Customer Reviews

Eyes Open

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this album on a whim because I liked Final Straw and thought I'd see what their new stuff sounded like. Initially I was a bit skeptical, but after a couple of repeated listens, I think that this actually exceeds Final Straw musically and in lyrics. This is not guitar pop or indie music...this is lush, beautiful, modern music. It's adult...complex and interesting.

There are some truly amazing tracks on this record. Some are reminiscent of (similar in style to) "Fix You" by Coldplay. My favorites include: Make This Go On Forever, Chasing Cars, You're All I Have, and Open Your Eyes.

Indie kids added Snow Patrol to their mixes with the band's 1998 debut "Songs for Polar Bears," whose title references a previous incarnation of the group. How could you not love a Scottish indie band with chops big enough to cover "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce Knowles as a B-side?(Yes, the bootylicious singer from Destiny's Child and "Austin Powers.")

Snow Patrol relies on atmospheric, pop-tinged melodies, shimmering keyboards, and distorted guitars characteristic of the Glasgow alternative scene of the 1990s, overlaid with lead singer Gary Lightbody's floating tenor. The band's fourth disc, "Eyes Open", builds on the band's signature style.

Songs like "Make This Go On Forever", "Headlights on Dark Roads", and duet with Martha Wainwright "Set the Fire To The Third Bar" hypnotize with dark imagery and minored vocal chords. "You Could be Happy" and "Shut Your Eyes" lend a sense of acoustic purity to the album.(Both were recorded live in one session; you can hear chairs creaking, breathing, and feet tapping in both, but it just adds to the mood.)

The self-described "emotional knife-twisting" of Lightbody's lyrics is absent from the album's biggest single to date, "Chasing Cars." Like "Run", "Chasing Cars" is a deceptively simple love song filled with "garden[s] bursting into life" and "wasting time" with the one you love. "Cars" gets a lot of radio play across the FM band in Boston, from Emerson College's eclectic WERS 88.9 to Top 40-Music-In-A-Can Kiss 108.Whatever station it's played on, it's almost always followed by a moment of silence and the DJ saying "Wow, what a beautiful song."

True to form, "Eyes Open" starts with aggressive guitar riffs and builds to a rousing, uplifting finish. Repetition of a single chorus "tell me that you'll open your eyes" and increasing production layers in "Open Your Eyes" pull listeners willingly across "The Finish Line." This last track reminds us that finish lines are "good place[s] to start."

If there's any justice left in the music industry, "Eyes Open" should be a starting point for even better things from this talented quintet.

I have to admit I am not all that familiar with this band. I heard one of their tracks on a movie I was watching recently and dediced to buy one of their cds. Without even knowing it....this is the cd I have been waiting for. I am just tired of listening to the same type of music and this band really does offer something different. The words, music and use of some instruments you wouldn't necessarily hear on a pop/rock album make it all the more worth listening to. I do love this album and will be looking forward to discovering more music from Snow Patrol. Thanks Snow Patrol for giving us such a great cd to enjoy.

Seen it all before. Honest, musically excellent, heart-on-sleeve band toils under the radar for years, finally hits paydirt, goes mainstream, production-happy, and loses its soul. For me, this is like the denouement of Supertramp in the early 80's, with similarities. Supertramp finally hit paydirt with the slick "Breakfast in America", but the band's co-founders couldn't agree on direction after that. A final album followed, far inferior to the epic, and the band splintered.

Now for Snow Patrol we have the aftermath of the brilliant Final Straw...Lightbody sacks original member bassist McClelland, throws himself into producer Jacknife's camp, and comes out with the formulaic Eyes Open. It is a cd devoid of soul. Where Final Straw had a dozen excellent tunes, Eyes Open has but two that interest me: "Shut Your Eyes" and "Make This Go on Forever." Sadly, I'll have to keep playing my Reindeer Section cds, Final Straw, and When This is All Over We Still Have to Clear Up and hope Lightbody learns from this egregious error and comes up with something less slick next time. Unfortunately, if this dreck sells well, he'll churn out more of the same. Ah well, Nobody's perfect, that's what I say. I'm sorry.

