... There's no in between with Final Straw.
To that end, there's nothing revolutionary here. It's the same Snow Patrol here as with their previous albums and 'Eyes Open'. But can't blame them for sticking to what they do best ! They do it well.
1. How To Be Dead - Beautiful and relaxing, ... Read review
How To Be Dead Wow Gleaming Auction Whatever's Left Spitting Games Chocolate Run Grazed ... more
Knees Ways & Means Tiny Little Fractures Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking Same We Can Run Away Now They're All Dead And Gone (UK Bonus Track) Half The Fun (UK Bonus...
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Advantages: Summery, romantic and melodic throughout Disadvantages: Nothing original here, and grossly overplayed
...There's no in between with Final Straw.
To that end, there's nothing revolutionary here. It's the same Snow Patrol here as with their previous albums and 'Eyes Open'. But can't blame them for sticking to what they do best ! They do it well.
1. How To Be Dead - Beautiful and relaxing, with deep lyrics and charming vocals *****
2. Wow - Gritty and rough around the edges. Features signature choir vocals ... ...Dead And Gone (UK Bonus Track) ****
14. Half The Fun (UK Bonus Track) ***
On a final note,all that is left is to decide if it beats their new release? Oh yes, this is the best of Snow Patrol. Definitely worth a try. ... more
'Snow Patrol' went from 'that annoying band they play too much on the radio' to one of my favourite artists, sheerly on the strength of this album.
Snow Patrol have been cursed by popularity I reckon. People are put off Snow Patrol by the fact that their songs are on every advert, radio station or teary-eyes rom-com commercial from London to Manchester. But once you look past the big 'hits' from this album, such as 'Run' and 'Spitting Games', you will find some really strong tracks here.
'How To Be Dead' in particular blows every other Snow Patrol song out of the water with its melodic, dream like feel, which will make it idea for lazy days in Summer 2007. The lyrics too are just amazing, as they are throughout.
Other tracks vary from being either 'heavy' with strong distortion and hard hitting drums, such as 'Tiny Little Fractures', complimented by the softness of Gary's voice, or gentle acoustic/piano (which is where they truly stand out). There's no in between with Final Straw.
To that end, there's nothing revolutionary here. It's the same Snow Patrol here as with their previous albums and 'Eyes Open'. But can't blame them for sticking to what they do best ! They do it well.
1. How To Be Dead - Beautiful and relaxing, with deep lyrics and charming vocals *****
2. Wow - Gritty and rough around the edges. Features signature choir vocals in background to Gary's harmonies ****
3. Gleaming Auction - Strong song with good rhythm, but perhaps a shadow on the earlier two tracks ***
4. Whatever's Left ***
5. Spitting Games - Outstanding fuzzy guitar effects and summery feel. A highlight *****
6. Chocolate - Iconic and beautiful *****
7. Run - Poetic and brilliant. A genuine modern day love song with true sentiment and an instantly lovable sound *****
8. Grazed Knees - Feeder-esque. slow and sweet, with romanticised lyrics and a great strings section *****
9. Ways & Means - Rough and hurried ***
10. Tiny Little Fractures- Distorted guitar interspersed with great lyrics and inspired use of crackling effects and clapping. A personal favourite amoungst the others *****
11. Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking ****
12. Same **
13. We Can Run Away Now They're All Dead And Gone (UK Bonus Track) ****
14. Half The Fun (UK Bonus Track) ***
On a final note,all that is left is to decide if it beats their new release? Oh yes, this is the best of Snow Patrol. Definitely worth a try.
newdeadstar 22.06.2007 (23.06.2007)
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Quick review of Final Straw - Snow Patrol
Hit and miss sums up this album easily. There's several good songs, but it lacks originality and tires quickly. Still the bands best work to date, but nothing to rush out and buy. ...
milkylufc 01.08.2007
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Quick review of Final Straw - Snow Patrol
On the whole its a decent album, wouldnt call it mind blowing. There are some good songs here and there.But it got me to look at their other albums too. ...
thecooldude 10.05.2007
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Final Straw - Snow Patrol
Advantages: A few good songs Disadvantages: Also a few not so good songs
I bought this album off the strength of the single 'run'. Run is indeed a very good song, and there are a few other songs on this album that I would say are of the same style and quality (namely 'How to be Dead', 'Spitting Games', 'Chocolate' and 'Little Tiny Fractures'). The rest of the songs on this album are ok, but nothing to write home about. They don't have particularly gripping melodic lines like Run does, and I quite often skip them when ... ...have mentioned are wonderful, and have good lyrics and melodies. It's just a shame that the rest of the tacks don't live up to the standard of these.
