Snow Patrol: Eyes Open
Rating: 
(A&M, 2006) Snow Patrol’s fourth full-length, and second on a major label, is essentially what audiences have come to expect from the band - epic Coldplay-esque rock, soaring vocals, lovelorn lyrics, catchy melodies, and the occasional ballad. Starting with the first chorus of opener “You’re All I Have,” the band establishes what kind of album Eyes Open will be. The refrain of “It’s so clear now that you are all I have / I have no fear ’cause you are all that I have” soars over the giant bass, falsetto oohs, pounding drums, and shiny guitars, and despite being a rather empty (albeit clever) turn of phrase, frontman Gary Lightbody sings it with conviction. Lightbody and his bandmates do everything with conviction on Eyes Open, and that goes a long way toward making it a good album. The lyrics aren’t always great, and the sound isn’t terribly distinctive, but Snow Patrol believes in what they’re doing and it shows. On “Hands Open,” another sonically big sing-along, when Lightbody sings “Put Sufjan Stevens on / And we’ll play your favorite song,” it’s easy to believe his girlfriend really does love “Chicago” and the rest of Stevens’ instant classic, Illinois. Ballads like “Chasing Cars” and the dreamy “You Could Be Happy” show the band is as adept at delicate pop as they are at anthemic rock epics. On the verses of “Shut Your Eyes,” the instruments pulsate with sexual energy like a good Spoon song, and when the song breaks down into a chorus of “Shut your eyes / And sing to me” it’s like aural foreplay. “Make This Go On Forever” is the darkest song on the album, a minor-key piano laden dirge that musically reflects the desperate tone of the lyrics. When Lightbody sings “We have got through so much worse before / What’s so different this time that you can’t ignore / You say it is much more than just my last mistake / That we should spend some time apart for both our sakes,” the sickening feeling of a dying relationship is palpable. Rufus Wainwrights’s sister, Martha, contributes guest vocals on “Set Fire to the Third Bar,” and the added layer of emotion makes the song one of the best on the album. Unfortunately, the next (and last) three songs are not up to the level of quality established by the first eight tunes. There’s just something about them that’s not as engaging as the first three quarters of the album. That stumble and the lack of originality displayed on Eyes Open keep it from being a genuinely excellent record. It is, however, a quite pleasant listen, well worth repeated spins.
1. You’re All I HaveBuy album
* 2. Hands Open
3. Chasing Cars
* 4. Shut Your Eyes
5. It’s Beginning To Get To Me
* 6. You Could Be Happy
* 7. Make This Go On Forever
* 8. Set The Fire To The Third Bar
9. Headlights
10. Open Your Eyes
11. The Finish Line* = recommended tracks
– Kevin
May 31st, 2006 at 2:38 pm
I always find Lightbody’s singing kind of annoying. The conviction and belief that you mention seems contrived or fake to my ears. Then again, at least they are trying to sound convicted (?), which is a step better than singin without any feeling whatsoever.
May 31st, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Kevin, I’ve enjoyed reading your reviews here and your writing elsewhere. Your wide-ranging listening shows in your work, but more importantly the fact that you know a thing or two about music and how it’s made. That’s something that’s sorely lacking in a lot of what passes for music criticism, journalism, or just plain reviews these days. I believe it will help you stand out from the rest of the noise that’s out there right now.
I always meant to catch you on KJHK’s stream some time. I take it that your temporary drop-out status means you’re not on the air for now, but make sure you make some noise about that if it changes.
Oh, and just to keep this at least somewhat relevant to the review at hand, I would have referred to Martha as being Loudon’s daughter rather than Rufus’ sister, but that’s just me.
Best of luck and be patient building the community. It will happen.
May 31st, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Re: Lightbody. To each his own, I guess. I haven’t really listened to much Snow Patrol before this album, so it may be much more fake-sounding on other albums. But I enjoyed this one.
May 31st, 2006 at 3:04 pm
I’ve only listened to Final Straw, I think. And maybe contrived or fake aren’t right. Maybe it’s more overly self important. So it’s not really that the conviction is faked, just that it is only there because he takes himself and his lyrics seriously-er than I think he should. Which makes me think he may be faking it. But really he’s probably not, I guess. Whatever. I know lots of people that like them. There’s just some bands that sometimes get on my nerves, and this is one of them.
I feel like I’m being overly negative. Let’s solve that with a postive equation.
Lightbody
+ earmuffs
= awesome
June 15th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
I glanced at the title of this review and thought you had your hands on a Taylor Hicks release. You know, the American Idol, Mr. “Soul patrol!!” I was relieved that wasn’t the case.
That said, “aural foreplay”? You are naughty, Kevin.
June 16th, 2006 at 8:31 am
For the most part I enjoyed the album, although it became a little too repetative for my tastes. Eventually I had to turn it off.
Is the term “aural foreplay” really that naughty or suprising coming from Kevin? It is only a matter of time until more illustrious phrases make their way into his reviews.