Review by Dan:

If you liked their debut “Hopes & Fears”, this may be a somewhat disappointing second offering from the trio - they’ve tried to broaden their appeal by attempting to introduce some depth, and thus increase their shelf life. “Under The Iron Sea” doesn’t quite meet the bands’ own desire to write a record ‘…that was going to make us feel alive again’, opener “Atlantic” is a good example of this, more restless than majestic, as are “Try Again” and “Broken Toy, which aren’t that inspiring, either lyrically or musically. However, they have brought in edginess (for example “Bad Dream”), tenderness (the very simple piano ballad “Hamburg Song”) and optimism (“Crystal Ball”), and with “Is it Any Wonder?” and “Put It Behind You” they manage to recreate the rousing, stimulating pop rock that showcased their debut. Keane have tried to grow up, whilst maintaining their initial appeal, but have shown that this cannot be done in the space of 11 tracks.