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Snow Patrol The Final Straw
Jeepster
Scotland’s a small world, a world where many musicians work together, and in doing so, gather some great stylistic devices from each other. Hailing from Scotland’s indie label, Jeepster, Snow Patrol (who actually originated in Ireland) brings us what they have learned by working with bands like Mogwai and the supergroup, Reindeer Section, which brought together members from the aforementioned group as well as Belle & Sebastian, Arab Strap, Idlewild, Teenage Fanclub, Astrid, The Vaselines, and Cadet. Yep, with the exception of Ugly Casanova (in my book), The Reindeer Section was the indie supergroup of the past decade. So what did Snow Patrol glean from their experience? Well, they can write some fairly solid pop pieces with the highs and lows in just the right places. And they can long for lost love as well as any of those gloomy Scots, you can hear it loud and clear in the lyrics that are filled with longing, but you might have to listen a little closer to hear it in the music.
Track listing:
01 How to Be Dead
02 Wow
03 Gleaming Auction
04 Whatever's Left
05 Spitting Games
06 Chocolate
07 Run
08 Grazed Knees
09 Ways & Means
10 Tiny Little Fractures
11 Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking
12 Same
I love that gloom - and it’s all over these lyrics, Lightbody begs for another chance in “How To Be Dead” with lines like, “you've not heard a single word I have said... Oh, my God. Please take it easy it can't all be my fault, I haven't made half the mistakes that you've listed so far. Oh baby let me explain something, it's all down to drugs…” but the desperation in those lyrics isn’t so evident in the music. The songwriting on this and many others is solid as well as catchy, but everything is just so carefully constructed that I can’t quite hear the emotion conveyed in the words. The lyrics on the rest of the disc run from emotional to poetic to…just a tad sappy (“my heart is bursting in your perfect eyes as blue as oceans and as pure as skies”).
There are also a lot of pleasant and crafty lines in here, I like how they tied the sentiments of searching and longing in with the band name with the lines “I find careful patterns in the snow/ it seems you did come round but changed your mind/ if you'd just take ten more steps to me/ I won't ever ask you again“ in “Wow.” This is another catchy one where they use driving guitar and some feedback against Lightbody’s filtered voice which sings “say the first thing that comes into your mind when you see me, if it looks like it works and it feels like it works, then it works.” This is another point in the album where the lyrics and music are incongruous. It has some of the sweetest lines running along a steady (so steady it's sometimes stale), and driving beat.
Remember what I said about everything being in just the right place? On Final Straw, the beats are totally unwavering, the highs and lows perfectly placed, the instrumentation blends seamlessly, and the voice…is almost devoid of emotion in many parts. There are singers who have an undramatic delivery, like Leonard Cohen, who sings so genuinely that some drama would probably ruin his amazing style. But every word on this album falls into place so perfectly that it’s almost calculating, which gives it the opposite effect, making it sound disingenuous at points. For a love album, I don’t hear the passion. Keep in mind, though, that this is coming from a girl who thrives on the quivering vocals of Bright Eyes's Conor Oberst and the screams of Isaac Brock and Frank Black as well as the candor and style of performers like Cohen and Nico.
Along with some catchy tunes, there are some really nice musical moments, where strings and xylophones and other layered sounds help to contribute to a really unique and full sound, thanks mainly to producer Garrett Lee. You may have heard everyone say they’re similar to Coldplay, everyone was right. Only, Snow Patrol is a lot more interesting with the heartfelt lyrics and intriguing mix of sounds, I’m just torn between the contrived nature of the disc and all the good qualities. A paradox that makes it a slightly above average listen.
