 | Tracklist:
1. You're All I Have
2. Hands Open
3. Chasing Cars
4. Shut Your Eyes
5. Beginning to Get to ME
6. You Could Be Happy
7. Make This Go On Forever
8. Set The Fire to The Third Bar
9. Headlights
10. Open Your Eyes
11. Finish line
Release Date: 2006 | Ranking: #146 for 2006 | |
|
On 17 Lists
|
October 24th, my birthday had come and gone, and I was left to reap the benefits. Included in these benefits were at least $75 in gift certificates to some CD store. Like a kid in a candy store, I ran up and down the rows picking out my favorite band’s new CDs. Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab for Cutie and many more found their way into my hands and eventually into my stereo. Finally, I was left with 9 dollars and the real hunt began. I had to find a cheap used CD under 10 dollars before my brother and dad made me leave. After about 10 minutes my eyes fell upon Snow Patrol’s Final Straw . This wasn’t my first experience with Snow Patrol, being addicted to VH1 for quite a while, I had seen the video for “Run” quite a lot. I liked the song and my friend had told me the CD was quite good. So I bought it. Many listens have followed and now I sit at my Dell PC and type up an intro to the band’s new CD Eyes Open out of year-old personal experiences. Moving my mouse to the Rhapsody icon on my desktop, I double click the play button and start my review.
After a few listens, I have decided to summarize Snow Patrol’s sophomore release for you. It’s not a huge departure from their debut, as Snow Patrol sticks to their tried and tested U2/Coldplay formula. But Eyes Open is different from Final Straw in that it is on some levels, a concept record. Each track is about love, or the loss of it. Each track gets progressively more sad, as the main character goes from being kind of clueless to the next turn his troubled relationship will make (Hands Open) to fully losing his love interest (Set the Fire to the Third Bar). In the same way, the songs get progressively better and more beautiful. Tracks like opener You Could Be Happy and first single Hands Open are great pop tunes with their soaring, early U2-esque guitars set the base for clever lyrics. Hands Open, the better of the two even manages to mention Sufjan Stevens in its catchy set of lyrics. Put Sufjan Stevens on /and we'll play your favorite song /"Chicago" bursts to life and your /sweet smile remembers you, my /Hands open, and my eyes open /I just keep hoping
/That your heart opens flow off of lead singer Gary Lightbody’s tongue and fit perfectly over the lightly effected guitar music. These fun pop-songs slowly evolve into Kid-A era Radiohead-esque electronic ballads.
While the first two tracks are cool pop songs, the third is a preview of what is to come later on the album. Chasing Cars is a tune that could not only top the charts but is truly beautiful as well, much like the track that introduced me to Snow Patrol “Run”. Chasing Cars is what Snow Patrol do best, beautiful soaring ballads. These ballads make many appearances on Eyes Open. Make This Go On Forever is probably my favorite track on the album. Its heartbreaking lyrics fit like a puzzle over its equally heartbreaking music. The lyrics document the last desperate attempt to save a dying relationship. Please don't let this turn into something it's not/I can only give you everything I've got /I can't be as sorry as you think I should /But I still love you more than anyone else could are the lyrics that open up the song. Make This Go on Forever’s ambient music perfectly evolves into the haunting piano chords that open the equally brilliant, Set the Fire to the Third Bar . Said piano chords hold the album’s most chilling vocal performance high on their shoulders. Lightbody’s voice is paired with a girl’s on this song and it sounds great. Bells and light drums come into the song during the chorus. This song is truly a masterpiece.
The album ends on both a high note and a low note. The high note being that The Finish Line is a brilliant song. Electronic ambience and snyth chords make up the majority of the music. Not to mention The Finish Line has some of the best vocals on the album. The low note is not really a low note in the sense that the end is bad, only that The Finish Line is a haunting, beautiful song but is also and incredibly depressing one. All in all, The Finish Line seems like a near perfect way to end a near perfect album. Some may not like the poppier side, some may not like the electronic, depressing side but I can’t find a bad song.
4.6/5
-Dan
|
| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 2.5
Pretty good review, but Snow Patrol sucks. I had always just taken that on faith until I bought this album. The Finish Line is the only good song here.
