Mt Desolation: Mt Desolation – review

Keane's recent collaboration with rapper K'naan suggested a band desperate to shake their cosy reputation at any cost. This side project, an exercise in anthemic country-rock from songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley and bassist Jesse Quin, works better, displaying a certain spirit of musical exploration without straying far from the middle of the road. The name's a red herring; this is no bleaker than a group of lovelorn home counties chaps living out their Kerouac fantasies on the M23. But highlights such as "Bitter Pill" cruise nicely and it's a more convincing vehicle for their undisputed melodic gifts than rap hook-ups.