This cd is a pretty good cd. Overall this cd is not as good as Final Straw. Final Straw is a cd with most all of the songs being fairly good. Eyes Open has four great tracks 1,2,3,&5. I would say some of the previously listed tracks are probably better than any single song on the Final Straw. The rest of the cd is decent but really isn't great or timeless. If you want a good cd to get a taste of Snow Patrol get Final Straw, it is a good timeless cd that might take you a little bit to get into, but after you listen to it a few times you get addicted to it.

nothing strange about this band being compared to coldplay; their music does mine a similar vein of sound. this is lush, powerful music, with big times waiting ahead. they should find mass appeal with this stuff, and there's nothing wrong with that. a strong, strong effort that deserves its big audience. long may snow patrol run.

i love gary lightbody. i do. i've been a snow patrol and reindeer section fan for the last 5 years. up until 'eyes open,' one could never accuse gary lightbody of not wearing his heart on his record sleeve. those familiar with his work in the reindeer section know gary lightbody is more than capable of an emotional punch quite unlike anyone else. snow patrol's third album, 'final straw,' was again evidence that gary lightbody could deliver the emotional goods while delivering a great song and melody.

unfortunately, 'eyes open' is a step backwards in the band's evolution. musically, the album is just plain boring. it's essentially 'guitar-by-the-numbers.' there's no real imagination anywhere(a.k.a. 'the coldplay curse'). every song is basically similar in tone, style and tempo. that's not particularly a bad thing, but when that style isn't very interesting to begin with, it leaves you wishing 'eyes open' were a whole lot more than it actually is. the album opener, 'you're all i have' is decent enough. it's reminiscent of 'spitting games.' 'hands open' however, is an exercise is MOR rock tailor made for VH1. it made me cringe. it's instantly forgettable. 'shut your eyes' is a so-so track and at least offers a slightly varied guitar riff. 'it's beginning to get me' is the album standout, if there is one. unfortunately, it took 1/2 an album to hear the first memorable melody despite its truly vapid lyric, 'i want something purer than the water, like we were.' is this the same guy who wrote 'where i fall' off 'son of evil reindeer?' and 'an olive grove facing the sea' off 'when it's all over we still have to clear things up?' what's happened to the lyrics? they are, by and large, cliched, tired, and well-worn. they lack any real cleverness, playfulness or insight. i know he can do better because he's done it in the past. i'm sure he will do it again. i just wish it were on this album. maybe he needs to get those blokes from arab strap, belle & sebastian, mogwai and the like back in the same room together to push his creative juices.

the album, however, does have some redeeming value. gary lightbody's voice is still a wonderful thing. it's nuanced, especially in the pronunciation of words. he easily jumps between his regular singing voice and his falsetto. unfortunately, it's lacks the same vulnerability as on past snow patrol and reindeer section albums, however. the album, i'm sure, will appeal to a lot of people simply because it's not challenging on any level.

in all fairness, it must be a huge challenge to follow up an album as successful and well-received as 'final straw.' the pressure to make something as commercially viable while keeping artistic intregrity i'm sure is more than a bit overwhelming. hopefully gary lightbody and co.'s next album will sound less forced, less commercialized, and not so overly-produced, because when gary lightbody's on the top of his game, he simply can't be beat.


*******

UPDATE: amazon had this posted as a spotlight review then took it down the following day. i suspect the corportate bigwigs who run snow patrol's label demanded amazon remove a unfavorable review from the spotlight review, even though a majority of the reviews for the new album are less than favorable. shame on you, amazon.

I love Snow Patrol, I really do. Final Straw is a great album and it made me go out and buy their older stuff (that I could find). I even saw them last year at Coachella and was really impressed by their live show.

But this album is really disappointing.

It's really produced, to the point where it seems like the question when recording it was "how do we make this song appeal to the most people?" There's an edginess that's lost on this album. To that end, it doesn't feel as sincere, either.

The vocals are probably the easiest to point to, as what once sounded like heartfelt indie rock now seems like light rock crooning.

I had high hopes for Snow Patrol -- and for this album -- but those hopes weren't realized.

Okay, I have to admit that I didn't even know Snow Patrol exisited until about a year ago when I met my husband. Yet still, this CD is a keeper! This is my jam CD when I'm cleaning the house or just lounging around. There really isn't a bad track on here. If you get this, whether you are a Snow Patrol fateful or newbie, you will not be disappointed.

I love this album. I was enamoured of the Chasing Cars song from radio and decided to check out the rest of the CD. I am very pleased with the purchase. In addition to Chasing Cars, You're All I Have and Shut Your Eyes are standout songs. I plan to check out the older albums from Snow Patrol.