Snow Patrol : A Hundred Million Suns

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/snowpatrolahundredmillionsuns.jpg" alt=" " />Snow Patrol increase the high wash on <em>A Hundred Million Suns</em>, their follow-up to <em>Eyes Open</em>....
7.3 Polydor
2008 

 Snow Patrol increase the high wash on A Hundred Million Suns, their follow-up to Eyes Open, the U.K.’s best-selling album in 2006.  The Dundee, Scotland band’s fifth record overall, third on major-label Polydor/A&M, and second since the departure of co-charter (with singer/guitarist Gary Lightbody) Patrolmen, bassist/keyboardist Mark McClelland, is an altogether brighter affair than previous work.  However, it retains the expansive nature of Eyes Open and breakthrough Final Straw, albeit putting the high wash a little more prominently over the guitars.

An ‘up with people’ bright expanse starts right with grand opener “If There’s a Rocket, Tie Me To It”, while going prettier on the following “Crack the Shutters”.  The most recent single, “Shutters” does point to a flaw in the Snow: namely, their tendency to go so heartfelt as to be almost emo (though the Brits do it way better than the Yanks…).  Stronger than both is first single “Take Back the City”, where the band’s expansive sound meets a catchy guitar rhythm.

Unfortunately, from there, A Hundred Million Suns sags in its middle.  The slower strum of “Lifeboats” is a decent change on the record (and benefits from some interesting background effects), but the tech-beat haunted march on “The Golden Floor” is a little high & special.  While the stripped “Set Down Your Glass” is nice enough, it is unwisely matched up with the subsequent “The Planets Bend Between Us”; the comparison only makes the latter seem more emo.  Between those two pairs, “Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands” does return some of the pressing, grand-rock expanse, but still doesn’t feel quite as strong as earlier pieces.

Or later.  Nearing the end, “Engines” is a strong wash, leaden only by some weak stop/start portions.  Thankfully, the penultimate “Disaster Button” is a full return to the more powerful grand expanse.  A Hundred Million Suns ends on the three-part, sixteen-minute epic “The Lightning Strike”: part one, ‘What If This Storm Ends?’, is some grand echotronica (whose start is reminiscent of the superior “Nueva York”  – QRO video – from the much less well-known Coast – QRO spotlight on – on ExpatriateQRO review); part two, ‘The Sunlight Through the Flags’, high keys; and part three, ‘Daybreak’, is the strongest third, with some real ‘after the rain’ sunshine keys.

Lightbody stated that he wanted A Hundred Million Suns to be a “brighter” record than previous material, more ‘a relationship that’s working’ then one that isn’t (having a best-selling album can brighten any band…).  It doesn’t have quite the breakthrough singles of Eyes Open’s “Chasing Cars” (featured in a pivotal scene in the 2006 season finale of Grey’s Anatomy – oddly becoming home to a lot of good music these days…) or Final Straw’s “Run” (or “Signal Fire” from last year’s Spiderman 3 Soundtrack), though “Take Back the City” stands pretty tall.  Instead, it’s a soft middle – and a bit of an over-indulgent finish – that takes off some of the shine from what is still a fine record.

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