Hailing from Bangor, Northern Ireland, Snow Patrol is often cast as a poor man’s Coldplay, and the similarities are noticeable — the earnest vocals, stadium trappings and a vast, echoed sound all recall the most successful rock band of the modern era. But to place Snow Patrol in this small niche is to both overstate its ambition and underrate its potential. The band’s latest release, “Fallen Empires”, is further proof.
Unlike Coldplay’s discography and career in general, Snow Patrol’s output has a remarkable consistency, no real highs and certainly no real lows. With the exception of the 2006 hit “Chasing Cars,” the group has kept a low radio profile yet has retained a substantial fan base. Listen to their recent greatest hits compilation and be surprised how many tunes spark your memory. But “Chasing Cars” was actually a departure from the group’s usual sound. A big, melodramatic piano ballad with the required stadium rock bombast thrown in, it’s an exception to the band’s rule of folksy strumming and slight electronic textures to a solid alt-rock base.
That rule is generally maintained and barely tweaked throughout “Fallen Empires”. The album is like a pleasant cloud, comfortable and unchallenging with some standout work. Here more than previous outings, keyboards and electronic textures take over as a supplement, and for the most part, they lend some bite and variety to Snow Patrol’s usually straightforward sonic output. The opener “I’ll Never Let Go” is an effective table-setter. Pulsating, murky electronic hums and a slow-building rumble build to a genuinely thrilling ending, but it’s almost a little too controlled. This is “Fallen Empires” in a microcosm — instrumentally assured, but somehow lacking the confidence to take any real chances with the obviously fertile material. The sound is warm, rich and clean, but the songwriting — and perhaps attitude — prevent true rock catharsis from ever revealing itself. Take, for example, the guitar break on “The Weight of Love” that sounds for a second as if Nathan Connolly’s solo might thrillingly lose control, but it almost instantly sinks back into the background.
Sometimes this is not the case. The title track is refreshingly aggressive and involving, with edgy synths and clipped guitar stutters creating some real tension, and “In The End” has a guitar chug and drive that’s undeniably strong but never overpowering. The other noteworthy material is in the opposite vein, with the group and singer Gary Lightbody lying back and letting the songs build. “The Garden Rules” is a pleasant blend of strings and piano overdubs, whereas “Berlin” is a short, sweet instrumental that doesn’t have much development but (like everything else here) is pristine sounding.
Elsewhere, the group battles the forces of blandness that come up empty a little too often. “New York” goes for the big ballad but leaves little impression, “Those Distant Bells” creates an air of melancholy but goes nowhere with it and “The President” has all the elements for a great build-up closer and settle for atmospherics.
Perhaps the most unusual and unconventional cut here is the most telling. “The Symphony” uses its springy guitars and steady bass drum beats to create 6 minutes that are fully engaging but nothing more. It’s proof that Snow Patrol has the chops and subtlety to create a piece of work that sounds natural and clean but lacks either the ambition or confidence to use these elements and create something bolder and more challenging. Like all of “Fallen Empires”, “The Symphony” is a pleasant and comfortable warm-up to what might someday be a jam worthy of the scope Snow Patrol clearly relishes.
