Ah, finally got my hands on the new Snow Patrol album, Eyes Open, I’m pretty broke right now being unemployed and all that and not really into buying books, CDs, etc but made an exception for this album. I first heard Snow Patrol on Xfm during the Christmas of 2003 whilst freezing my nether regions off in Neath, which for those of you who don’t know is in Wales. Run was being played pretty heavily, I quite enjoyed the song a bit depressing but then it matched the weather, which since it was Wales was dark and gloomy. 

Run was followed by Spitting Games and  I liked both so much I scraped together some money (being a broke student), bought Final Straw and stuck it on my MD player. That album will forever be associated with the craziness and fun in my life in 2004. Everything kicked off with a field trip in Ascot where activities included drinking excessively, tasting ethyl alcohol (not recommended, vision can get a bit blurry), breaking into a test nuclear facility, climbing and falling out of trees, trapping Carabid beetles and smoking seeni sambol amongst other entertainments. We really earned the label of environ’mentalists’!

Final Straw was still playing during the summer, spent initially in a remote village in Moneragala gathering data for my MSc project and then in Colombo where the ‘boys’ were reunited after 3 years. Getting stoned on a moonlit beach in Unawatune, downing bottles of Reserve and hitting on everything female in Clancys and dancing the night away on the tables at Glo afterparties was the order of the day, easily the best summer I’ve had. The album was still playing while I bummed around London after that trying to write up my project, cursing at tourists and having cold pints in the summer sunshine. Chocolate achieved an iconic status for me.  

All in all 2004 up until December was an amazing life  changing year, and Final Straw, Songs for Polar Bears, When its all over We Still Have to Clear Up and the Libertines comprised the background music. Oh yeah and I did see Snow Patrol and the Pixies (yes the Pixies!) at V Festival in Chelmsford just to put the icing on the cake. Putting on anything by the boys from Glasgow takes me back down memory lane to those insane, happy times.

Anyways back to Eyes Open, after that rather lengthy digression.  Eyes Open shares some similarities with Final Straw with both sharing those weird electronic background sound effects on some songs and a similar album structure. Gary Lightbody’s voice is as usual ethereal and the lyrics are good as well. You’re All I Have, Headlights on Dark Roads, Its beginning to get to me and Open Your Eyes all have thumping guitar riffs and uplifting but at the same time somewhat dark lyrics. The slower songs are also pretty good; Chasing Cars is absolutely awesome and incidentally was played during the season finale for one of my favourite TV shows, Grey’s Anatomy. The album is about lost love, with lyrics like “Somehow everything I own smells of you And for the tiniest moment it’s all not true” on You Could be Happy but it’s a nice mix of melancholy and upbeat tunes. All in all an excellent album (I may be a tad biased) and well worth the three year wait…get out there and buy it!