Snow Patrol | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Scottish-Irish alt-rock outfit Snow Patrol broke into the mainstream with their 2003 major-label debut, Final Straw, a collection of earnest tunes aligned with the sounds of contemporaries like Coldplay, Keane, and Travis. They followed with the success of 2006s Eyes Open -- which featured the international hit single "Chasing Cars" -- paving the way for the bands U.K. Top Ten platinum efforts A Hundred Million Suns and Fallen Empires. After an extended six-year hiatus, during which time frontman Gary Lightbody worked as a songwriter for pop artists, the band returned with Wildness in 2018. Although originally from Northern Ireland, co-founders Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland relocated to Scotland during their teenage years to attend college. While studying at the University of Dundee in 1994, they began composing music under several different band names, including Shrug and Polar Bear. The duo eventually adopted the Snow Patrol moniker and enlisted Jonny Quinn to play drums in 1997. One year later, Snow Patrol signed with Jeepster Records, a small label based in London, and released the debut effort Songs for Polar Bears. As Snow Patrols audience modestly expanded, the trio relocated to Glasgow upon graduation. Their second full-length album, When Its All Over We Still Have to Clear Up, was released in April 2001. Jeepster dropped the band from its roster that same year, however, prompting Lightbody to blow off steam by forming the Reindeer Section, a Scottish supergroup featuring members of Mogwai and Belle and Sebastian. He also continued writing songs for Snow Patrol, including a promising ballad entitled "Run." After guitarist Nathan Connolly joined the group in 2002, Snow Patrol signed a contract with Fiction Records and began recording a new album alongside producer Chris Lord-Alge. With the power ballad "Run" serving as its lead single, Final Straw became the bands breakthrough hit album, spinning off four Top 40 singles in the U.K. (including "Spitting Games") and eventually selling more than four million copies worldwide. Despite the bands growing success, founding member Mark McClelland left in March 2005, effectively downgrading Snow Patrol to a trio comprising Lightbody, Quinn, and Connolly. Shortly thereafter, former Terra Diablo bass player Paul Wilson and touring keyboardist Tom Simpson were permanently added to the lineup, and the group honed its expanded sound by opening shows on the European leg of U2s Vertigo Tour. Upon the tours completion, they returned to the studio and created the slickly commercial Eyes Open, which was released worldwide in May 2006. Riding the strength of a Greys Anatomy feature, their single "Chasing Cars" became a worldwide smash hit, helping Eyes Open notch gold certification in the United States. It later rose to platinum status, becoming the bands most successful release in America to date. Snow Patrol also became the first U.K. rock act in 13 years to break into the Top Five of the Billboard singles charts, a feat they sought to revisit with the release of 2008s A Hundred Million Suns. Led by the single "Take Back the City," A Hundred Million Suns featured an emphasis on positive, romantic lyrics, something that Gary Lightbody had pointedly shunned in the past. The band joined U2 on the road once again, this time playing stadiums in Europe and America during the summer of 2009. Rather than record another album after the tour, however, they chose to release the comprehensive Up to Now, a compilation spanning Snow Patrols 15-year history. Lightbody and Simpson also teamed up to compile a mix album, LateNightTales, which featured the bands own take on INXS "New Sensation." Lightbody admitted to a frustrating bout of writers block before embarking on the groups sixth studio album, 2011s Fallen Empires, which featured the single "Called Out in the Dark." After the release of 2013s Greatest Hits set, Snow Patrol fell silent. After Simpson parted ways with the group, they returned to the studio, teasing new music over the years without any official releases. Members went on to start families and embark on new side projects, as well as producing and songwriting for other artists like Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Robbie Williams, Ed Sheeran, P!nk, Kodaline, and Taylor Swift. New material from Snow Patrol would not arrive until 2018. Their fifth straight effort with producer Jacknife Lee, Wildness came into being following Lightbodys newfound sobriety, and addressed themes of primal nature in the modern age on singles like "Empress" and "Life on Earth." