Skip to main content

S4Y#26: "Crystal Ball" | Keane


"...I remember sitting on the bus, and I was trying to write a song and I realized that I didn't have anything to say at all, and I didn't have any feelings about anything...That was a really scary for me, because I've always had lots to say, and lots of opinions whether right or wrong...and it came out of that that we were all feeling this sense of numbness, this feeling of kinda fading away as people. And I just tried to write about that, and it ended up becoming Crystal Ball."—Tim Rice-Oxley, lead of Keane

The alternative rock band Keane was first featured on Dispatch on 101 Songs of My Third Year. And they are featured here again.

I saw the music video of this song, from their album Under The Iron Sea (what a great title!), on cable television, and it appealed to me. It tells of a story of a man with almost everything he can be thankful for, and suddenly was robbed of these things. He was turned upside down, and so it goes.

That's how this video, and the song of course, appealed to me.

Easily felt, easily understood. Truly real.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Adrian's Mid-Year Melodies 2025: The words, the vibes, the feels

Answering the question " Kumusta ?" ("How are you?" in Filipino) can take a lot of time. Even when one can simply say " Okay lang " ("Just fine"), there's much to expound within those two words, often to find out things haven't really been "just fine." And likely it would take more than a few minutes to explain how one has been. Yet, with work consuming much of my (and my friends') time and energy, I've realized it has not been easy anymore to tell somebody how I've really been. It remains astounding to see that we have passed midway through this year, much more that I've reached another year in life personally, now two years short of marking my third decade (and becoming an older single). Yet, it seems that whenever I've tried to reflect on these spans of time, it's hard to pinpoint where to start. Thankfully, as I've started compiling playlists to mark each year and mid-year, I can now reflect on li...

Adrian's Mid-Year Melodies: 2024

Last year, before we welcomed the present year, I recalled 2023 in ten songs (and some more), which I labelled "My Tracks of the Year," after a well-known BBC Radio 2 fixture in weekday mornings. And now that we have gone fairly midway through 2024, I want to share this time the songs I've enjoyed in the past months, most of which have been soundtracking all that I've been through: the small wins, the crushing setbacks, the weight of work being alleviated by music, the roller-coaster of feelings being diagnosed by lyrics. I call this my "Mid-Year Melodies." On the Spotify / YouTube playlist there are 40 songs, but for this blog I'll highlight ten songs, with some special mentions.  Let's get right into it. 1. The Lovers - Alexander O' Neal (1987) After appreciating RnB/soul artist Alexander O'Neal with his classic "Criticize" during Christmas season, in January I've loved his album Hearsay , with its cool narrative of a party w...

Adrian's Tracks of the Year 2025: Slow it right down

2025 was an eventful year, most of us will agree, with the shocking revelations from the investigation of flood control projects, the uneasing reality of rising costs, as well as the ever evolving media landscape. Likewise, this year was eventful personally, leaving me downcast after being clouded by exhaustion, anxiety, and uncertainty. Nonetheless, alongside God's firm hold; the reassuring and caring company of friends, colleagues, church, and family; and, perhaps, memes, it was great music that carried me through all the year's ordeals.  My Tracks of the Year for 2025 feature 100 handpicked songs that have chronicled the past twelve months for me. Out of these, I'm featuring ten songs that have made the most impact, either marking memorable moments or unfolding realizations to carry through the coming year. 1. All I Do - Stevie Wonder 2025 started very well when Trevor Nelson, after hosting a late night show on BBC Radio 2 , started presenting the afternoon show (late ev...