[Album Review] Snow Patrol | Eyes Open

One feature of soppy, anthemic rock is the notion of redemption it seeks to nurture; a manly hug that says, 'We've all made mistakes but it's going to be OK.'

Soppy, anthemic rock appears able to redeem entire careers, too. Take Embrace. Around the time of their 1997 'All You Good Good People' single, they were pegged as the new Oasis. Eventually plummeting out of favour, they were rescued commercially in 2004 by a Coldplay song.

Snow Patrol started life 10 years ago as a likeable if ineffective indie outfit. After two largely unbought albums, singer Gary Lightbody became better known as the ringleader of the Reindeer Section, a Glasgow supergroup who made two mildly charming, if not quite chartbusting, albums. Around 2002, Snow Patrol decided they wanted to sell records. Final Straw, their third album, exchanged niche interests for soppy, anthemic rock. The calculation paid off. Within months they had a clutch of hit singles and were onstage at Live 8.

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