I wasn't much of a Keane fan but with some time progression I started to enjoy their sound the more they evolved. And this clip is possibly my favorite of them and their greatest moment as well, even in musical terms with a heavier sound if compared to their previous work "Hopes and Fears". Unlike many music videos who usually turn their efforts to seduce and thrill audiences, "Crystal Ball" employs a more frightening idea, with the main appeal being Giovanni Ribisi as the leading actor (not sure why IMDb won't credit him for his role here as Tom Matthews).
The Twilight Zonesque clip tells the story of a happy family man, very hard-working and applied in everything he does until a strange twist of fate comes his way: the door key no longer opens his house, his wife doesn't recognize him and she's married with another guy - who later on also takes his job and is posing on a photo with his son. And all of this happened in a matter of hours of the same day. Each action goes by and Ribisi character keeps on losing more and more aspects of his quiet simple life. "Everything I know is wrong" hints the lyrics at one point.
Keane's statement about the unexpected, undesired changes in our lives in an almost "Once in a Lifetime" manner but without Talking Heads humor, perfectly matches the clip. Their sound is potent, memorable and unmistakable. Giovanni Ribisi delivers one of the greatest clip performances of all time, very reminiscent of Paddy Considine in the Coldplay video, both men losing everything they knew and becoming someone else along the way. Scary and reflective short stories that makes us wonder about the ways of life, how we connect to it or not at all. It makes us question a lot of things. The 'what if's' that life gives us from time to time.
There are two versions of "Crystal Ball": one with the band members appearing in between scenes with the story; and the second which eliminates the group and allows us to hear the dialogues between Ribisi and other characters, even with the music playing in the background. I prefer this version even though I'm more familiar with the former. In any case, excellent job by Mr. Giuseppe Capotondi. 10/10
The Twilight Zonesque clip tells the story of a happy family man, very hard-working and applied in everything he does until a strange twist of fate comes his way: the door key no longer opens his house, his wife doesn't recognize him and she's married with another guy - who later on also takes his job and is posing on a photo with his son. And all of this happened in a matter of hours of the same day. Each action goes by and Ribisi character keeps on losing more and more aspects of his quiet simple life. "Everything I know is wrong" hints the lyrics at one point.
Keane's statement about the unexpected, undesired changes in our lives in an almost "Once in a Lifetime" manner but without Talking Heads humor, perfectly matches the clip. Their sound is potent, memorable and unmistakable. Giovanni Ribisi delivers one of the greatest clip performances of all time, very reminiscent of Paddy Considine in the Coldplay video, both men losing everything they knew and becoming someone else along the way. Scary and reflective short stories that makes us wonder about the ways of life, how we connect to it or not at all. It makes us question a lot of things. The 'what if's' that life gives us from time to time.
There are two versions of "Crystal Ball": one with the band members appearing in between scenes with the story; and the second which eliminates the group and allows us to hear the dialogues between Ribisi and other characters, even with the music playing in the background. I prefer this version even though I'm more familiar with the former. In any case, excellent job by Mr. Giuseppe Capotondi. 10/10
