lambchops's Full Review: Final Straw by Snow Patrol
A lot of unique items come from Scotland. You’ve got haggis, stovies, brogues, kilts, and golf courses that all make the country famous (or infamous). Heck, without Scotland I wouldn’t even exist!
With the mid-1990’s British pop invasion a new bunch of bands appeared on the scene. They were from England and Ireland, Wales and Scotland. There never has seemed to be a shortage of super cool artists to caress our ears with gentle pop sounds. In 1997, Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Mark McClelland (bass, keys), and John Quinn (drums) came together to form Snow Patrol and subsequently released their popular Jeepster debut Songs for Polar Bears.
That album was a minor smash in the UK. However, it took another two releases and the addition of a second guitarist (Nathan Connolly) before the band was thrust into the American music scene. 2004’s Final Straw is a watershed album for Snow Patrol. While this variety of music isn’t ever going to be entirely accepted in the United States (it’s much too “serious” and “intelligent” for MTV audiences) it is refreshing to see that bands like this are getting exposure and earning respect. With all of that said, I wouldn’t call Snow Patrol my favorite UK band of recent years. Their sound is pleasing and moderately interesting, but Final Straw as a whole fails to completely connect.
My first exposure to Lightbody’s style came with the humorously titled all-star gig The Reindeer Section and album Son of Evil Reindeer (2002). It was ambitious, but a little too tidy and sticky-sweet. However, I was still fascinated and delved further into the Snow Patrol back catalogue. Final Straw was what I found next. Having apparently been creatively inspired by his semi-successful side project, Lightbody and his three bandmates assembled twelve ballads marked by sparkly, appealing, gentle, acoustically conscious, evocative pop.
Final Straw makes me happy from the start. How to be Dead is a lovely way to kick off the album. Along with Chocolate (which, by the way, contains the passage that became the album’s title), Run, Tiny Little Fractures and Somewhere a Clock is Ticking it is my favorite track. The individual songs are much more effective then the album on the whole but I can’t fault Lightbody n’ company for much aside from making a darned pleasurable gem. How to be Dead is the first in a line of impressive songs. The general approach of the song is similar. Most are slow, all have lovely little melodies, and Lightbody’s voice is at the center of each of the songs. While I’m telling the truth, I must also admit that I really, really love his chords. His voice is the glue that holds this collection of songs together.
Really only two singles have gotten any airplay stateside. Run is certainly the better song over Spitting Games but it’s easy to see why both were chosen. The latter is an upbeat, jangly, immediately engaging track. The reason it doesn’t really appeal to me as much is that it doesn’t help me to understand what Snow Patrol is trying to do. It’s pretty, yes, but it’s also kind of boring. Run on the other hand is a slow guitar-driven alt-pop ballad. Lightbody’s voice soars over the top of the light guitar/percussion/string arrangement. As the song comes to the chorus, it picks up pace and volume. I enjoy the changes throughout Run and can’t help but think this is what the band is best at.
Even with the songs that don’t really stick with me, I’m impressed with how good everything sounds. The production is ace as are the performances. Snow Patrol certainly has a grand future ahead if they continue down the path they’ve already begun to explore. Of course, I’ve always mentioned I love Tiny Little Fractures. Upbeat, summery, and irresistible it is easily the most immediately gratifying of all songs on Final Straw. Somwhere a Clock is Ticking has an odd, electronic feel. While it is definitely in contrast to the rest of the album it works nicely as a lead-in to the final song.
Same is a sneaky song. It’s not often that bands put a really great track at the end of their album. Often the better songs are clustered in the beginning or middle, but rarely does the album come into its own at the end. Final Straw clustered three of its best tracks in the last three slots. Same is the gentlest and freest of all the tracks. It’s so simple that the band’s genius is allowed to show through. Despite the overall positive nature of the album, this wonderful song leaves me with a feeling of hopelessness. It definitely puts a different spin on everything.
Final Straw is in the end an album with some really amazing songs. However, so many of the tracks sound alike (even if they do sound good) that I can’t rate this as perfect. It is without question one of the better albums of 2004 and well worth the money for fans of British pop, alt-pop and generally decent music.
Rating: 4/5 stars
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
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