Most artists have at one time or another struggled with a form of writer’s block, and Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol is no exception. The singer/guitarist admits to suffering from multiple bouts of this while composing “Fallen Empires,” the band’s sixth studio album and arguably its most ambitious work to date. While the past two years may have been difficult at times for the band, the end result seems to be more than worth it.
“Fallen Empires” gets off to a quick jumpstart with “I’ll Never Let Go,” “Called Out in the Dark,” and “The Weight of Love,” an energetic trio of songs that pull the listener in for the nearly hour-long journey to the end of the album. The band takes a bit of a breather next with “This Isn’t Everything You Are,” and from there the album continues with a deeply emotive set of songs that explore many different subjects that the majority of listeners should easily be able to relate to.
Music and lyrics are woven together extremely well throughout the length of “Fallen Empires,” with a mix of quiet, tender moments (such as “Lifening,” “Those Distant Bells” or “The Garden Rules”), which are occasionally punctuated by tracks with more energy and urgency (“In the End”). The extent to which the two complement one another is exceptional — even amazing at times — and a feat which is impressive enough on a single song, yet alone throughout an entire album.
With “Fallen Empires,” Snow Patrol has created a composition that is equally moving at the points when it is epic as well as when it is simple. While the flow from song to song is occasionally a bit disjointed, each of the album tracks is an integral part of the overall piece. From beginning to end, the album sounds a lot like an epic tale that tells the listener a story that goes not just from place to place, but through life and time as well.
Rating: W W W 1/2
| Tweet | Follow @wkdr |
|
|
