Cause and Effect [Super Deluxe Book Edition 2CD/LP/Blue Vinyl 10"]

Making a welcome comeback after a lengthy seven-year hiatus, English quartet Keane returned with their fifth full-length effort, Cause and Effect. Steeped in the heartbreak and complications that arise from a devastating breakup, the album followed a particularly tumultuous period in the band's history, during which time frontman Tom Chaplin battled addiction and kicked off a successful solo career, while main songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley faced his own demons and saw his marriage dissolve. As such, Cause and Effect forms a loose emotional trilogy with their breakthrough debut, Hopes and Fears, and its dark follow-up, Under the Iron Sea, only this time matured by an appropriately adult point of view. In typical Keane fashion, the heartache is deceptively masked by some beautiful, soaring musical backing and Chaplin doing his best to translate Rice-Oxley's pain with his gorgeous vocals, echoing early-era output like "The Lovers Are Losing," "Bend & Break," and "Leaving So Soon?" Less immediate than prior Keane releases, Cause and Effect's true power reveals itself through the deeply sad lyrics, which bolster softer tracks such as "Phases" and "Thread" with unflinching vulnerability. Charting the lowest points of a relationship headed for ruin ("Strange Room" and "Stupid Things" are especially moving), these poetic confessionals create a cohesive experience that is relatable, depressingly bittersweet, and, ultimately, very cathartic for anyone who's ever been in a similar situation. Not completely wallowing in self-pity, Cause and Effect also includes a handful of driving anthems that stand tall aside past hits, including the bright, Night Train-esque "Love Too Much" and the huge pop single "The Way I Feel," which is the most "classic Keane"-sounding the band has been in over a decade. Amongst these familiar highs and lows lie a couple of standout deep cuts worth further attention. The painfully pretty "Put the Radio On" pushes denial with an insistent bass groove and atmospherics from Under the Iron Sea that glitter to life, transitioning the energy of the first third of the album into the more pensive material to follow, while delicate closer "I Need Your Love" features an electronic breakdown that precedes a yearning hymnal that ends the album on a strong, emotionally impactful note. Not a game-changing comeback by any means, Cause and Effect is instead a satisfying return to form that manages to gracefully age Keane by invigorating a familiar formula with wisdom and honesty learned over a dramatic, life-changing decade. ~ Neil Z. Yeung