Snow Patrol Albums (5)
'A Hundred Million Suns'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 11
Label Universal AB
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What The Critics Say
If Final Straw introduced Snow Patrol to the mainstream and Eyes Open cemented the band's popularity, then A Hundred Million Suns is the group's ultimate bid for stardom, its slick production and sonic uplift designed to catapult Snow Patrol into the upper echelons of modern music. Like "Chasing Cars," the mega-single from Snow Patrol's previous album, tracks like "Take Back the City" and "If There's a Rocket Tie Me to It" are slyly repetitive -- their hooks are cyclic, each comprising only a handful of notes, and their straightforward familiarity helps maximize the songs' singalong potential. But A Hundred Million Suns also features more curve balls than the band's past catalog, from "Lifeboats" (an icy love song with synthesizer glissandos and falsetto harmonies) to "The Golden Floor," whose handclap-and-stomp intro recalls the light hip-hop flavor of OneRepublic's "Apologize." This is where Snow Patrol sound best -- at the intersection between marketable pop/rock and something more challenging, whether it's an unexpected arrangement or an interesting melodic turn. The band's appeal also owes a good deal to Gary Lightbody, who maintains his status as the least famous frontman of a very famous band. He's the boy next door, a musical Everyman who's just as average looking as Chris Martin and only half as desperately self-effacing. Looks may have little to do with an artist's music, but such appearances help ground Snow Patrol's music, even while "Take Back the City" and "Please Take These Photos from My Hands" reach for the same stars that U2 routinely grab. When A Hundred Million Suns focuses on music -- not saccharine radio fodder like "Chasing Cars," but actual music, with twists and turns that haven't been mapped out by generations of likeminded balladeers -- the album wholly warrants Snow Patrol's fame, presenting a band that aspires to pop/rock grandeur without developing the accompanying ego. As a result, this is the group's best work yet. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The anthemic indie rock sound of Snow Patrol provides a bit of hope and promise among the many acts attempting to fit into a certain genre or scene. Snow Patrol belongs to their own scene, and their third album, 2004's Final Straw, proved that with several global hit singles such as "Run," "Chocolate," "How to Be Dead," and the reissue of "Spitting Games." British fans once more proclaimed their beloved Snow Patrol as a true rock & roll band while American audiences finally took notice of the Scottish collective. The band's fourth album, Eyes Open, doesn't fall short from where they left off; in fact, Snow Patrol's hungry rock sound only gets bigger and better this time around. All guitar hooks and singalong choruses are firmly in place, and Gary Lightbody is an underrated frontman. On Eyes Open, he once again writes songs that are from the heart and true to self-reflection without getting too sappy and too overjoyed. From the playful name-dropping of Sufjan Stevens on "Hands Open" to their passionate delivery on "It's Beginning to Get to Me" and "Shut Your Eyes," Snow Patrol's approach is epic. They are the kind of band that embraces simplicity as beautiful and human flaws as art. The lullaby-like "You Could Be Happy" and the passionate buildup of "Make This Go on Forever" are evident of that. This 11-song set is a masterpiece, so keep your ears and eyes open for Snow Patrol. They're onto something big. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With Final Straw, Snow Patrol mainman Gary Lightbody seems to take all the inspiration he's gathered from the superstar collaborators in his Reindeer Section project and bundle it into a series of earnest bombastic rock ballads. Producer Garrett Lee deserves credit up-front for expanding the band's sound even further from the lush symphonic grandeur of When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up. Here, Lightbody and his cohorts traverse the same anthemic territory as Idlewild, with guitars cranked to the max. But where his friend Roddy Woomble of Idlewild soars all over the map vocally, Lightbody prefers the immediate and somewhat indifferent vocal style of another friend, Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap. Indeed, much of Final Straw feels like a middle ground between these two bands, if not for the violins, xylophones, and percussion Lee layers into the mix. Thanks to extra ornamentation, "Gleaming Auction" steps into the swirling realm