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Snow Patrol: Final Straw

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Polydor Records
Released: 2003.05.25
Time:
 43:31
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Garrett Lee
Rating: ******.... (6/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.snowpatrol.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2008.07.10
Price in €: 6,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] How to Be Dead (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 3:23
[2] Wow (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 4:05
[3] Gleaming Auction (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 2:06
[4] Whatever's Left (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 2:41
[5] Spitting Games (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 3:48
[6] Chocolate (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 3:11
[7] Run (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 5:57
[8] Grazed Knees (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 2:56
[9] Ways & Means (Archer/Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 4:49
[10] Tiny Little Fractures (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 2:28
[11] Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking (Archer/Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 4:34
[12] Same (Connolly/Lightbody/McClelland/Quinn) - 3:54

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Gary Lightbody - Guitar, Glockenspiel, Keyboards, Vocals, Background Vocals
Jonny Quinn - Drums
Nathan Connolly - Guitar, Background Vocals
Mark McClelland - Bass, Keyboards

Iain Archer - Background Vocals
James Banbury - Piano, Cello, String Arrangements
Fiona McCapra - Violin
Bruce White - Viola

Garrett Lee - Producer, Mixing
Ben Georgiades - Engineer
Dan Swift - Engineer
Chris Lord-Alge - Mixing
Mike Nelson - Mixing
Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
Louie Teran - Mastering
Ian Dowling - Assistant Engineer
Phil Tyreman - Assistant Engineer
Jeff McLaughlin - Assistant
 

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s

2003 CD Polydor 9865408
2004 CD A&M/Polydor 11110
2004 CD A&M/Polydor/Fiction 000237636
2004 CD Universal 9006
2004 CD Universal 1052
2004 CD Polydor 9817182
2008 CD Polydor 5303427

'Final Straw' is the third album from the Northern Ireland outfit Snow Patrol and their first for major label Polydor, after parting company with Scottish indie Jeepster. Mixed with the help of Garret "Jacknife" Lee, the album sees the band play their unique brand of quirky guitar driven indie pop,led by frontman, Gary Lightbody's distinctive voice. The singles 'Spitting Games' and 'Run' are also included.



The warm melancholy of Gary Lightbody's voice makes for a versatile instrument on Snow Patrol's Final Straw, artfully balancing bright, anthemic rock with disparate reference points like Belle and Sebastian and My Bloody Valentine. Aching with loves both lost and leaving, it's a voice that producer Garrett Lee uses as a jumping-off point, dropping fat guitars, electronic noise, and eclectic instrumentation in with Lightbody's breathy, moody depth. The band plays around with wild shifts of texture: "Gleaming Auction" veers in seconds from a relaxed shuffle to a shoegazing crunch, while a blanket of fuzzbox swagger calls forth the ghost of T. Rex on "Tiny Little Fractures." But just when you're ready to throw the record on random shuffle with Electric Warrior or maybe Heaven Tonight, the band lays down a pastoral ballad like "Same." Somehow it holds together beautifully, stuffed with songs that reward repeat listens and ear candy that keeps you full for days.

Matthew Cooke - Amazon.com



Indie-DJs machen sich mit dieser Platte schon seit fast einem Jahr unentbehrlich. Jetzt erscheint das dritte Album der Glasgower Snow Patrol endlich auch ganz offiziell in Deutschland. Gimpy, Maps, Thunderclap und Handsome beackern alle Spielarten des gebremsten Gitarrenpop und klingen mit Querverweisen an britische und US-Traditionen wie eine widerborstige Coldplay-Version. Und textlich geht es neben üblichem Liebesschmerz sogar um den Irak-Krieg. Da erspart uns selbst der regelmäßige Besuch von Indie-Discotheken nicht den Kauf von "Final Straw", denn die Schotten liefern trotz ihrer Tanzflächenfüller "Run" und "Spitting Games" ein verdammt gutes Argument zum Erhalt des Albumformats. Zwölf Songs ohne Mittelmaß - durchhören, bitte!

