What started off as a real candy-assed limp song turned into a real beast that just sort of came together piece by piece with the sound of hard-hitting drum beats and guitar play at the backdrop of an awesome vocals that blend together in one magical minute?that?s how Snowpatrol lay here comes up with its songs.
Featuring a dynamic fusion of several alternative stylistic touchstones, Snowpatrol lay here compositions combine songwriting aptitude with guitar rock's sharpest strains.
Originally from Northern Ireland, Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar) and Mark McClelland (bass, keyboards) first got together in snow patrol in portland, or Dundee, Scotland, where they were studying, prior to the addition of Jonny Quinn (drums), who completed the lineup.
Lightbody said a lot of the tracks on their latest album ?Eyes Open? just came about through a series of happy accidents.
"We recorded under this sort of free-flowing chaos, it was sort of wonderful. It was just a lot of laughter. It was one of the happiest memories of our career. Because we'd been through a few sort of gigantic moments, just negative and positive, and we made it out alive," he said.
Drummer Johnny Quinn said it was like a Tom Petty rip-off. But we worked really hard on it and Johnny hit the drums hard on it, and it all started to make sense when we turned the guitars up on it and made it this real beast.
This record got moments of timelessness, and it?s like this journey, it sounds like the whole record just came together under some sort of divine intervention, Lightbody said.
Snow Patrol's fourth album, the epic Eyes Open arrived in May 2006. That fall, with a successful run through North America under their belt and the mainstream appeal of the lyrics for chasing cars by snow patrol, snow patrol - hands open free mp3 was certified gold. Snow Patrol also became the first U.K. rock act in 13 years to break the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
Snow Patrol?s Eyes Open reflects the group?s up-and-down times from becoming bona-fide stars and touring with U2 to parting ways with longtime bassist Mark McClelland.
"The thing with us is that we toured for like two and a half years for Final Straw, and we kept touring and touring and we never stopped. And when we went in to make this record, we were just riding that momentum," Lightbody said.
"So it's kind of a hectic record. I mean, things like touring with U2 had a dramatic effect on us because it showed us how gigantic music can be personal. They can play to 60,000 people and touch every one of them, and that was something we didn't think was possible."
And from the sound of things, Snowpatrol lay here were taking careful notes while on the road with U2. Eyes Open is full of the globe-uniting rock that Bono & Co. have been brewing for 25 years now: big, stadium-ready guitars and epic choruses coupled with somber pianos and fragile, chirping electronic beats. It's the kind of complicated, loud/soft record that will find equal footing with the bloggers and the brosephs.
Track list for Snow Patrol's Eyes Open, according to Interscope:
- "You're All I Have"
- snow patrol - hands open free mp3
- Snowpatrol chasing cars
- "Shut Your Eyes"
- "Beginning to Get to Me"
- "You Could Be Happy"
- "Make This Go on Forever"
- "Set the Fire to the Third Bar"
- "Headlights"
- "Open Your Eyes"
- "Finish Line"
Originally formed in late 1994 as "Shrug", the band started by performing gigs at Dundee University and the surrounding pubs before changing their name to "Polar Bear" in late 1995.
In mid 1997, they released a three-track EP, Starfighter Pilot, on the Electric Honey label. Richard Colburn, from Glaswegian indie band Belle & Sebastian, played drums on this record, and Stuart Murdoch, from the same band, sang on one of the b-sides. Due to legal threats from an American band with the same name (led by Eric Avery, the former bassist of Jane's Addiction), they became "Snow Patrol".
Guitarist Nathan Connolly was added to the group and Snow Patrol found themselves a deal with Polydor. Producer Chris Lord-Alge signed on for the release of Final Straw, which appeared stateside in April 2004. With the success of singles such as "Chocolate," "Run," and "Spitting Games," Final Straw sold two million copies in their native U.K.
It also became the 26th most popular British album of that year. In March 2005, founding member Mark McClelland left the band to pursue other avenues, leaving Snow Patrol a trio with Lightbody, Quinn, and Connolly. Shortly thereafter, former Terra Diablo bass player Paul Wilson and touring keyboardist Tom Simpson were permanently added to the band.