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 16 Title: Songs for Polarbears Released: 1998-08-31 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:17:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Downhill From Here (03:23) 2 Starfighter Pilot (03:18) 3 The Last Shot Ringing in My Ears (04:25) 4 Absolute Gravity (02:45) 5 Get Balsamic Vinegar… Quick You Fool (03:27) 6 Mahogany (02:46) 7 NYC (04:27) 8 Little Hide (02:41) 9 Make Up (02:12) 10 Velocity Girl (04:37) 11 Days Without Paracetamol (03:32) 12 Fifteen Minutes Old (03:08) 13 Favourite Friend (02:45) 14 One Hundred Things You Should Have Done in Bed / Marketplace (06:17) 15 Sticky Teenage Twin (02:08) 16 Limited Edition (02:33) 17 JJ (01:47) 18 My Last Girlfriend (02:59) 19 T.M.T. (02:51) 20 I Could Stay Away Forever (04:28) 21 When You’re Right, You’re Right (Darth Vader Bringing in His Washing mix) (03:31) 22 Raze the City (04:20) 23 Riot, Please (02:52) |
| Songs for Polarbears : Allmusic album Review : Snow Patrols 1998 disc on Jeepster Records showcases the bands 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 bands earnest approach to songwriting. Tracks like "Velocity Girl" and "Favorite Friend" are some of the discs catchiest and most endearing songs, calling upon a pop sensibility thats somehow different from the standard 1990s indie artists. Over-indulgent song titles like "One Hundred Things You Should Have Done in Bed" and "When Youre Right Youre Right (Darth Vader Bringing in His Washing Mix)" are examples of the bands unabashedly quirky approach to music. Theyre 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. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 16 Title: When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up Released: 2001-03-05 Tracks: 14 Duration: 47:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Never Gonna Fall in Love Again (02:10) 2 Ask Me How I Am (02:34) 3 Making Enemies (04:19) 4 Black and Blue (03:39) 5 Last Ever Lone Gunman (02:42) 6 If I’d Found the Right Words to Say (04:47) 7 Batten Down the Hatch (03:29) 8 One Night Is Not Enough (03:22) 9 Chased by… I Don’t Know What (02:40) 10 On/Off (02:39) 11 An Olive Grove Facing the Sea (05:18) 12 When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up (03:17) 13 Make Love to Me Forever (02:55) 14 Firelight (03:52) |
| When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up : Allmusic album Review : 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 Id Found the Right Words to Say," the mood befits the content. But When Its 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 bands 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. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 16 Title: Final Straw Released: 2003-08-04 Tracks: 14 Duration: 52:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 How to Be Dead (03:22) 2 Wow (04:02) 3 Gleaming Auction (02:04) 4 Whatever’s Left (02:39) 5 Spitting Games (03:46) 6 Chocolate (03:02) 7 Run (05:55) 8 Grazed Knees (02:55) 9 Ways & Means (04:47) 10 Tiny Little Fractures (02:28) 11 Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking (04:32) 12 Same (06:54) 13 We Can Run Away Now They’re All Dead and Gone (03:15) 14 Half the Fun (02:54) |
| Final Straw : Allmusic album Review : With Final Straw, Snow Patrol mainman Gary Lightbody seems to take all the inspiration hes 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 bands sound even further from the lush symphonic grandeur of When Its 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 Coldplays "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. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 16 Title: Snow Patrol: Sessions@AOL Released: 2004-06-15 Tracks: 7 Duration: 30:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Chocolate (03:04) 2 AOL Session Interview (07:02) 3 Run (05:53) 4 Spitting Games (03:49) 5 Tiny Little Fractures (02:24) 6 Ways & Means (04:40) 7 Wow (03:58) |
