Fallen Empires [Deluxe Edition]

Snow Patrol | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 10, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Universal Music Group
• ASIN: B0065UJ1ZE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,918 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Deluxe two disc (CD + DVD) edition includes a bonus DVD, Live At The Royal Albert Hall. 2012 release, the sixth studio album from the Irish Alt-Rock band. Over several months, the five piece began a musical road trip around California. They recorded tracks at Eagles Watch, a topsy turvy house in Santa Monica with widescreen windows and panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Backing vocals were drawn from the LA Inner City Mass Gospel Choir in Compton, south central LA. Later, tracks were mixed at the studio owned by longterm collaborator, Garret "Jacknife" Lee--a hacienda tucked away in Topanga Canyon, the onetime hippy commune and former home to Neil Young and Woody Guthrie. Along the way, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, US singer Lissie and Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist, Troy Van Leeuwen all popped by to lend a guitar part here, a lyric idea there. Meanwhile, Snow Patrol's new adventures seeped into every note on Fallen Empires. The result is an album that promises to redefine the band as an altogether more ambitious, more expansive, creative force.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The Truth is Somewhere In Between February 17, 2012

By wildwielder

Format:Audio CD

My advice: Pay no attention to either the enthusiasts or the hecklers. There's a lot of talk about how this album took such a giant stylistic leap from their usual muse. This is true for maybe three tracks on the album, in which they used techno flourishes and dance grooves that sometimes throw back to 80s synth-pop-- and, in my opinion, that wasn't a bad thing. I'm not like some reviewers who think bands should never re-invent themselves. (That's why I'm not a huge fan of bands like Boston and AC/DC. Pretty much, each release sounds like every other. But, I digress.)
Those three aforementioned tracks-- "I'll Never Let Go", "Called Out In the Dark" and "In the End"-- are pretty much it for any real stylistic change. And even with those, take away the synths, and they sound just like earlier Snow Patrol work. And, frankly, it's not like they have never used spacey synths before, so even there, it's nothing shockingly new.
The rest of the album is right on par with the typical Snow Patrol material: A few quirky rockers, lots of big, orchestrated ballads with their almost trademark lack of any real bridge, and chorus sometimes not coming in until the very end when it is repeated over... and over.... again.... A formula that has appeared in every album over... and over.... again.... Also, a very simple tune like "Berlin" with wordless vocals, which reminds one much of artsy filler like "NYC" on the Songs for Polar Bears debut.
The stand-outs are the three earlier ones mentioned, as well as the moody ballad "This Isn't Everything You Are"-- awesome songwriting, here--, the intense build-up music of the title track and the cinematic "The Symphony", which are the kind of tracks that endeared me to SP to begin with.
In reality, rather than wowing (or enraging) us with any surprising stylistic change, this is very much an obvious continuation of A Hundred Million Suns-- but not quite as good. Indeed, Fallen Empires is a good recording, but not Snow Patrols best. Some fans, such as myself, will enjoy it, but we are hoping the next one returns to the quality of previous releases.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Snow Patrol Are Back, and In Fine Form January 11, 2012

By Rudy Palma

Format:Audio CD

Credit must be given where it is due. Snow Patrol have taken a creative risk by bathing new studio album "Fallen Empires" in electro beats and flirting ever so carefully on several tracks with a sound that's a bit more radio-friendly.

Regardless, what really works for "Fallen Empires" is the general lack of a dour, self-serious vibe that often plagues the work of decidedly "arty" rock artists at this approximate time of career. Gary Lightbody and company do not project any more than a necessary self-consciousness into the material, so nothing is cloying or overly sentimental. The music breathes.

Singles "Calling Out in the Dark," "This Isn't Everything You Are" and "New York" all have pep, rhythm, melody and sparkle with glistening choruses and considered, poetic lyrics that transform them into impressive, easy-to-listen-to pop/rock anthems.

They are not where the record's merit ends. "In the End" is profoundly stirring, with strong percussion from Jonny Quinn and husky guitars from Nathan Connolly propelling the pathos-fused melody and lyric onward. Lightbody's vocals are sincere and rife with passion. The nervy, jangly title track, with vocal modulations and rapid-fire drumming, works nearly as well.

The particularly electro-infused opener "I'll Never Let Go" is as intriguing and idiosyncratic as the more simply-produced anthem "Lifening," which breathes easily, simply presenting Lightbody's unique take on the meaning of life atop a highly evocative guitar.

"Berlin" also spots a unique worldbeat feel with a mixed-gender choral background, while "Those Distant Bells" sets the balmy, deeply felt tone its title implies.

"Fallen Empires" may lose Snow Patrol some fans, but it may gain them some as well. It is a slick, adventurous and artistically sincere set of solid tunes crafted by inarguably talented musicians.

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Snow Patrol--more focused, tighter, and rockin' out January 10, 2012

By Storylover TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Snow Patrol had cautioned fans that they should expect the band to take a new musical direction, so it was with a sense of concern that I approached this album. I need not have worried. Lightbody is still singing his heart out, his beautiful tenor floating and soaring and giving me chills. The music is a little more back to basics, rockier, but still fully accessible to fans who have been following them. Stand out tracks for me include "New York", which has an aching intro that harks back to some of the best moments of Snow Patrol, and "In The End", where Lightbody intones "In the end, there's nothing more to life than love, is there?" over a thrumming bass and a hard drumbeat. Ultimately, if you've been loving Snow Patrol, don't be scared. This is still classic Britrock with the melodic sensibilities that we have loved before. I think that this record will welcome a new set of fans into the fold. Very enjoyable, accessible record.