fears Deluxe Edition.

Now that we've picked all eight video winners, the band are in the process of selecting the overall H&F video contest winner from the eight winners. With such a high standard of winning entries, it's sure to be a tough task, but we hope to announce the winner very soon.

WINNER

Airiin from Estonia
Tom: My winner! Beautiful interpretation of the song. Animation does it for me EVERY time. I was totally taken by surprise when the snowmen came to life! Love Richard's drum fill before the second chorus too! Bloody BRILLIANT!

RUNNERS-UP

Anastasiya K in Moscow
Tom: Very good indeed! Definitely a frontrunner with Airrin’s. Loved the Humpty Dumpty element to it and makes me wonder how all these so-called “professional” video directors who send us scripts come up with such bad stories all the time, when we have fans waiting in the wings with far greater imagination. I found it very, very hard to pick between this and Airrin's.

Scott N from the US
Tom: The chorus section is totally inspired! I think we may have to steal that for one of our future videos!! Like the varispeeding, especially in the middle eight. Really simple and effective vid...well done!

Alejandro A from Guatemala
Tom: Unsettling light and angles combined with sense of solitary confinement, so pretty dark emotionally! A more art-house style interpretation...

ALL THE OTHER ENTRIES (ONCE AGAIN, THERE'S SOME *GREAT* VIDEOS IN THIS LOT...!)

(In order of entry date)

Joanna Lie from Norway

Roy G from The Netherlands

Frédérique Durbec from France

Mac O in France

Romana in Croatia

Zöe M in England

Mariana in Aguascalientes, Mexico

Amelia H and Viv L in the UK

Sarah G in Germany

Millie and Ellie in the UK

Ana from Portugal

Laura and Carly from Vancouver, Canada

Leanne in the UK

Pilar from Spain

Claire from the UK

Emmanuel in Mexico

Branwen C in the US

BANNER

VIDEO CONTEST: STRANGERS WINNER

Hey folks. Here's the seventh of our eight H&F video contest winners - for We Might As Well Be Strangers. This one was judged by Tom. Don't forget, we'll be announcing the overall contest winner once we've announced all the invidual song winners. (The individual winners each get a signed copy of the Hopes And Fears Deluxe Edition.) Thanks again to everyone who submitted videos.

WINNER

Lareindedecoeur1 in Belgium
Tom: This is the first one I looked at and looks like it's going to be hard to beat. I love the animation once again, especially because it has the feel of one of those old Disney cartoons like Snow White. It's a a really inventive story with quite a macabre feel to it. Great!

RUNNERS-UP

Celine from Colchester, UK
Tom: Literal interpretations are very hard to pull off but this has to be one of the best I've ever seen! I love the way that the story develops with the breaking hearts and the different uses of the faces...it's very hard to choose between this and the winner! Celine's definitely deserves an extra special mention for being so good.

Elise in Canada
Tom: Lovely images/drawing. Takes the song into a different context emotionally, which I really like. After all the destruction, the sense of regeneration at the end is a great touch.

Mara in Argentina
Tom: Really good again. It certainly conveys the loneliness of the song! This was a different style of animation to everything else I've seen - particularly loved the street scene.

ALL THE OTHER ENTRIES (THIS WAS THE MOST POPULAR SONG IN THE COMPETITION AND THERE ARE SOME GENUINELY ACE VIDEOS HERE TOO!)

(In order of entry date)

Syrinx in China

Isa from Peru

Rebekah R in California

Danielle W in Canada

Jocelyn Tse

Elin W from Sweden

Emanuelle from Chillan, Chile

Stephanie in Mexico

kg4rom in the US

Irina I from Chicago, USA

Rodrigo in Colombia

Aram

Tamara in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Eric from Long Island, US

Sofia from Pachuca, Mexico

Amanda W in the US

Justin from Toronto, Canada

Tal EI from Israel

Samantha in England

Taina, Olivia and Marcos in Brazil

Sandra C in Portugal

Uziel R in Mexico

Gizelle from New York

Arjan from The Netherlands

Diana from Portugal

Christine in Manchester

Lancelot from Montbéliard

Mercedes from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Dave T in the UK