(cs) - kulturnews.de



In ihrer Heimat schon längst als Band etabliert, die auf grandiose Art und Weise eine mitreißende Mixtur aus verzerrtem, schnellem britischem Rock und US-Alternative Gitarren-Pop zelebriert, präsentiert das Album die Boys erwachsener, gereifter und selbstbewusster denn je. So ist ihnen mit "Final Straw" ein Wurf gelungen, der ohne Übertreibung schon jetzt als eine der besten britischen Platten bezeichnet werden kann, die man dieses Jahr zu hören bekommt. Doch der Erfolg kam keineswegs über Nacht. Die Snow Patrol-Geschichte begann bereits 1994, als Gary Lightbody (Spitzname: Gimpy - "Because I'm a gimp") an der "Dundee University" den Gitarristen Mark McClelland (Spitzname: Maps - "Because he can find his way around any city") kennen lernte. "Unsere Blicke trafen sich eines Abends in einer Diskothek", erinnert sich Lightbody. "Wir waren uns sofort sympathisch und von Anfang an war klar, dass wir uns gut verstehen werden. Als es später dann auch noch musikalisch klappte und wir feststellten, dass wir die gleichen Bands liebten, dachten wir uns: 'Warum sollen wir nicht unsere eigene machen?' Das war die Geburtsstunde von Snow Patrol."
"Final Straw" ist echter Gänsehaut erzeugender Stoff. In ihrer Heimat bereits im letzten Jahr erschienen und begleitet von dem entsprechenden, tosendem Applaus der Kritik und der Medien. Und die ersten Erfolge waren sofort sicht- und spürbar. Die jetzt vorliegende Single-Auskopplung "Spitting Games" entwickelte sich umgehend zu einem Abräumer bei Radio One im UK. Die Band und ihre Musik fand weitere, neue Freunde und Bewunderer in allen Kreisen. Auch unter den Kollegen aus der Musik-Branche - wie z.B. den bärtigen Prog-Rockern von Grandaddy, die Snow Patrol aus genau diesem Grund mit auf eine ausverkaufte UK-Tour nahmen.

Universal Music



Final Straw, third album from Glasgow-based quintet Snow Patrol, is a darker, nastier and altogether bleaker beast than anything they've produced before. These are ostentatiously pop melodies that have been locked up in a basement, blindfolded over night and subjected to gleefully twisted torture and cruelty until they've squealed. The bruised, distorted (yet basically acoustic) "Wow" highlights this methodology best, producing an ugly princess of a song that sounds like U2 from the Achtung Baby era. There's even handclapping over a dangerously fuzzed-up guitar riff on "Tiny Little Fractures". Lead single "Spitting Games" is what the Thrills will sound like in 10 years time if a decade's worth of rock & roll excess takes its toll - it possesses the kind of catchy, fuzzed-up, demented bumblebee guitar hook that most bands spend their careers searching for. "Chocolate" is more introspective, with its undulating drum pattern and fairy background guitar - "On my knees I'll think clearer...what have I done? What have I become?" croons Gary Lightbody with lethargic despair and weary horror. Less is most definitely more on "Grazed Knees", which sounds like some of Feeder's quirkier and quieter moments, backed up by a stirring, perfectly placed string section. Special mention must go to Garret Lee's production, which drops imperfections, crackles and white noise randomly into the mix to startling effect. Intelligent, interesting, honest, diverse and ever so slightly screwed up - what more could you want from a rock 'n' roll record?