of Rollerskate Skinny, as wobbly dynamics add interest to punishing guitars. If one gets the sense that Lightbody is shuffling through influences, ranging from all of the above-mentioned bands to Radiohead, Coldplay ("Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking" seems to be a more rocking cousin to Coldplay's "Clocks"), and even Pink Floyd (on the unmistakably Dark Side of the Moon-influenced "Same"), his mastery of mood and adherence to harmonies make for a consistently coherent and compelling 40 minutes. Highlights include the throbbing cacophony that is "Wow" and "Spitting Games," which seems like a cascading Wall of Sound feedback-free descendant of My Bloody Valentine. Final Straw is another strong slab of emotion and invigorating energy from a solid band that mixes its influences into an always heady sonic libation. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide
'When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up'
Release Date 4/24/2001
Tracks 14
Label Jeepster
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What The Critics Say
On its second album, Snow Patrol takes a significant leap forward in terms of artistry and vision. It was perhaps too easy to write the trio off as a sub-Belle & Sebastian combo after its debut, what with the aural similarities to that band and the fact that they were both on Jeepster. And the music here still has characteristically lush and gentle moments -- and still intermittently echoes their better-known labelmates ("Batten Down the Hatch," "On/Off") -- sometimes barely rising above a whisper, while the subject matter is dour and brittle as ever. Snow Patrol again dwells on bad dreams and heartbreak, regrets and one-night stands, tempering even the few rays of sunlight with wounded or downbeat thoughts. And on songs like the nightmarishly paced dirge "If I'd Found the Right Words to Say," the mood befits the content. But When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up breaks dramatically and sensationally with the cult of twee. It is not a subdued or stilted album, either musically or emotionally, which not only makes the band's melancholia palatable but also renders it substantial and genuine rather than affected. The music is still extremely tuneful, but songs such as "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," "Last Ever Lone Gunman," and "One Night Is Not Enough" are truly guitar-driven things (occasionally with subtle electronics) that underscore a determinedness and passionate vitality often lacking in similar inclined approaches (including, sometimes, Belle). When "Black and Blue" abruptly transitions from barely there falsetto crooning to a grinding, overdriven guitar assault, it sounds like a call to arms. Rather than small and insular, the album is open, grand, and beautiful. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide
'Songs for Polar Bears'
Release Date 8/25/1998
Tracks 19
Label Jeepster
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What The Critics Say
Snow Patrol's 1998 disc on Jeepster Records showcases the band's sometimes-edgy indie rock and occasionally spacy indie pop. The Edinburgh, Scotland, trio mixes tempos immediately, starting off with the crunchy "Downhill from Here" and the exuberantly poppy "Starfighter Pilot." The pace slows down quickly with the third track, the withdrawn and melancholy "The Last Show Ringing in My Ears." The borderline hip-hop beats of the fourth track, "Absolute Gravity," startle the listener, making it clear that listening to the disc is going to be a colorful ride. "Mahogany" is another acoustic-based ballad, sticking out on a disc full of non-traditional beats and chords. All of the songs highlight the band's earnest approach to songwriting. Tracks like "Velocity Girl" and "Favorite Friend" are some of the disc's catchiest and most endearing songs, calling upon a pop sensibility that's somehow different from the standard 1990s indie artists. Over-indulgent song titles like "One Hundred Things You Should Have Done in Bed" and "When You're Right You're Right (Darth Vader Bringing in His Washing Mix)" are examples of the band's unabashedly quirky approach to music. They're able to pull it off with their undeniable musicianship and musical sensibilities. On Songs for Polar Bears, Gary Lightbody appears on guitars, vocals, and keyboards, while Mark McClelland chimes in on bass and keyboards and drummer Jonny Quinn rounds out the lineup. Guest artists include Isobel Campbell, Richard Colburn, Fraser Simpson, and Tom Simpson. The album was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland, by producer Jamie Watson. ~ Stephen Cramer, All Music Guide