Itziar

Michelle in Pittsburgh, USA

Emanuel from Argentina

Adriana L from Argentina

Mariano in Argentina

Mandy from Brunei

Fábrica de Fantasia in Portugal

Karini in Canada

BACKGROUND

TIM'S BOOK CLUB #1

We're very pleased to reveal a new regular feature here on keanemusic.com. Over the coming weeks and months, Tim will be telling us a little bit about some of his favourite books. If you folks then read them, feel free to let us know what you thought of them in the comments below. It'll be like a Keane online reading group. And so to Tim's first choice...

The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster

I read this book in the summer of 2009, when I was staying in Brooklyn for a few weeks. It was given to me by our manager as a birthday present.

Paul Auster is a brilliant writer, who's also written a couple of great films, but this was the first book of his that I'd read. I like stories that have a lot of different threads, which kind of intertwine as it goes on. And I also like ones that are quite psychological, in that they'll be written in the first person and you'll get a real insight into someone's mind. With books like that, you really feel like you learn something about the way people think. And probably even about the way you think yourself. The Brooklyn Follies is definitely like that, but it's also a really cracking story - it's almost a thriller, I suppose, written in a way that's very beautiful and powerful. I've always enjoyed books that are based on seemingly very ordinary people, like the retired insurance salesman at the centre of the Brooklyn Follies. The story explores dramas that could really happen to anyone, just through good luck or bad luck - and then looks at how those chance occurrences effect the way the characters act and think.

The book is set right in Park Slope which is where we were staying when we were over in Brooklyn. It was quite exciting knowing that I was walking along the same streets as I was reading about. The atmosphere of that particular community is a very important part of the book, and quite a lot of Auster's books, as far as I can gather. So it was nice being able to picture the actual buildings that he was writing about and to almost feel like part of it. I think being in Brooklyn while I read it probably did help me to appreciate the book more. And I suppose, in a way, it helped me to appreciate Brooklyn more too. The story helped give a sense of it being a real place, full of real people, rather than just a tourist destination.

I absolutely loved it. I read the whole thing in about two days, which is very quick for me, as I'm a very slow reader normally. And I've since acquired a huge pile of all his other books. I'm very much looking forward to working my through them.

-

Buy The Brooklyn Follies from Amazon UK / USA / Canada / Germany / France

VIDEO CONTEST: SUNSHINE WINNER

Hello. Here is the fifth of our eight H&F video contest winners - for Sunshine. This one was judged by Richard. Don't forget, we'll be announcing the overall contest winner once we've announced all the invidual song winners. (The individual winners each get a signed copy of the Hopes And Fears Deluxe Edition.) Thanks again to everyone who submitted videos.

WINNER

Manida from Minnesota, USA
Richard: This is such a touching idea, and really reminded me of some happy trips over the last year! Great use of the photos from my blog, but also love the way you have linked them, and used UTIS artwork too. This is a huge amount of work, turning the photos into illustrations, then linking them all together. Outstanding.

RUNNERS-UP

Katherine from the UK
Richard: There's something very magical about this stop-motion animation. I love the shot of waving at the camera, and in the simple setting, there's a real sense of a story here. Thanks!

Jorgelina Ramirez from Argentina
Richard: Another really impressive production - is that the biggest cast yet for a keane video? It definitely reflected the theme of the song. I really enjoyed it.

Filip in Romania
Richard: Great idea for a stop-motion video, and really intriguing. I love all the glimpses of everyday life, like the couples by the lake. Another really creative approach to making a video, and a heartfelt, philosophical theme.

Simona from Italy/Texas
Richard: You say in your comments that you don't have too much talent for drawing, but while I was watching it I was wishing I could draw as well as you! This is a really enjoyable video - you have blended a few visual styles really well, and it looks fantastic. It must have taken ages!

ALL THE OTHER ENTRIES (AS EVER, MOST OF THEM ARE WORTH A LOOK!)