Cortman Virtue - Amazon.co.uk



With Final Straw, Snow Patrol mainman Gary Lightbody seems to take all the inspiration he's gathered from the superstar collaborators in his Reindeer Section project and bundle it into a series of earnest bombastic rock ballads. Producer Garrett Lee deserves credit up-front for expanding the band's sound even further from the lush symphonic grandeur of When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up. Here, Lightbody and his cohorts traverse the same anthemic territory as Idlewild, with guitars cranked to the max. But where his friend Roddy Woomble of Idlewild soars all over the map vocally, Lightbody prefers the immediate and somewhat indifferent vocal style of another friend, Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap. Indeed, much of Final Straw feels like a middle ground between these two bands, if not for the violins, xylophones, and percussion Lee layers into the mix. Thanks to extra ornamentation, "Gleaming Auction" steps into the swirling realm of Rollerskate Skinny, as wobbly dynamics add interest to punishing guitars. If one gets the sense that Lightbody is shuffling through influences, ranging from all of the above-mentioned bands to Radiohead, Coldplay ("Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking" seems to be a more rocking cousin to Coldplay's "Clocks"), and even Pink Floyd (on the unmistakably Dark Side of the Moon-influenced "Same"), his mastery of mood and adherence to harmonies make for a consistently coherent and compelling 40 minutes. Highlights include the throbbing cacophony that is "Wow" and "Spitting Games," which seems like a cascading Wall of Sound feedback-free descendant of My Bloody Valentine. Final Straw is another strong slab of emotion and invigorating energy from a solid band that mixes its influences into an always heady sonic libation.

Tim DiGravina - All Music Guide



Scotland's Snow Patrol formed in the mid-1990s, united by a love for both American and British alternative rock. Led by singer/guitarist Gary Lightbody, the band recorded two albums for the revered Jeepster label (home of Belle & Sebastian) before signing with A&M Records. FINAL STRAW, the group's major-label debut, finds Snow Patrol expanding its indie-rock guitar-based sound with greater focus on keyboards, strings, and fuller production values (courtesy of Garret Lee). Lightbody's charming vocals and lyrics provide the band's emotional center, as best evidenced on the wistful opener "How to Be Dead" and the slowly building "Run." Although Snow Patrol knows its way around quiet melancholy, the ensemble is also capable of rocking out ("Spitting Games," "Chocolate"), revealing an aesthetic that places the group squarely in the ranks of Coldplay, Travis, and other Britpop luminaries.

CDUniverse.com



Irish rockers get confessional and bombastic after a couple of underambitious and underwhelming indie albums, Ireland's Snow Patrol are reaching for the stars with Final Straw. It's already a huge hit in the U.K., propelled by its single, "Run," an enormous lighter-waving power ballad in the mold of Coldplay's "Yellow." Sensitive-boy frontman Gary Lightbody emotes about love objects both human and chemical as if sheer earnestness were the mark of a star, and when the band bears down and speeds up, it's got the bristling force of mid-Nineties college rock. But Final Straw's grand, intricately layered production covers up for how underdeveloped most of its songs are - Lightbody sings so prettily that it takes a while to notice that his melodies go nowhere, and his straight-from-the-notebook lyrics ("I'm far too shy to speak to you at school," he croons on "Spitting Games") rarely add up to much.

DOUGLAS WOLK - Mar 10, 2004
Rolling Stone
  

 L y r i c s


How To Be Dead

Please don't go crazy, if I tell you the truth
No you don't know what happened
And you never will if
You don't listen to me while I talk to the wall
This blanket is freezing, it's been out in the hall
Where you've had me for hours
Still I'm sure what I want
But darling I want the same thing that I wanted before
So sweetheart tell me what's up I won't stop no way

Please keep your hands down
And stop raising your voice
It's hardly what I'd be doing if you gave me a choice
It's a simple suggestion can you give me some time
So just say yes or no
Why can't you shoulder the blame
'Cause both my shoulders are heavy
From the weight of us both
You're a big boy now so let's not talk about growth
You've not heard a single word I have said...
Oh, my God

Please take it easy it can't all be my fault
I haven't made half the mistakes
That you've listed so far
Oh baby let me explain something
It's all down to drugs
At least I remember taking them and not a lot else
It seems I've stepped over lines
You've drawn again and again
But if the ecstacy's in, the wit is definitely out
Dr. Jekyll is wrestling Hyde for my pride


Wow

Don't be scared of anything at all
Everything we have is all we need
All the spotlights streaming into angry skies
Means there's no one watching as we leave

Say the first thing that
Comes into your head when you see me
If it looks like it works and it feels like it works
Then it works
With the sun on your face
All these worries will soon disappear
Just follow me now
Just follow me now

I find careful patterns in the snow
It seems you did come around but changed your mind
If you'd just take ten more steps to me
I won't ever ask you again

