Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns (Album)
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In a recent MTV interview, Snow Patrol front man, Gary Lightbody spoke about his intentions for the band’s newest album A Hundred Million Suns. He discussed moving away from the sad, depressing, relationship-gone-bad tone of the last two albums, and reported that fans would at times not recognise the music on the album as being from the band. I don’t know how successful he was with either of these intentions, but the final product is tight, emotive and definitely worth a listen.
Their fifth full-length album, and the third from producer Jacknife Lee, A Hundred Million Suns is a move away from your typical Snow Patrol moody ballads, but not quite leaps and bounds in the opposite direction. There is still much angst and heartache, but there is an overwhelming uplifting quality about the music that has been absent in their past offerings. Those music nerds who can cast their mind back about nine years to US indie band Wheat should find some similarities throughout the album to their 1999 album Hope and Adams, but the homage doesn’t extend past the occasional riff or a noteworthy nod. This is 100 per cent Snow Patrol, and 100 per cent worth a listen.
Opening track If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It, starts out with barely a whimper, but builds into great rock crescendos that are gutsier than any other album intro to date. The subject matter still seems somewhat relationship reminiscent, but not in the desperately depressing way tracks like Run or Chasing Cars are.
The album’s first single Take Back The City is punchy, with great acoustic riffs underlying a solid pop ballad. It is by no means as tortured as singles of Snow Patrol past, but perhaps this new, brighter outlook isn’t the worst direction the band could take. Moody and quiet, track Set Down Your Glass is the saddest part of the album, both beautiful and bittersweet, and classic Snow Patrol. Crack The Shutters stands alone as a beautiful love song in its own right– about an apparently okay relationship... totally un-Snow Patrol.
The Planets Bend Between Us is similarly beautiful, but much quieter and a slower pace as we move towards the close of the album. This is countered by following tracks Engines and the almost-heavy Disaster Button, which move away from the quiet and tender into what could only be considered rock. And dealt with in such a gentle, understated fashion as belies earlier work from the band, it is clear that producer Lee’s coaxing has crafted some brilliant musical experimentation that has actually paid off.
It is the epic 16 minute-plus closer The Lightning Strike that truly represents a new era in the career trajectory of the band. This is solid, orchestral, and not for one second too much as they traverse an almost melody of techniques of past and present. The use of a horn section almost four minutes in is spectacular. Lightbody’s voice has never sounded as good. A live version of this could be the most spectacular musical moment of your life. It is stunning. At the five and a half minute mark, the orchestral booming changes to playful piano banter, building into a completely new soundscape of a slow ballad. At the ten minute mark, ballad reverts back to banter, and the builds into classic Snow Patrol pop to finish out the last six minutes. It is a hefty undertaking, but somehow works, and is a wonderful way to close a wonderful album.