(In order of entry date)

Alzate in the US

Christine Yates in the UK

Pilar Cabello Cabalin in Chile

Regis in France

Emelie from Sweden

Dayan and Rejane from Recife, Brazil

Holly Cavanaugh from California, USA

Patrick in Germany

Michelle from the US

Silke J in Germany

Jesper Forsberg in Sweden

Juan Manuel Rizzo in Argentina

Yukina Narita in Japan

Tomas in Norway

Hei-Nam in Hong Kong

Patricia in Germany

Jan from the US

Alice Salt from the UK

James Nguyen in Sydney

KWN: New EP, new tour, exclusive presale!‏

NEW EP, NEW TOUR, EXCLUSIVE PRESALE!

Hello KWNers.

NEW 8-TRACK EP ANNOUNCED
Keane have announced details of a new EP, titled Night Train, which will be released globally on 10th May 2010. It features eight powerful new tracks which were written and recorded during the Perfect Symmetry world tour. The EP takes its title from the band's favoured mode of transport during the tour and includes Keane's genre-busting collaborations with Somali/Canadian rapper K'Naan, 'Stop For A Minute' and 'Looking Back'. "I think those tracks show us in a completely different light," says Tom.

Due for release on CD and download, the Night Train EP will be available to pre-order through keanemusic.com, from Wednesday 2nd December. Click here for more info and to check out the artwork.

FOREST TOUR - PRESALE STARTS WEDNESDAY
The band have also announced plans for a summer tour of forests in 2010, including a homecoming show at the Bedgebury Pinetum, just outside the band's hometown of Battle, East Sussex. Dates are as follows:

10th June - Thetford Forest, Suffolk
11th June - Bedgebury Pinetum, Kent
18th June - Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
19th June - Sherwood Pines Forest, Nottinghamshire
25th June - Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire
26th June - Cannock Chase Forest, Staffordshire

Tickets for the shows will be available from 9am on Wednesday 2nd December through keanemusic.com/tickets, before going on general sale from Friday 4th December via 01842 814612, www.forestry.gov.uk/music and www.keanemusic.com/tickets. Tickets will be £32 (subject to booking fee). A full support bill will be announced.

As if that wasn't enough, we've got our legendary keanemusic.com Christmas merch sale starting on the website this week too (with discounts of up to 50%!). We'll also be continuing to announce our Hopes And Fears video winners on the site...


KWN

VIDEO CONTEST: UNTITLED 1 WINNER

Apologies for the gap since we revealed the previous winner for our Hopes And Fears video contest (watching hundreds of videos takes time!). But here is the winner for the fifth song, Untitled #1 - as judged by Richard. Don't forget, we'll be announcing the overall contest winner once we've announced all of the invidual song winners. (The individual winners each get a signed copy of the Hopes And Fears Deluxe Edition.)

WINNER

Elmira Temirgaliyeva from Kazakhstan (video above)
Richard: This is outstanding. Great ideas, and what an amazing place! The acting is superb, and the storyline too - really feel like it's a man losing his mind, which really matches the song. It's an ambitious video, but I love it.

RUNNERS-UP

Luis Coutinho from Sao Paulo, Brazil
Richard: This is really artistic, and i love that it's quite free-form (less narrative-led) - that's a brave thing to do with a video, but the beauty of the footage really pulls it off. You get a sense of fun from the footage of the people, but quite a brooding feeling from the rest of the footage. It's like a film version of my favourite kind of abstract photography.

Marta Micol Torraca Vega from Puerto Rico
Richard: this is really frantic and intense - looks great, then it becomes something really different - I love it when videos surprise, and the way different styles are combined is really cool. It starts looking quite retro, but then becomes really modern, and that really suits the song, then goes back to what looks like really old home-movie footage, which reminds me of the cine-film my dad showed me from when he was younger! A really enjoyable video that keeps going in surprising, different directions.