Just because I couldn't say doesn't make me a liar
I noticed a change in the tone of your voice
It's so clear
My role in this mess
Is not something that I can be proud of
But it's all going to change
Yes it's all going to change
(All going to change)
(Yes it's all going to change)
(It's all going to change)
(Yes it's all going to change)

Say the first thing that
Comes into your head when you see me
If it looks like it works and it feels like it works
Then it works
With the sun on your face
All these worries will soon disappear
Just follow me now
Just follow me now


Gleaming Auction

I'll get tired of the heart attacks
Every time it rings
I'll put myself on the waiting list
And get it all cleared up
You're the one with the attitude
Don't try and make me out
To be the root of the evil in
The whole rotten affair

Lie back and suffer now
We've both earned our reward

Buried deep in the telegram
I'm sure I never got
Was any clue of the whereabouts
Of all the things I'd lost
Just because you were right before
Doesn't mean you're right
To make up now would just vindicate
Every doubt I had

It's not as simple as
How much you think you care
You would never know
When to take the hint
Broken glass aside
My feelings stay the same
Covered head to toe
In blood and fear and spite


Whatever's Left

It's a feeling I've had many times before
I can't hold the fort so don't give me more
I struggle and sweat when I'm wide awake
When I know I'm fine, I'm not used to fine

It's the same thing again
But it could become a problem if
We don't deal with it now
And you blast off in another rant
I've not opened my mouth
Can you read my mind so easily
As the madness sets in

You must know that I'll follow you (X5)

A sudden movement and a broken limb
The patches are there to show where I'm hit
My fault is it now well that's news to me
Curled and joyless we try once again

It's the same thing again
But it could become a problem if
We don't deal with it now
And you blast off in another rant
I've not opened my mouth
Can you read my mind so easily
As the madness sets in

You must know that I'll follow you (X9)


Spitting Games

OOOOOOOOoooooooo, OOOOOOOOooooooOO (x2)
I broke into your house last night
And left a note at your bedside
I'm far too shy to speak to you at school
You leave me numb and I'm not sure why

OOOOOOOOoooooooo, OOOOOOOOooooooOO (x2)

I find it easier to sit and stare
Than push my limbs out towards you right there
My heart is bursting in your perfect eyes
As blue as oceans and as pure as skies

I struggle for the words and then give up
My head's up with the birds when I see her
A little peace of mind and I'm no better
Than the plain disgrace of all my letters

OOOOOOOOoooooooo, OOOOOOOOooooooOO (x2)

But after that the floodgates opened up
And I fell in love with everyone I saw
Please take your time I'm not in any rush
And it's in everything I ever write

It's not as if I need the extra weight
Confused enough by life so thanks a lot
Lonely written words for company
Just raise the roof this once and follow me

OOOOOOOOoooooooo, OOOOOOOOooooooOO (x4)

I struggle for the words and then give up
My head's up with the birds on the T-hut.
A little peace of mind and I'm no better
Than the plain disgrace of all my letters


Chocolate

This could be the very minute
I'm aware I'm alive
All these places feel like home

With a name I'd never chosen
I can make my first steps
As a child of 25

This is the straw, final straw in the
Roof of my mouth falls as I lie to you
Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean
I didn't enjoy it at the time

You're the only thing that I love
It scares me more every day
On my knees I think clearer

Goodness knows I saw it coming
Or at least I'll claim I did
But in truth I'm lost for words

What have I done it's too late for that
What have I become, truth is nothing yet
A simple mistake starts the hardest time
I promise I'll do anything you ask...this time


Run

I'll Sing It One Last Time For You
Then We Really Have To Go
You've Been The Only Thing That's Right
In All I've Done

And I Can Barely Look At You
But Every Single Time I Do
I Know We'll Make It Anywhere
Away From Here

Light Up, Light Up
As If You Have A Choice
Even If You Cannot Hear My Voice
I'll Be Right Beside You, Dear
Louder, Louder
And We'll Run For Our Lives
I Can Hardly Speak, I Understand
Why You Can't Raise Your Voice To Say

To Think I Might Not See Those Eyes
Makes It So Hard Not To Cry
And As We Say Our Long Goodbye
I Nearly Do

