Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns Review
Snow Patrol, when people think of Snow Patrol, people don’t think highly of them despite some records including 2006’s Eyes Open which I will openly say it one hell of a good album, Final Straw and the acclaimed Songs for Polarbears. Snow Patrol’s discography is quite impressive despite going away from a rough “indie” sound to more of a soft rock band sort of routine that does well with the masses. However while a lot of people discredit the band for sucking or being “sissy”, I would argue that they still were good albums despite the attempt at mass appeal.
Pitchfork actually liked Snow Patrol up until their 2008 release of One Hundred Million Suns (giving scores of 8.1, 7.6, 6.7 and 6.6 for Eyes Open). One interesting note is the polarization of this album, Popmatters gave it a 9 (Popmatters is just like Pitchfork in terms of level of criticism) where Pitchfork gave it a 4.9.
I think Snow Patrol were in a lose-lose situation with Pitchfork, whether Snow Patrol went back to their same old formula or did something like A Hundred Million Suns, they were going to be bashed either way (calling them not a good enough band to fulfill those ambitions). That point is pretty subjective, I myself am going to keep it whether I like the music or not.
I was pretty surprised honestly when I played the first track “If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To” with a looped intro that you definitely wouldn’t find anywhere near a Snow Patrol album. This album is downright ambitious compared to other releases. Musically they try to do something different and creative while still bringing in what they were as a band.
A lot of it sounds it could be overly pretentious, a 16 minute closer, all sorts of effects that could mimic Radiohead. However, they don’t overdo it nor do they make an unlistenable record like I found The Killers recent release.
The album does work on some levels, the lyrics are sometimes a bit weak and the band does struggle with finding that sound but it is more of a grower. While my personal tastes like Eyes Open more, it doesn’t mean that Snow Patrol should be lauded for the effort on this album.
It’s an above average album at the end of the day with some sections I am impressed and perhaps dumbfounded that Snow Patrol could pull this off. But they have, they aren’t the greatest or nor most popular band out there but are more then deserving of the recognition they get.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
This album requires a little patience and is a bit of a grower. Imagine that.
If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To it by Snow Patrol
Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands by Snow Patrol
Tags: album