 | Album: 5 of 16 Title: Live and Acoustic at Park Ave. Released: 2005-12-27 Tracks: 5 Duration: 17:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Spitting Games (04:19) 2 How to Be Dead (03:17) 3 Grazed Knees (02:41) 4 Chocolate (02:34) 5 Run (04:47) |
 | Album: 6 of 16 Title: Eyes Open Released: 2006-04-26 Tracks: 14 Duration: 57:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You’re All I Have (04:33) 2 Hands Open (03:17) 3 Chasing Cars (04:27) 4 Shut Your Eyes (03:17) 5 It’s Beginning to Get to Me (04:35) 6 You Could Be Happy (03:02) 7 Make This Go On Forever (05:47) 8 Set the Fire to the Third Bar (03:23) 9 Headlights on Dark Roads (03:30) 10 Open Your Eyes (05:41) 11 The Finish Line (03:28) 12 ‐ (03:55) 13 In My Arms (04:37) 14 Warmer Climate (04:08) |
| Eyes Open : Allmusic album Review : 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, 2004s 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 bands fourth album, Eyes Open, doesnt fall short from where they left off; in fact, Snow Patrols 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 "Its Beginning to Get to Me" and "Shut Your Eyes," Snow Patrols 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. Theyre onto something big. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 16 Title: A Hundred Million Suns Released: 2008-10-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 58:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 If There’s a Rocket Tie Me to It (04:20) 2 Crack the Shutters (03:21) 3 Take Back the City (04:40) 4 Lifeboats (04:42) 5 The Golden Floor (03:20) 6 Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands (04:26) 7 Set Down Your Glass (03:44) 8 The Planets Bend Between Us (04:18) 9 Engines (05:10) 10 Disaster Button (03:58) 11 The Lightning Strike: What If This Storm Ends? / The Sunlight Through the Flags / Daybreak (16:18) |
| A Hundred Million Suns : Allmusic album Review : If Final Straw introduced Snow Patrol to the mainstream and Eyes Open cemented the bands popularity, then A Hundred Million Suns is the groups ultimate bid for stardom, its slick production and sonic uplift designed to maintain Snow Patrols place in the charts. Like "Chasing Cars," the mega-single from Snow Patrols previous album, tracks like "Take Back the City" and "If Theres 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 bands 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 OneRepublics "Apologize." This is where Snow Patrol sound best -- at the intersection between marketable pop/rock and something more challenging, whether its an unexpected arrangement or an interesting melodic turn. The bands appeal also owes a good deal to Gary Lightbody, who maintains his status as the least famous frontman of a very famous band. Hes the boy next door, a musical Everyman whos just as average looking as Chris Martin and only half as desperately self-effacing. Looks may have little to do with an artists music, but such appearances help ground Snow Patrols 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 havent been mapped out by generations of likeminded balladeers -- the album warrants Snow Patrols existing fame, presenting a band that aspires to pop/rock grandeur without developing the accompanying ego. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 16 Title: iTunes Live from London Released: 2009-02-16 Tracks: 6 Duration: 26:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Crack the Shutters (03:54) 2 Run (04:44) 3 If Theres a Rocket Tie Me to It (03:49) 4 The Golden Floor (03:17) 5 Shut Your Eyes (06:56) 6 Chocolate (03:56) |
 | Album: 9 of 16 Title: iTunes Festival: London 2009 Released: 2009-07-06 Tracks: 6 Duration: 31:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Crack the Shutters (03:22) 2 The Golden Floor (03:23) 3 Make This Go on Forever (05:51) 4 Chasing Cars (04:27) 5 Shut Your Eyes (08:54) 6 What If This Storm Ends? (05:23) |
 | Album: 10 of 16 Title: LateNightTales: Snow Patrol Released: 2009-09-28 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:09:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Observatory Crest (03:49) 2 Midnight (02:42) 3 Dark Lady (02:42) 4 I Walk the Earth (03:10) 5 Canal Song (04:32) 6 Ordinary Joe (04:10) 7 It’s All Gone Quiet (03:14) 8 Last Train (02:48) 9 Fancy (04:07) 10 That’s Us/Wild Combination (04:26) 11 Eanie Meany (02:37) 12 Half Asleep (03:32) 13 Family Tree (04:25) 14 Hold On (03:31) 15 Download (03:00) 16 New Sensation (03:26) 17 Next Train (04:07) 18 Sweet Little Mystery (07:03) 19 The Happy Detective, Part 2 (02:06) |
