Snow Patrol Album: “Final Straw”

Very few albums lately move me both with the music and the lyrics, and this is one of the very best at both. Though this band is very good on their own and have their own distinct sound, I have to say that they remind me of a more indie sounding Coldplay, or a more accessible and less contrived version of Radiohead. It actually took me about three hours to listen to the whle CD because I kept repeating songs that I instantly wanted to hear again. The lyrics are emotionally charged and are genuine... not at all contrived or high school poetic. This is a fantastic album that should not be missed. I bought the import edition with two bonus tracks, which are definitely worth checking out. Don't let this CD pass you by...it's an instant classic.

In todays era of soul-less corporate rock and cash-safe "attack of the clones", I've begun to look over the pond for my music needs. Bands such as Muse, Kent, Doves, and Idlewild (just to name a few) get regular spin time in my ear buds.

A while back I got into the Reindeer Section, a side project of Gary Lightbody (creative force behind Snow Patrol) which incorporated a lot of euro talent on multiple tracks. The albums were a chance for Lightbody to experiment with some *safe* and *marketable* sounds, while retaining some integrity in the indie market by not carbon copying each track or sticking to a particular formula too closely (or marketing it to death). The Reindeer project, to me, was a simple attempt to get some people together and create some good music and, in my opinion, they succeeded nicely.

Fast forward to today. Lightbody took all that he learned with Reindeer Section, what he thought worked, what he thought could be improved, and created Final Staw, the new Snow Patrol album. What he and his band created is a more "radio friendly" version of Snow Patrol, which will no doubt upset the long-term fans, however...and it needs to be said.....WOW! Radio-friendly never sounded so good.

There are no "skip me's" on this cd. All tracks are solid. As others pointed out, some (like "Run") stand out as singles, but the other songs that are more radio-edgy stand out like polished gems. I think this band has grown a lot since Polar Bears and am glad I've been along for the ride.

The promise showed by Snow Patrol through the paranoid rock of `Songs for Polar Bears' and bittersweet acoustics of `When It's All Over...' is perfected in this, their third album.

While they've always been a fantastic live band, their recorded work has never had quite the power of their live shows - until now. Gary's songwriting is twice what it was before, perhaps as a result of sideproject 'The Reindeer Section' balancing his creative output these days. In the past their albums have been endearingly all over the shop but 'Final Straw' manages to combine the greatest variety of sounds in a coherant progression - even if its only a slight thematic or melodic link - from one song to another. As a result the cd plays beautifully, whether you listen right through or pick out individual tracks.

All the songs are great so you'll be hooked to this album from the opening stutter of 'How to be Dead', through the phenomenal 'Run' to the beautiful closing duo of 'Somewhere a Clock is Ticking' and 'Same'. It's always been a shame that Snow Patrol are critically acclaimed yet underrated, but the release of this album just makes the fact they've not recieved as much press attention as many other irish bands recently all the harder to understand.

Definitely album of the year! :)

Everyone's into these guys these days it seems. So, what is all the fuss about? Lyrically, Snow Patrol ranks right up there with the other skip-across-the-pond pop darlings recently making the charts: Coldplay, Keane, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, etc. and musically they're like a fond mid tempo skip down brit pop lane with soft, melodic male vocals. The big difference, I suppose (if there is one) is that this band exudes loads of charm, pop sensibility, a know how to get a hook out, and a great big dollup of originality that makes them irresistable and good for repeated plays but not an absolute (oh my god I'll die otherwise) necessity to your collection. If you're up for a new exploration into familiar indie territory, I'd recommend this.

I bought this album about four months ago after being recommended it by a friend who was into Death Cab for Cutie. I love DCfC, so I thought that Snow Patrol would be some sort of rip off of them. Not even close. In fact, I don't even consider it the same kind of music. But this isn't a review intended to compare two bands. I'm here to talk about the great music put out by a great band. To those who compare them to Coldplay, I just don't see it. Snow Patrol's music is much more guitar driven than Coldplay's, and I'm a fan of Coldplay. The singer's voice doesn't sound like Chris Martin's voice in any way at all, and tends to sound more like a Placebo and at times even Radiohead. And their music, even if the lyrics are strange at times, is upbeat and makes you want to move. Take "Wow" for instance. What a great fast paced song. Other favorites of mine include "How to be Dead, Chocolate, Run, Grazed Knees, and Somewhere a Clock is Ticking". This album, and this band deserve far more attention than they are getting, and I feel if more people listen to them, they will explode on the music scene.