Eyes Open

by

Snow Patrol

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I bought this album on a whim because I liked Final Straw and thought I'd see what their new stuff sounded like. Initially I was a bit skeptical, but after a couple of repeated listens, I think that this actually exceeds Final Straw musically and in lyrics. This is not guitar pop or indie music...this is lush, beautiful, modern music. It's adult...complex and interesting.

There are some truly amazing tracks on this record. Some are reminiscent of (similar in style to) "Fix You" by Coldplay. My favorites include: Make This Go On Forever, Chasing Cars, You're All I Have, and Open Your Eyes.

Seen it all before. Honest, musically excellent, heart-on-sleeve band toils under the radar for years, finally hits paydirt, goes mainstream, production-happy, and loses its soul. For me, this is like the denouement of Supertramp in the early 80's, with similarities. Supertramp finally hit paydirt with the slick "Breakfast in America", but the band's co-founders couldn't agree on direction after that. A final album followed, far inferior to the epic, and the band splintered.

Now for Snow Patrol we have the aftermath of the brilliant Final Straw...Lightbody sacks original member bassist McClelland, throws himself into producer Jacknife's camp, and comes out with the formulaic Eyes Open. It is a cd devoid of soul. Where Final Straw had a dozen excellent tunes, Eyes Open has but two that interest me: "Shut Your Eyes" and "Make This Go on Forever." Sadly, I'll have to keep playing my Reindeer Section cds, Final Straw, and When This is All Over We Still Have to Clear Up and hope Lightbody learns from this egregious error and comes up with something less slick next time. Unfortunately, if this dreck sells well, he'll churn out more of the same. Ah well, Nobody's perfect, that's what I say. I'm sorry.