Light Up, Light Up
As If You Have A Choice
Even If You Cannot Hear My Voice
I'll Be Right Beside You, Dear
Louder, Louder
And We'll Run For Our Lives
I Can Hardly Speak, I Understand
Why You Can't Raise Your Voice To Say

Slower, Slower
We Don’t Have Time For That
All I Want’s To Find An Easier Way
To Get Out Of Our Little Heads

Have Heart My Dear
We're Bound To Be Afraid
Even If It's Just For A Few Days
Making Up For All This Mess

(Instrumental)

Light Up, Light Up
As If You Have A Choice
Even If You Cannot Hear My Voice
I'll Be Right Beside You, Dear


Grazed Knees

I'm trying not to stir, it's too late
My blanket's over there, I feel like
I'm broken and I'm colder than hell
I should've said I'd not come back here

Your breakfast will get cold
I really have to go

It's easier to lie and be safe
Time and time again I'm half stalled
One giant leap of faith is easy
When everyone you ask is so sure

Just give a second thought
What if we don't get caught

Just say you love me now
And forget this whole row
Just save your energy
For making up with me


Ways and Means

Getting too busy to make amends
I should try to make it right
Are you ready for the shit to hit
I think you say you are but aren't
Doctor make it better instantly
You're the only one who can
I've been waiting here my whole damn life
And I've forgotten what I wanted

Maybe I can do it
If I put my back into it
I can leave you if I wanted
But there's nowhere else that I can go

Maybe I won't suffer
If I find a way to love her
I'd be lying to myself
But there is no way out that I can see

If I lied you'd know it instantly
So I just had to look away
All the honesty I've ever lost
I can't begin to even curse
I never knew the taste of blood till now
It's clear I never should have known
Breathing fire was never this much fun
So there's a dark side in us all

Maybe I can do it
If I put my back into it
I can leave you if I wanted
But there's nowhere else that I can go

Maybe I won't suffer
If I find a way to love her
I'd be lying to myself
But there is no way out that I can see


Tiny Little Fractures

Is there a place I can go
Is there a light to get me there
If I've forgotten what to say
It's because all words are dust
If this is really what you think
How come you won't look me in the eye
All this crying in your sleep
As I lie awake beside

Is there a T-shirt I can wear
Coz I am soaking look at me
What do you mean I don't love you
I am standing here, aren't I
Maybe you thought of it first
Maybe I get all the praise
Is there a place I can go
Is there a light to get me there


Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking

I've got this feeling that there's something that I missed
(I could do most anything to you...)
Don't you breathe
Don't you breathe
(I could do most anything to you...)

Something happened, that I never understood
(I could do most anything to you...)
You can't leave
You can't leave
(I could do most anything to you...)

Every second, dripping off my fingertips
(I could do most anything to you...)
Wage your war
Wage your war
(I could do most anything to you...)

Another soldier, says he's not afraid to die
(I could do most anything to you...)
Well I am scared
I'm so scared
(I could do most anything to you...)

In slow motion, the blast is beautiful
(I could do most anything to you...)
Doors slam shut
Doors slam shut
(I could do most anything to you...)

A clock is ticking, but it's hidden far away
(I could do most anything to you...)
Safe and sound
Safe and sound

(I could do most anything to you...)
(I could do most anything to you...)
(I could do most anything to you...)
(I could do most anything to you...)
(I could do most anything to you...)
(I could do most anything to you...)


Same

Maybe somewhere else
Will not be half as cold as me
The curtains drawn the winter sun
Makes patterns on your face
It looks like some kaleidoscopic breathing exercise

It's the same
It's the same
It's the same
Baby wont you breathe
Baby wont you breathe

Hold me in your freezin' arms
Before we have to go.
I wince a little, but it's not because I know the truth
The windshield of your little car is frosted through the glass
A clear heart of air appears as we shiver on the seats

It's the same(It's the same, the same)
It's the same
It's the same

It's the same(It's the same, the same)
It's the same
It's the same

Treat it as a test
Treat it as a test
Baby wont you breathe
Baby wont you breathe
It's the same
It's the same
It's the same

It's the same (It's the same, the same)
It's the same
It's the same
 

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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