Pop Quiz: Keane

Pop Quiz: Keane

Aidin Vaziri | If the best albums are created out of deep tension then Keane has just released one that should top "Pet Sounds," "Abbey Road" and "Pyromania" combined. Recorded while the members of the piano-driven British trio were barely on speaking terms, "Under the Iron Sea" is a dark, angry update of the group's 5 million-selling debut, "Hopes and Fears," and features the hit single "Is It Any Wonder?" We spoke with lead singer Tom Chaplin while the band was in San Francisco last month to play a sold-out show at the Great American Music Hall.

Tom Chaplin of Keane
Q: Have you heard the theory that being the lead singer of a band is kind of like a mental disorder?
A: It is. I absolutely agree. It's very odd. If you drill through the ego you get to this person underneath who's probably weaker than most people. That's the great paradox. I suppose it's probably why so many front men end up on the scrap heap of death and destruction like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, you know, there are all these casualties -- these people who had all this exterior bravado but inside were a mess of contradictions and unhappiness.
Q: And how are you holding up?
A: I don't know. I guess I'm trying to cope with it.
Q: It must be hard with all the girls and money and parties at your disposal.
A: Of course! But, you know, that's quite a hard thing to deal with. When the girls and the parties and that kind of stuff come along you begin to question if you really believe it, whether you're there for your fame or people want to get close to you because you've got money or whatever.
Q: The short answer is yes.