Run is definately the best song on this album. Overall, some of the other songs seem a little unoriginal, and sound a bit like eachother. They are also far less obviously melodic than Run. If you are looking for an album that is filled with the same beauty as run, then this is not it. However, it does ...
ruth_emily 04.11.2005 (05.11.2005)
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Advantages: An excellent album packed full of fantastically well crafted tracks. Disadvantages: Fourteen tracks is not enough.
a track that SnowPatrol are extremely proud of. With 'Spitting Games' and 'Chocolate' leading up to it on the album also, the middle point of this album is simply stunning. Having said that, there is nothing on this album that I feel is not deserving of a place here as each and every single one of the tracks is beautiful both in itself and as an integral part of 'FinalStraw' as a whole.
Each and every single one of the fourteen tracks here present craves your full undivided attention, and not to give them that would be criminal. From start to finish, the band more than prove their worth and show that the success that they have had has been thoroughly deserved. It took them nearly ten years before gaining any great deal of commercial popularity; SnowPatrol are no overnight sensations and their eventual success should be respected. You ...
Advantages: A strong refreshingly British album Disadvantages: Not a band that will automatically stick out and make you remember them ala the Darkness
I first heard of SnowPatrol on the local radio at home at Christmas of 2003. I had been away at university for 3 and a half months and I hadn't listened to Xfm for months so I wasn't as up on new music as I like to be. I heard this and was gutted to be going back to Leicester. However, when back in Leicester I constantly nagged my girlfriend that there were a few bands that were great and should make it on the basis of their quality. These were one, and thankfully they have started to gain recognition.
I wasn't aware that this was their third album until recently but this should not be put against them - Blur became much bigger after the release of their third album (a certain Parklife). Also, a bit of a random fact, the lead singer is the only man that Colin (from Colin and Edith on Radio 1) has ever snogged...Anyway, on to ...
Advantages: Swirling melodies and itchy guitars, thematic and emotive Disadvantages: No real variation in the songs, they're either grunge-y or mellow-y
By the time FinalStraw was being recorded, SnowPatrol were fed up. After releasing two albums that had been met with a general feeling of ?nobody cares? by critics and the public alike, they were on the verge of splitting up. Although loved by their fanbase, and popular within musical circles, they decided that if FinalStraw failed then that would be it; SnowPatrol would split up and be no more. Lead singer Gary Lightbody, guitarists Nathan Connolly and Mark McClelland, and drummer Jonny Quinn gathered together for what could be their last recording session ever, and went for broke. Acknowledged as a deliberate attempt to appeal to the masses, the album was released in 2004, headed by single ?Run?. And? they?re still together.
?FinalStraw?, the album they put together, turned out to be an incredible, flowing piece of work, fixed ...
Product Information for "Final Straw - Snow Patrol" »
Product details
Title
Final Straw
Performer
Snow Patrol
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Alternative
Release Date
02/02/2004
Recomended Retail Price
16.99 GBP
Original Release Year
2004
Label / Distributor
Polydor / Universal Music
Engineer
Dan Swift; Jeff McLaughlin
Producer
Garret Lee
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Format
Performer
EAN
602498660898
Catalogue Number
9866089
Additional notes
Album Notes
English version. Scotland's Snow Patrol formed in the mid-1990s, united by a love for both American and British alternative rock. Led by singer/guitarist Gary Lightbody, the band recorded two albums for the revered Jeepster label (home of Belle & Sebastian) before signing with A&M Records. FINAL STRAW, the group's major-label debut, finds Snow Patrol expanding its indie-rock guitar-based sound with greater focus on keyboards, strings, and fuller production values (courtesy of Garret Lee). Lightbody's charming vocals and lyrics provide the band's emotional center, as best evidenced on the wistful opener "How to Be Dead" and the slowly building "Run." Although Snow Patrol knows its way around quiet melancholy, the ensemble is also capable of rocking out ("Spitting Games," "Chocolate"), revealing an aesthetic that places the group squarely in the ranks of Coldplay, Travis, and other Britpop luminaries.
Album Reviews
Spin (p.65) - Ranked #23 in Spin's "40 Best Albums of the Year" - "Feel-good Britpop for nonbelievers." Spin (p.100) - "[A]rena-ready songs about long good-byes with right-angled guitar fuzz." Entertainment Weekly (4/2/04, p.66) - "[FINAL STRAW] proves the Irish quartet keeps getting better....The band has added pulsing strings and staticky textures to its luscious mix." - Rating: A Magnet (p.108) - "[A] soaring, super-polished album replete with dreamy anthems, superior pop moments....All in all, pretty crafty. And pretty smart."
Titles on disc 1
1.
How To Be Dead
2.
Wow
3.
Gleaming Auction
4.
Whatever's Left
5.
Spitting Games
6.
Chocolate
7.
Run
8.
Grazed Knees
9.
Ways And Means
10.
Tiny Little Fractures
11.
Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking
12.
Same
13.
We Can Run Away Now They're All Dead And Gone (bonus track)
14.
Half The Fun (bonus track)
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