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Well this is what watching the endless rise and rise of Keane has been like. Here I am, really nice shoes on, knee deep in the murky waves of popularity coming off a band which, bafflingly, seems to have found a way to touch people's vulnerable spots by creating music which is entirely built out of hot air and wisps.

And it's getting deeper. Here's another wave, not massively different to the last, a bit slower, perhaps, and broader, but still powerful for all that. Unusually, this one has a few kinks and swirls in it that some of the earlier waves don't seem to have, and perhaps hints at a greater depth than had been obvious before. But for all that, it's just another wave, and there'll be more just like it along soon.

I KNEW I should've put my wellies on today...

PS: Did you know that the Canute story is actually thought to have been a result of him trying to some of his over-devoted subjects that even though he was king, there were limits to his powers, and that it's not as if he could halt the tides or anything. Strange how wisdom gets re-packed by history as stupidity, innit? Makes you wonder about Chico, maybe he was trying to say something profound after all...

Released: January 22nd

(Fraser McAlpine)