 | Album: 11 of 16 Title: Up to Now Released: 2009-11-06 Tracks: 30 Duration: 1:59:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Chocolate (03:02) 2 Chasing Cars (04:27) 3 Crack the Shutters (03:21) 4 Set the Fire to the Third Bar (03:23) 5 Crazy in Love (04:24) 6 Just Say Yes (04:41) 7 Batten Down the Hatch (03:29) 8 You’re All I Have (04:33) 9 Hands Open (03:17) 10 Cartwheels (04:07) 11 The Planets Bend Between Us (04:01) 12 Ask Me How I Am (02:34) 13 On/Off (02:39) 14 Making Enemies (04:19) 15 Run (Mencap Little Noise sessions, live at The Union Chapel) (05:04) 1 Take Back the City (04:40) 2 Shut Your Eyes (03:17) 3 An Olive Grove Facing the Sea (2009 version) (04:57) 4 Run (05:55) 5 Give Me Strength (03:22) 6 Signal Fire (04:26) 7 Spitting Games (03:46) 8 Open Your Eyes (05:41) 9 Dark Roman Wine (04:16) 10 Fifteen Minutes Old (03:08) 11 You Are My Joy (03:44) 12 The Golden Floor (03:20) 13 Starfighter Pilot (03:18) 14 PPP (03:23) 15 Chasing Cars (Mencap Little Noise sessions, live at The Union Chapel) (05:16) |
| Up to Now : Allmusic album Review : Up to Now is nothing if not a thorough album, with Snow Patrol diving headfirst into its vaults to compile a 30-track set of radio hits, rarities, new songs, and deep cuts. As a result, this reads less like a best-of compilation and more like a catch-up for those fans who climbed aboard circa "Chasing Cars," which began its joyride up and down the singles charts in 2006. Up to Now takes much of its material from that hit-making period, but it also reaches as far backward as 1998, demonstrating the bands growth and longevity in the process. For those accustomed to the bands straight-faced anthems, a cover of Beyoncés "Crazy in Love" adds some humor to the mix. Three new songs are also included, with the slow-building, understated "Give Me Strength" standing out as one of the bands strongest tracks in years. Up to Now may be somewhat overwhelming for casual listeners -- its quite extensive, with the traditional hits sprinkled throughout a double-disc track list -- but theres no better destination for a fan looking to consolidate his collection. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 16 Title: Snow Patrol Released: 2010-12-31 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 An Olive Grove Facing the Sea (05:18) 2 On/Off (02:39) 3 Santa Maria (04:24) 4 Mahogany (02:46) 5 Velocity Girl (04:37) 6 Limited Edition (02:33) 7 One Night Is Not Enough (03:22) 8 Even Touching Dundee (02:38) 9 When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up (03:17) 10 Fifteen Minutes Old (03:08) 11 The Last Shot Ringing in My Ears (04:25) 12 Chased by… I Don’t Know What (02:40) |
 | Album: 13 of 16 Title: Called Out in the Dark Released: 2011-09-02 Tracks: 2 Duration: 07:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Called Out in the Dark (04:01) 2 My Brothers (03:32) |
 | Album: 14 of 16 Title: Fallen Empires Released: 2011-11-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 57:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I’ll Never Let Go (04:42) 2 Called Out in the Dark (04:01) 3 The Weight of Love (04:15) 4 This Isn’t Everything You Are (04:58) 5 The Garden Rules (04:28) 6 Fallen Empires (05:19) 7 Berlin (02:03) 8 Lifening (03:53) 9 New York (04:01) 10 In the End (03:59) 11 Those Distant Bells (03:18) 12 The Symphony (06:06) 13 The President (04:34) 14 Broken Bottles Form a Star (prelude) (01:31) |
