Fallen Empires - Snow Patrol
Fallen Empires Image
  • Summary: The sixth album for the Northern Ireland alternative rock band was recorded in California and features Lissie, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, and Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist, Troy Van Leeuwen as guests.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 25
  2. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. 80
    Lightbody and company manage to deliver an unyielding and substantially satisfying collection of high quality upbeat tracks and atmospheric ballads.
  2. Jan 19, 2012
    60
    In the first few songs they stretch themselves creatively and come up with promising results, but halfway through it's back to overwrought ballads and middle-of-the-road mid-tempo rock songs.
  3. Jan 10, 2012
    37
    Yet for all the textural variety they provide, those welcome cameos rarely succeed in leavening Lightbody's pervasive gloom.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Lightbody claimed that this album would take Snow Patrol in a new direction; apart from a few samples of electronica, this album is trademark Snow Patrol. It features Lightbody's personal and glossy lyrics, typical attempts to draw you in with the Irish croon of his distinctive voice and songs that are written to mean something to anyone. In those ways, the album succeeds; but it is what it is and not anything else. Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. Though we hear the beginnings of a move forward musically by a band that is good at going post-genre music, I guess I would have liked to have seen more of it. This is very much the Snow Patrol people know, and it is still very prevalent throughout the album. On the plus side, we hear some funky and electronically-inclined new sounds from them. On the downside, I thought this album was very much a formulaic continuation of previous works, which is a bummer because there are some really great sounds and ideas on this album. Still, this album will be fun to most average listeners who are looking for something fun and radio-friendly. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. 7
    Snow Patrol are what they are and are reasonably good at what they do. Once you accept this and aren't expecting anything revolutionary, you can enjoy this band. The Northern Irish rockers latest attempt sounds shamelessly like a U2 record, except not quite as good as their fellow Islanders. Opener "I'll Never Let Go" is a clear nod towards Achtung Baby. The lead singles "Called Out in the Dark" and "This isn't Everything You Are" are as strong as anything the band have put out and the album is worth hearing for those tracks. Unfortunately, like their last record, if you take out the singles the rest of the album tracks offer very little. Also the best stuff on here is all toward the start of the album, their is a consistent trailing off of quality as the album progresses. To be fair though, the album is well produced and they have made a good job of dressing up what is for the most part an average enough bunch of songs. It's far from a bad album but it's not one that will be remembered in years to come. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 4 User Reviews

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