Music: 7/10 Vocals: 5/5 Lyrics: 4/5 Production: 4/5
Total: 20 out of 25: B+
Snow Patrol dishes up a very good pop/rock album. It reminds me of the style of Gin Blossoms and Vertical Horizon. The music ranges from the edgy "You're All I Have" to the ballade "You Could Be Happy". The latter is sung over what sounds like a music box. Personally, the best of the album is the desperate "Set Fire to the Third Bar" about a couple separated by a distance that longs for each other. What is equally satisfying is that there are no bad songs on this album. It remains evenly good with spikes of greatness.
The highlight of the band is singer Gary Lightbody. He's not going to win any awards, but he is a very competent singer that sounds good in front of the full band to over a simple acoustic guitar. His voice is pure with no signs of studio manipulation or massive overdubbing to mask intonation or tonal issues.
The lyrics on the album are very good. They would be great as a teenager pining over love lost or broken. But, Gary stays away from the common cliches, sappiness, or just stupidity. Instead he has penned some smart lyrics for a genre not known for smart lyrics.
The production on the album is perfectly fine. It could use a bit more brightness and a little more bass. It comes across as slightly flat but EQ seems to fix it pretty well. Otherwise it was recorded clean without overproduction. It sounds like this band should be able to reproduce its sound pretty well live.
Overall I give Snow Patrol's Eyes Open a 20 out of 25, or B+. It's relatively disposable music that is well done and deserves a few months in your CD player.
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