Digging: Animal Collective - Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished | | |
Have not heard anything from the band. Good review.
Digging: Between The Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
This review should be getting a whole lot more attention than it is at the moment due to bullshit.
| | |
Pretty good review.
I don't liek Snow Patrol much, from what I've heard.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Love this album - I'm really enjoying it at the moment. Chasing Cars is probably the best track on this album. Good review too, mate.
| | |
Great work on the review.
I've only heard one Snow Patrol album and returned it quickly because the music was just so boring and dull.
| | | Album Rating: 3
Thanks to everyone for the positive comments.
To Iluvatar: What is it that you don't like about Snow Patrol?
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Reference point: Zebra.
EDIT: And I can't stand that singer. Je sounds like a friend of mine, who I want to punch in the mouth for spilling 151 on my kittens.This Message Edited On 05.14.06
| | | Album Rating: 3
Gotcha, I figured you were gonna agree with Zebra but had no idea about the kittens.
| | | Album Rating: 4
I like it, it is more focused vs. Final Straw which kinda was more of their transition from grungy to more a sophiticated "mature" sound. Eyes open is the result of their transition, though many fans are seperated from their change from "Songs For Polar Bears" to "Final Straw". Hands Open is a great song, and I totally agree on your review, it can be a great album if people give it a chance. Though many opted to buy Red Hot Chili Peppers "Stadium Arcadium" over this (which is pretty good). Kudos on the review though.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Beautiful album. There is a lack of hits the first listen around - it seems like this album stinks (and I thought so after I bought it). But a lot of the tracks are really, really deep, and this album gets better with every listen. They really crafted their songs on this one.
Favorites:
Shut Your Eyes
Set the Fire to the Third Bar
You're All I Have
It's Beginning to Get to Me
IMHO, Hands Open is one of the worst songs on the album.
Digging: Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose | | |
I've only heard the single from this, but like most Snow Patrol songs I really don't know what to make of it. Final Straw had some great tracks and a bunch of dull tracks. Very informative review but you need to lose the 'press the play button' stuff, I think.
Digging: Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Originally Posted by mx
IMHO, Hands Open is one of the worst songs on the album.
Agreed. Actually, I would see it is THE worst song on the album.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I'm loving Chasing Cars as well. I think this is a pretty good album, but it has its downs as well...
Anywho, it's a good review.
| | | Album Rating: 4
I bought this the other day, and it's really good. I had heard about the band ages ago, but never really paid much attention to them. I heard about how this was a big release, so I took a punt and picked it up. It's emotional, but not in a cheesy, James Blunt Piano-driven way. All the instruments have their acquired effect on every song and Lightbody structures his ballads well, their thought-out, engrossing and epic, leaving you in no hurry to skip to the next track. The worst thing that Snow Patrol could do now is to try to make hits out of some of these songs, that will take away the effect that this album has as a package because the whole album fits together well. This Message Edited On 05.15.06
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
these guys arent bad..better than any other British band out there at the moment.. gotta love the singers voice..BTW good review!This Message Edited On 05.15.06
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Really great album, just hope this doesn't get old after a month or so. I think all the songs on here are good and really catchy (but not in a bad way!!). I love the innocence of some of the songs on here, such as You Could Be Happy
| | | Album Rating: 3
[quote=Kaiser]IMHO, Hands Open is one of the worst songs on the album[/quote]
I didn't think Hands Open was all that bad, possibly the worst on the album though.
[quote=Plath]you need to lose the 'press the play button' stuff, I think.[/quote]
You might be right about this.
[quote=Running]really catchy (but not in a bad way!!).[/quote]
Catchy is never a bad thing.
On a side note "Set Fire to the Third Bar" and "The Finish Line" are my favorites off this.
This Message Edited On 05.15.06
| | |
I won this album, and it is OK. Snow patrol have a diverse sound, but there are no real stand-out tracks on this record.
Maybe I should listen to it through a few more times.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Ouch no one likes 'Hands Open'?? And yes this album gets better with every listen, i'm quite surprised how good this album is.
| | | |
|
|
Stumble
Digg
Twitter
Del.icio.us