ARTIST: Snow Patrol
TITLE: “Take Back The City”
WEB DEBUT: Sept. 1, 2008
ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: When this song debuted on BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe show Monday, Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody made a bit of a production of stating that the band’s new album was a radical departure from their previous material. Having heard several tracks from the album, Zane Lowe wholeheartedly agreed. I can only assume that they were discussing the rest of A Hundred Million Suns, because this single sounds just like the more animated tracks from the last two Snow Patrol discs. That’s not a bad thng, necessarily–the band occupies a credible space for those looking to get a little more obscure than Coldplay, but not outside of the sensitive British alt-rock-pop act mold. Similar to the hard-rock acts of the ’90s, Snow Patrol can’t lead with the monster ballad, since they’d be seen as “soft,” but I’m certain there’s one track that’s ready to soundtrack an important scene ER’s season finale lurking somewhere in that new album’s tracklist. Holding some spot between commercially viability and vague artistic credibility isn’t easy to pull off, so why jump off the ride before its finished?
WHERE TO FIND IT: Music Is The Heart Of Our Soul. Or:
@DocStrange: That’s fair. I guess I’m going by overall fan base. Snow Patrol is bigger in the U.S. now but initially, if you’re comparing Final Straw v. Hopes & Fears, Keane was bigger in the U.S. (that album went gold).
I wish that Reindeer Section was big instead of Snow Patrol.
Snow patrol is slightly less boring than Coldplay. Still interminable bore however.
I can never figure out who is more popular: Snow Patrol or Keane? Initially, at least in the U.S., I thought it was Keane (they played Radio City on the first album here in NYC vs. Snow Patrol’s smaller Roseland gig). However, since the Grey’s Anatomy song I’d have to go with Snow Patrol. Is this how it is in other areas of the country?
@2ironic4u: Well if you want to go by charts:
Snow Patrol has 1 US Top 40 hit (”Chasing Cars”, #5, with another, “Signal Fire”, hitting the Top 100) and six Modern Rock hits (”Spitting Games”, “Run”, “Chocolate”, “You’re All I Have, “Hands Open” and “Chasing Cars”)
Keane, meanwhile have no US Top 40 hits (although two - “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Is It Any Wonder?” hit the Top 100) and two Modern Rock hits (again, “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Is It Any Wonder”)
So i’ll have to go with Snow Patrol, there.
I always hate that Snow Patrol is considered a “ballad” band because of “Chasing Cars”. While that song is good, they have alot of other good songs. “Hands Open”, for one.