Hanne O, 15, from the Netherlands
Richard: you picked a really long song to animate to! I love the starkness - it really picks up the dark lyrics of one of my favourite songs. The drawings of the birds are brilliant, along with the raindrop. It's great when it goes white at the breakdown - really well matched to the music, and the ending is properly great (don't want to spoil it for people who are about to watch it!)

ALL THE OTHER ENTRIES (ONCE AGAIN, INCLUDING SOME REALLY GREAT VIDEOS!)

(In order of entry date)

Alejandro from Paraguay

Brandi Perez from USA

Craig Winsor from USA

Jenny Castner from USA

Daniela and Natalie from Chile

François Mernier from Belgium

Video by Kittichan in Ireland

Nat Wood and AlexB

Kozo in UK

Matthew Scott from UK

(We're genuinely amazed by the quality of all these.)

SHOP NEW ITEMS

Click here to visit the festive sale 2009 store


Click here to visit the accessories store


Click here to visit the music store


Click here to visit the ticket store

NIGHT TRAIN EP

£6.99

Your chance to pre-order the website exclusive version of the forthcoming EP Night Train; this limited edition version comes in a beautiful numbered digi pack.

Tracklisting TBC. Release date 10th May 2010.

LYRICS SCARF

£20.00

Snowed Under Scarf – 100% sheer jersey cotton scarf made by American Apparel with the handwritten lyrics from the song 'Snowed Under' printed on it. The scarf measures 236cm x 41cm & has raw edges.
(Black, Forest Green, Fuchsia, Eggplant)

Anyone who purchases a scarf during the month of December will be automatically entered to win the original copy of the handwritten, autographed, lyrics that the scarf print was taken from. The winner will be announced the first week of January.

LADIES PIANO RED ZIP HOODY

SALE
£40.00

£30.00

MENS PIANO RED ZIP HOODY

SALE
£40.00

£30.00

THE KEANE STORE CHRISTMAS SALE SAVE UP TO 50%

The legendary Keane Official Store Christmas Sale has just kicked off, with savings of up to 50% on Keane clothing and accessories. Order now in time for Christmas!

Plus, we've also just launched two brand new items - a lovely red hoodie with the piano design on the back, available for men and women. And an amazing Keane lyrics scarf, featuring the handwritten lyrics for Snowed Under.

Anyone who purchases a scarf during December will automatically be entered to win the original copy of the handwritten, autographed, lyrics that the scarf print was taken from.

Head over to the Keane Store now

UK FOREST TOUR 2010

Keane have announced a tour of spectacular woodland locations next summer as part of the Forestry Commission Live Music series.

For more information please CLICK HERE for the Forestry Commission website.

10th Jun 2010

Thetford Forest, Suffolk

11th Jun 2010

Bedgebury Pinetum & Forest, Kent

18th Jun 2010

Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire

19th Jun 2010

Sherwood Pines Forest, Nottinghamshire

25th Jun 2010

Dalby Forest, Nr Pickering, North Yorks

26th Jun 2010

Cannock Chase Forest, Staffordshire

For tickets pre-sales, click here.

FOREST TOUR PRESALE STARTS TODAY AT 9AM

Our exclusive keanemusic.com presale for the 2010 Forest Tour kicks off at 9am this morning (Wed Dec 2nd). Click the link below to get your tickets!

www.keanemusic.com/tickets

When you order your ticket, you'll also have the chance to pre-order your copy of Keane's brand new 8-track EP, Night Train.

The dates are as follows:

10th June – Thetford Forest, Suffolk
11th June – Bedgebury Pinetum, Kent
18th June - Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
19th June – Sherwood Pines Forest, Nottinghamshire
25th June – Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire
26th June – Cannock Chase Forest, Staffordshire

Tickets cost £32 (subject to booking fee). A full support bill will be announced.

We've made a nifty interactive map showing you where the venues are (zoom in and out with the buttons in the top left, or click on the icons to get directions to each show from where you live)

View The Keane Forest Tour in a larger map

ps - In response to KeaneeW below, yes we'll be giving you the last four winners of the H&F video contest very soon. Apologies for the delay - the band are in the midst of picking their winners for those songs. But it shouldn't be long now.