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Do you remember Snow Patrol? No, I mean the real Snow Patrol. Not the ballad-based Keane-alikes that their record company has marketed them as, but the band underneath that were once wowing us with the fuzz of songs like 'Starfighter Pilot' or silencing us with the beauty of 'An Olive Grove Facing The Sea'. They wouldn't touch the middle ground if you paid them, remember?
You'd better cling on to that memory then, because Snow Patrol have pitched their tents in the middle of the road and they're damned if they're moving. 'You're All I Have' follows on fluently from material from their breakthrough pop effort Final Straw, but unfortunately draws from the Terrible Filler category (see also: 'How To Be Dead') rather than the ones that were any good. Initially it doesn't sound much different to 'Spitting Games' until you hit the chorus, where the theatrical 'ooo'-ing of the backing vocals sound like broody women cooing at newborns. The guitar fuzz has been taken out of the equation quicker than that time they kicked out founding member Mark McClelland, leaving behind reams of vaguely sharp yet clean guitar where normally there would be something harsher.
When Gary Lightbody hits the bridge and pleas "give me a chance to hold on" it all becomes clear: Snow Patrol are the new Del Amitri. 'You're All I Have' is unchallenging and linear, and whilst it grows on you eventually, it's hard to derive a sense of satisfaction from listening to it. It sounds like Snow Patrol are going through the motions, trying to find their way again after the line-up change and life under the spotlight, and it's a bit of a kick in the teeth to the hardcore fanbase that stuck with them through thick and thin to see their elected heroes now adopt all the imagination of a one pence piece.
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Snow Patrol
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Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
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Snow Patrol - Final Straw
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Share on Facebookterrible terrible terrible
i hate this band so much
it makes me want to chew my arm off every time i hear their keane/coldplay/travis-esque warblings.
i hope an enormous juggernaut
storms down the middle of their crap road
returns
this is all most upsetting. perhaps if i write an epic ballad people will understand and give me lots of money. then i can write an expensive epic ballad and they will continue to give me lots of money. then it won't matter that nobody is really listening to how upset i am any more because i'm not really all that upset.
I think its pretty good.
I also think its well funny how DiS loves to slag Snow Patrol off all the time. They're excellent, even if Keane fans do like them.
yeah..
..i dont buy this "gone middle of the road" stuff.
They arent that differnt to they've always been. It's more the road got extra lanes and they've ended up looking like they're in the middle.
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its not too bad
its very easy/lazy to compare it to keane etc
urgent vocals, the tune chugs along quite nicely for me. its very different to most of the stuff off the album anyway.
and i don't think its a million miles away from they type of song snow patrol have always written.
Sour grapes
Well, I don't know. I've just read all these reviews and it all sounds like sour grapes to me. I love this band, and have done for years; the new album is great and I'm just happy they've finally achieved the success they deserve. Is it so surprising that they've not produced anything radically new? Musical development is just that and I've never heard anyone criticising Beethoven for sounding the same, but all his music sounds like...well.. Beethoven!! Eyes open is richer, more varied and yes, dare I say it, more polished than previous albums, but surely that's progress....?
olive grove facing the sea
is extraordinary. It's stunning in fact. this is gash.
guess which song went top 40.
I love joe and his public.
well
olive grove is amazing but to be fair it was released before run so it would never have reached the heights
hmmm
i think for me personally, this song is the nail in the snow patrol coffin. Ive been a fan for years, i remember having to order in 'one night is not enough' as the shop wasnt stocking it. I was a little dissapointed by the polished sound of final straw, though still bought it. I tried to tell myself that i was just comparing it with their older stuff and wouldnt mind it if a new band released those songs. the new single is very dissapointing though, i agree that they have seen the success and just written the pleasant pop song they knew would sell. i doubt very much gary lightbody would choose to listen too this kind of music himself!!
oh by the way...
anyone heard of the reindeer section? cool little side project gary lightbody did a while ago featuring loads of guest musicians (alfie, mogwai, arab strap, belle and sabastian off the top of my head). Just if anyone is demoralised by the newer snow patrol stuff its definitely worth a look in!
well you beat me to it
because i was just about to reccomend them too!
hold on...
... the final straw sounds far less polished than When It's All Over...
I do agree to some extent that it's another nail in their coffin. I don't think this kind of thing is going to sell like it has been for much longer. They haven't gone anthemic like coldplay did; and they don't still have the same connection with people they did on a small scale. And Gary Lightbody gets more and more irritating every time you see him being interviewed. I hate when people get confidence.
this isn't necessarily
the final nail, no.
there are two good songs on Eyes Open.. i mean PROPERLY good songs, the rest is a bit hit and miss.. and putting bonus tracks on the first edition of a CD - how is that a bonus?
You're All I Have isn't entirely different from SP stuff, it's just watered down, a lot like that new Chili Peppers song. in my opinion, that is.
Actually I
liked a lot of the songs on Final Straw. I fear I'm terribly alone in this.
i loved Final Straw
bar How To Be Dead. even Chocolate works when it's amongst the other tracks.
please..
don't even waste your br....
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