Under the Iron Sea

chronology
Under the Iron Sea
Studio album by Keane
Publication ; (s)	June 12, 2006
admission	2005-2006
Label (s)	Island Records , Interscope Records
Format (s)	CD, download, LP
Genre (s)	Alternative rock , pop rock
Title (number)	12
running time	50:23
occupation	Tom Chaplin ; Tim Rice-Oxley ; Richard David Hughes
production	Andy Green, Keane
Studio (s)	Helioscentric Studios ; The Magic Shop NYC
April 24, 2006	Atlantic
May 29, 2006	Is It Any Wonder?
August 21, 2006	Crystal ball
October 30, 2006	Nothing in My Way
January 12, 2007	Try again
January 22, 2007	A bad dream

Under the Iron Sea (German Under the Iron Sea ) is the second studio album by the English band Keane and was released on June 12, 2006. In Great Britain , the album reached the top of the charts in the first week and was ranked 19th among the best-selling albums of 2006. Keane also made a breakthrough in the USA with this album and reached fourth place in the first week, while it placed third in Germany.

Background information

After the success of the debut album Hopes and Fears , the band went on a Europe-wide tour in 2004, which was continued in North America in 2005. During this time, pianist Tim Rice-Oxley composed a number of new titles, twelve of which finally found their way onto the new album. Already in 2005, long before the release, the tracks Nothing in My Way , Try Again and Hamburg Song were played as encores at a live concert in the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.

Musically, the album is based on British piano rock / pop and relies again on the abstinence from guitars. The semi-acoustic Yamaha CP80 electric grand piano is still the defining instrument for Rice-Oxley, even though it changed the sound decisively in contrast to the first album with different effects devices . He usually combined different distortion effects and flanger with each other, so that the typical sound for tracks like Crystal Ball or Nothing In My Way was created. In the song Is It Any Wonder? A wah-wah effects device is also used, which can be clearly heard in the intro. In addition, there was increased work with disharmonies and unusual chord changes, recognizable in titles such as Atlantic and Broken Toy . The virtual-analog synthesizer Clavia Nord Lead 2X was used for background effects .

The name of the album was inspired by a line of text from the track Crystal Ball : "I've lost my heart, I buried it too deep, under the iron sea." The album was created during a difficult phase for the band, in which internal conflicts in particular between singer Tom Chaplin and pianist Tim Rice-Oxley were formative for some titles during the joint tour. In the British Q Magazine in 2007, Rice-Oxley described his relationship with the title Hamburg Song , with which, according to him, he also processed the battered friendship with Chaplin.

Sanna Annukka, an artist from Brighton , created the cover for the album. Their different, futuristic stenciled figures were then also seen on the covers of the single releases.

In addition to the standard version of the album, a special edition in book form has also been released. In addition to the 12 titles, it contains the demo versions of the album songs and a DVD with further backgrounds, including a short documentary about the creation of the album.

Reviews

The album got good reviews, as many experts believed that the band could maintain the quality of the debut album while surprising with new sounds. The Musikexpress says about Keane: “Your melodramatic keyboard pop has found over four million buyers worldwide and produced half a dozen hits. The second album relies on the tried and tested cornucopia of harmony on the one hand, but also contains exciting innovations on the other. While Tom Chaplin is still singing in a carefree big-boy voice, Tim Rice-Oxley mutates into a keyboard wizard who explores the trio's creative horizons. Like the massive Is It Any Wonder? reminiscent of Elevation from U2, and the almost industrial-style instrumental The Iron Sea . But euphoric pop hymns with catchy tunes guarantee ( Nothing in My Way , Leaving So Soon , Put It Behind You ), which are bursting with optimism. "
Kulturnews.de also addresses the band's past:" Never Self-therapy sounded as smug as on the second album by the British shooting stars: twelve opulent, melodramatic pop songs about the privations of touring life, the madness of the music business and the internal tensions of recent years. A nice experimental approach that makes even those moments bearable when the trio bluntly walks in the footsteps of U2 and Coldplay. "

Track list

Standard version (2006)

Atlantic (Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin, Richard Hughes) - 4:13
Is It Any Wonder? (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 3:06
Nothing in My Way (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 4:00
Leaving So Soon? (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 3:59
A Bad Dream (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 5:06
Hamburg Song (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 4:37
Put It Behind You (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 3:36
The Iron Sea (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 2:57
Crystal Ball (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 3:53
Try Again (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 4:27
Broken Toy (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 6:07
The Frog Prince (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 4:22
Let It Slide (Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes) - 4:12 [Japanese Bonus Track]

Bonus DVD

Videos

Recording Under the Iron Sea - 23:55
Atlantic (Extended Version) - 6:01
Is It Any Wonder? - 3:01
Making of Is It Any Wonder - 7:50

Demo and live versions of the album tracks

Atlantic (demo January 29, 2005) - 4:15
Is It Any Wonder? (Demo March 31, 2005) - 2:58
Nothing in My Way (Live from Aragon Theater, Chicago May 19, 2005) - 4:10
Leaving So Soon? (Demo October 29, 2005)
A Bad Dream (demo July 7, 2005)
Hamburg Song (Live From Aragon Theater, Chicago May 19, 2005)
Put It Behind You (demo January 9, 2005)
The Iron Sea (Helioscentric Recording Session April 9, 2005)
Crystal Ball (demo 7 July 2005)
Try Again (Live From Aragon Theater, Chicago May 19, 2005)
Broken Toy (demo August 30, 2005) - 5:39
The Frog Prince (demo July 7, 2005) - 3:44

Chart placements

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	3 (19 weeks)	19th
Austria (Ö3)	4th (13 weeks)	13
Switzerland (IFPI)	2 (16 weeks)	16
United Kingdom (OCC)	1 (41 weeks)	41
United States (Billboard)	4th (14 weeks)	14th

Awards for music sales

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Argentina (CAPIF)	gold	20,000
Europe (IFPI)	platinum	1,000,000
Ireland (IRMA)	platinum	(15,000)
Netherlands (NVPI)	gold	(30,000)
Portugal (AFP)	gold	(20,000)
Switzerland (IFPI)	gold	(20,000)
United Kingdom (BPI)	3 × platinum	(900,000)
All in all	4 × gold 5 × platinum	1,020,000