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snowpatrol thefiresidesessions
Artist: Snow Patrol & The Saturday Songwriters
Title: The Fireside Sessions EP
Genre: Indie Rock
Release Date: 21st August 2020
Label: Universal Music


Album Review

It sounds like a good idea. Every Saturday for a few weeks during lockdown, co-write a few songs with several thousand fans, live, online. And then, give the proceeds from the resulting EP to charity. It would therefore be churlish to knock either the spirit of the endeavour during challenging times, or the generosity of the gesture in terms of giving away all the dosh. So, let’s just have a go at the music, yes?

Once upon a time, SNOW PATROL was a desperately struggling and interesting Indie Rock band, sleeping on fan’s floors after gigs and determined to get themselves noticed. They got good reviews. Nobody cared. Then they got big. Very big. And as is often the case, the bigger they got, the blander they became, until the point where they even made COLDPLAY look edgy. And that takes a special kind of skill.

So, on lead track ‘Reaching Out To You’, it’s clear that several thousand co-writers have exactly the same lack of imagination as the protagonists here, as the song limps into existence and can just about be arsed to stay alive long enough to be annoying. It’s so absolutely formulaic. There must be a SNOW PATROL factory, dumped down somewhere like Milton Keynes, where Gary Lightbody goes while sleep-walking to collect the skeletal origins of his next massive hit. ‘On The Edge Of All This’ again, is so obviously SNOW PATROL in the first three seconds it’s never going to be a pub quiz teaser. It laudably tries to be upbeat and positive and reassuring, pulling us all together during these times of fear and darkness, but it just makes you want to slap their happy chops.

Acoustic ‘The Curve Of Earth’ is a vast improvement, twinkling gently, soothing without preaching. Vocally, it’s mainly falsetto, so you can close your eyes and pretend it’s by someone else. ‘Dance With Me’ is pleasant enough too, but then it’s back to business as usual for final song ‘Light Years’, a song you feel you’ve heard a billion times previously, before you’ve even finished listening to it once.

Two lessons here: Never ask your fans to help out. And next time, just give the money to charity. No need to make a record.


Tracklist

01. Reaching Out To You
02. On The Edge Of All This
03. The Curve Of Earth
04. Dance With Me
05. Light Years


Line-up

Gary Lightbody – Vocals, guitars
Nathan Connelly – Guitars, backing vocals
Paul Wilson – Bass, backing vocals
Jonny Quinn – Drums
Johnny McDaid – Piano, guitar, backing vocals


Website

https://snowpatrol.com / https://www.facebook.com/SnowPatrol


Cover Picture

snowpatrol thefiresidesessions


Rating

Music: 4
Sound: 6
Total: 5 / 10




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