Day #27 - Snow Patrol Review

A review of... Snow Patrol. Basically. Got edited down at the points where I start repeating myself, but since I don't have that edited version, I'll just put this up in the meantime then upload the better one if I ever get it! But yes, this was for The Gown and will be published on Monday I THINK. I'll be in that issue anyway with the Positive Valentine's thing.

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Snow Patrol returned to Belfast last week to play three headline shows in support of new album, Fallen Empire. And with the rest of the tour spanning across the globe, there’s plenty to admire about the band. They found a strong formula for writing accessible pop-rock songs, cracked into the charts and have consistently held their place for the last eight years, doing astoundingly well in America too. All the more impressive when you realise they come from Bangor, Northern Ireland. It’s no wonder the press here think the world of them, granting them the second-stage headline spot at the Belfast EMA’s, as well as a spot in Belfast’s 2012 advertising campaign, showing off Custom House Square. They’ve become a fine export, a great tie between Northern Ireland and the mainstream music masses.

But, becoming an export of the music industry is a dangerous move. Snow Patrol have had only one thing to worry about, and it’s clear they’re thinking it themselves: they’re afraid of turning stale. With the introduction of trance-like-euro-beats to their usual slow, drudging songs, Snow Patrol predicted a “mixed reaction” from fans as they ushered in what has been described as the “next phase” for the band. Critically, however, the consensus for Fallen Empires is that while there was an attempt to shift the formula¸ ultimately the album treads the same lines from previous albums. And it must be noted that this album’s singles, while still selling admirably, are underperforming in comparison to singles from Eyes Open and A Hundred Million Suns, the bands more recent hit albums. The predictions of a mixed reaction from their audience over their startling change in direction illustrates exactly how the band perceives their fans; as delicate children who can’t embrace the slightest change.

Snow Patrol, like so many bands before them, are a victim of their own success. Having reached stardom with little debate or contest, the band has managed to maintain their popularity with little need for change. But now, as the masses slowly lose interest, the band are attempting to adapt to the beat-driven pop scene of today to survive, all-the-while aiming to please their current fanbase by ensuring they maintain their long-established sound, resulting in the underwhelming clash found on Fallen Empires. The affect of their own success has removed any natural evolution in their music, the pressures of popular opinion and the fear of disappointing their fans stripping them of any right to variation or originality. They’ve become an easy bet, a reliable export in the music industry. And in pop music, no band can remain entirely the same and expect to last. Eventually, the tide changes and those unwilling to dare are left behind.

To surpass upcoming musicians and enjoy success well into this century, Snow Patrol need to pull a U2, a Pearl Jam, a Prince. A change, a new image; for better or for worse. At worst, they’ll lose their established fanbase for the sake of making an album that liberates them from the monotonous game of commercial album making, eventually winning everyone back a few years down the line with a ‘return-to-form’ album. At best, their new sound will surpass their former and show how deep and talented these musicians really can be. Either way, it warrants an attempt. In the immortal words of Neil Young/Kurt Cobain: “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” And in music, nothing rings more true. Snow Patrol have done a lot of good in a short time for Northern Ireland and the music scene here; with a little more time, who knows what else they could be capable of.