Fallen Empires

AlbumNov 11 / 201115 songs, 1h 2m 7s
Pop Rock Post-Britpop
Popular

The songs on Snow Patrol’s sixth studio album didn’t come easy. While working on *Fallen Empires*, frontman Gary Lightbody grappled with writer’s block (which R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe helped him overcome). Still, you’d be hard-pressed to tell this from the flowing opener, “I\'ll Never Let Go”—a winsome tune with a pulsing, Vangelis-inspired intro that reveals a move toward classic electro flourishes. By the chorus of the cool “Called Out in the Dark,” it’s evident that Snow Patrol is embracing a change in sound. With guitars upstaged by icy synthesizers, disco-tinged grooves, and sequenced beats, melancholy never sounded so smooth—especially when the chorus unfolds. The gradually ascending title track builds layers of acoustic trill with fluttering orchestration, but it’s the powerful “New York” that proves to be the album’s standout.

4.8 / 10

Snow Patrol have called this new album a showcase for their "secret love of techno." The collection does feature electronics, along with arrangements from Owen Pallett and Nico Muhly and a heavy dose of female gospel vocals.

C

In spite of platinum success in Europe—and even one platinum album here—Snow Patrol remains relatively anonymous, having poked into the mainstream briefly with the big ballad “Chasing Cars.” It might be the Irish/Scottish band’s refusal to caricature itself like its obvious forebears, U2 and Coldplay: Snow Patrol has…

7.0 / 10

Snow Patrol seems to have their hearts in the right place. They’ve covered Low and Bright Eyes, name-checked Sufjan Stevens…

Check out our album review of Artist's Fallen Empires on Rolling Stone.com.

Opening with the one-two punch of “I’ll Never Let Go” and “Called Out in the Dark,” Fallen Empires establishes an expansive vista of sound early on, bathing fairly simple melodies in waves of fastidious loops and sparse percussion.

4 / 10

The inherent difficulty with any critique of Snow Patrol is that no one cares about the facts.

<p>Insipid dance beats and banal lyrics blight Snow Patrol's sixth album, writes <strong>Hermione Hoby</strong></p>

Snow Patrol reckon their new album is experimental. Only within the confines of arena rock, reckons <strong>Dave Simpson</strong>

2.5 / 5

Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires review: On their first recording since the million-selling 2009 collection Up To Now, Snow Patrol sound leaden, unsure of their next move, and too stiff to change the style that they’ve used since the very beginning.<script src=

Snow Patrol stick too rigidly to the formula with Fallen Empires.

Fallen Empires Fiction ****

For Scottish-Irish wimp-rockers experimental means business as usual with a side order of synth. CD review by Thomas H Green