I’d fallen in love with Snow Patrol on a trip back from California many years ago, their song “Chasing Cars” ringing in my head until tears fell. They have a way of capturing moments inside of their lyrics, little pockets that rupture before you realize you’ve been caught naked with your heart open. Ever since they’ve always reminded me of airports, the sun and white linen hotel sheets; the aspect of moving on.
Fallen Empires is a new direction for Snow Patrol, featuring bits of techno and symphony. Inspired by childhood nostalgia and the Malibu sunshine – Lightbody’s lyrics ring through with an almost adolescent emotion of staring backwards towards the memories of the past and yet purposefully having to move your feet forward – growing up. There is something I like about this very much as it reminds me of both the days when I first ‘met’ their music on an airplane (and they even have a song about the loniless of flying) and how I was leaving behind this warm and beautiful place towards the cold and cloudy reality of my life in Seattle. I’m sure many people can relate to that feeling in one way or another and although I’ve read that Lightbody’s lyrics “try too hard” on many accounts, I actually thought them very pleasant with the music.
One of the most powerful songs for me was New York, which I hadn’t read a lot about, but we all have that song that reaches through to us. My husband and I first got in contact with each other when he was in St. Louis and I was in Seattle and it would have been almost a year before we decided to meet up and then months later, flights later, before we’d not let go of each other and began our lives. In the present time, while listening to this album, we were having troubles and I sat down to listen to it for the first time and this song crashed into me; as many of their songs have in previous albums. I suppose if you are looking for a song that has that similar feeling as “Chasing Cars”, New York would have that similar sting.
I?d tell you that I loved you before I ever knew you
Cause I loved the simple thought of you
If our hearts are never broken and there’s no joy in the mending
There’s so much this hurt can teach us both
There’s distance and there’s silence, your words have never left me
They?re the prayer that I say every day
Although it is a bit of a melancholy album, there is always something beautiful in the darkness of things as you can feel the sun in which he was inspired from through the music as it breaks free from certain darker spots. Besides, I love music that makes me feel something that I understand. I really believe you’d enjoy this album. It makes you sit down and really listen to it, Lightbody’s lyrics have always done that for me. Put on some headphones, close your eyes and think of it as an ocean wave… an album that pulls you back into the darker churning waters where it’s cold and then crashes you back on the surf, spreading you out over the warmth of the baking sun.
Connect: You can connect with Snow Patrol on their Facebook Page and/or @SnowPatrolBand on Twitter. You can also preview all of their songs, read lyrics and/or purchase music on SnowPatrol.com.
Purchase: You can purchase Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires for $9.49 on Amazon. They are currently on tour and you can find dates / prices by visiting their Shows / Events page.
