Keane

Spend five minutes listening to Keane, and you’ll wonder how the guys in Coldplay found the time for such an impressive side project. Spend five more minutes doing your homework, and you still might not believe it’s an entirely different band. There are, of course, the obvious similarities. Both bands hail from England. Both have roots linked to stalwart indie label Fierce Panda. And both would choose to save the piano over the guitars if the practice space caught fire. But when you stop sweating the details, Keane — a band that’s thrived with critics and fans for nearly a decade yet didn’t release its first full-length, Hopes and Fears, until 2004 — is assuredly its own entity. Singer Tom Chaplin’s resonating valley of a voice makes Coldplay’s Chris Martin sound like he’s got a pack-a-day habit, and the band’s biggest American hit, “Something Only We Know,” has more in common with California-bred Rooney than with the British chart toppers. Still not convinced? Maybe you need to give Keane 10 more minutes.