| Fallen Empires : Allmusic album Review : The sixth studio album from the moody Glasgow-via-Belfast outfit finds the group adding a dash of electronica into its already wintry mix of confessional late-November alt-rock and one-fist-pumping, mini-arena pop. Opening with the one-two punch of “I’ll Never Let Go” and “Called Out in the Dark,” Fallen Empires establishes an expansive vista of sound early on, bathing fairly simple melodies in waves of fastidious loops and sparse percussion. The band’s penchant for crafting emotionally charged, if not entirely memorable, midtempo Brit-pop anthems still dominates, but standout cuts like the gorgeous ballads “The Garden Rules” and “Those Distant Bells,” as well as the surprisingly immediate title cut, prove that Snow Patrol still have the potential to hit the sweet spot between U2s stadium baiting, Coldplays icy elegance, and Elbows art school-infused, north country soul. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 16 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2013-05-28 Tracks: 14 Duration: 59:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?) (04:10) 2 Chasing Cars (04:27) 3 Run (05:55) 4 Set the Fire to the Third Bar (03:23) 5 Called Out in the Dark (04:01) 6 Chocolate (03:00) 7 Just Say Yes (04:41) 8 Open Your Eyes (05:41) 9 Shut Your Eyes (03:17) 10 Crack the Shutters (03:21) 11 You Could Be Happy (03:02) 12 Spitting Games (03:46) 13 Take Back the City (04:40) 14 Make This Go On Forever (05:47) |
| Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : As an alternative to the 2009 double-disc compilation Up to Now, Snow Patrols Greatest Hits shortens the track listing down to 14 songs, and updates the time line by including the hit single from 2011s Fallen Empires, "Called Out in the Dark." This collection skimps on all of the material from the early records Songs for Polar Bears and When Its All Over We Still Have to Clear Up, but its a forgivable move since Final Straw, Eyes Open, and A Hundred Million Suns have more than enough hits to fill a disc. Along with "Just Say Yes," which originally debuted on the last compilation, highlights include "Chocolate," "Run," "Crack the Shutters," and "Chasing Cars." | ||
 | Album: 16 of 16 Title: Wildness Released: 2018-05-25 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Life on Earth (05:22) 2 Don’t Give In (03:59) 3 Heal Me (04:01) 4 Empress (04:29) 5 A Dark Switch (04:18) 6 What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get? (03:49) 7 A Youth Written in Fire (04:08) 8 Soon (04:20) 9 Wild Horses (04:38) 10 Life and Death (05:34) |
| Wildness : Allmusic album Review : Following a lengthy hiatus, Snow Patrol returned with Wildness, their first album since 2011s Fallen Empires. The big comeback was delivered with a sense of triumph, a hopeful spirit coursing through its tight ten tracks. During the seven years between releases, frontman Gary Lightbody spiraled into a deep depression as isolation and loneliness led to a disconnect with the world and a severe case of writers block. He recaptured his spark with human interaction, overcoming the depression and associated addictions with the help of his friends. Along with longtime producer Jacknife Lee and new member Johnny McDaid, Lightbody and the band crafted the poppiest Snow Patrol album to date. Their trademark wide-eyed yearning and brittle melancholy havent been abandoned; theyre simply overpowered by hope, healing, and acceptance, like an indie rock self-help guide. The inspiring opener "Life on Earth" patiently churns to life as Lightbody sings "It shouldnt need to be so fucking hard," his urgency suffused with determination and assurance. These Life Lessons by Lightbody continue on the encouraging "Dont Give In" and "Heal Me," a palpably uplifting ode to a friend who convinced him to quit drinking. Fans of Fallen Empires "Called Out in the Dark" will notice that the band push that dance-centric vibe even further on the funky "A Dark Switch" and the carefree "Wild Horses," two surprises that encapsulate the bands new perspective while echoing contemporaneous output by Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. Familiar callbacks to the bands earlier sound crop up on the aching "What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?", wherein Lightbody accepts his pain with solo piano accompaniment, and "Soon," a heartbreaking message to his father, who suffered from dementia. Album standout "Empress" is comforting in its familiarity, a sweeping and joyous moment that channels U2 and Coldplay at their purest and most earnest. Throughout Wildness, Lightbody pushes his message with evocative lyrical imagery and the consoling empathy of someone who has fought the battle and emerged triumphant. The result is one of the most comforting and relatable inclusions in the bands catalog. | ||