Photo by: promonews.tv
The beat on Snow Patrol’s latest album, Fallen Empires, was that Gary Lightbody, the band’s frontman, struggled with writer’s block while composing the album.
Unfortunately, this rumor appears to be true as this album’s lyrics lack the emotiveness found on previous Snow Patrol albums, especially in the band’s hit songs “Run” and “Chasing Cars.”
As well, Fallen Empires turns away from the band’s organic roots and falls in line with the digital revolution occurring in music. Namely, the band replaces its acoustic guitar and piano roots with more up-tempo and predictable synthesizers and drum beats.
However, the band still retains some of its down-tempo nature; Snow Patrol hasn’t turned into Owl City quite yet. Although the lyrics are less striking to the studious listener, they are no less catchy and many of the songs on Fallen Empires will attract listeners quickly. This is especially true with “Called Out in the Dark,” the album’s first single which has become fairly popular.
Fans of Snow Patrol’s previous sound, however, can still find some gems that haven’t been pilfered by the electronic. The ninth song on the album, “New York,” is a fantastic example of what the band is still capable of organically. A soft, persistent piano drives the tempo, while the low drawl of Gary Lightbody culminates in a powerful and tumultuous buildup, which might be just enough to make early fans of Snow Patrol forget for one moment that they are listening to a band intent on changing its sound towards a more populous base. And this is perhaps the saddest lesson of Snow Patrol’s movement.
Although this album lacks the lyrical depth of Snow Patrol’s preceding albums, certain songs on this album, such as “Called Out in the Dark” and “This Isn’t Everything You Are,” will indeed appeal to larger audiences. Even as these songs lack depth, they still contain enough lyrical repetition and rhythmic progression to make them catchy, and will certainly work well in a live setting.
And at the moment, it seems there is nothing more on the rise than electronic rock.
