Comments on: Final Straw, Snow Patrol http://www.thelisteningblog.com/2009/10/final-straw-snow-patrol/ “Listen all the time, and remind yourself when you’re not listening, or else the mike and the tape recorder will get the best of you.” – Pauline Oliveros Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:30:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Courtney Patino http://www.thelisteningblog.com/2009/10/final-straw-snow-patrol/comment-page-1/#comment-31135 Courtney Patino Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:11:20 +0000 http://www.thelisteningblog.com/?p=378#comment-31135 I remember how much I loved Final Straw when it first came out. In fact, the first time I heard 'Run' on the radio, I went home and spent 4 hours searching all the lyrics I could remember, and fishing through all of the new music lists I could find for something that could be it. I was obsessed. Once I got the album, I slipped into a Snow Patrol-induced depression for a few days. It was a very deep connection for me. I felt at the time, that some of the messy noises and stumbles even added to that sound of disappointment and dysfunction, although it wasn't as orchestrated as some rock chaos. (Radio head is a grand example of unnerving choices in sound.) Eyes Open was a whole new experience with them. It was like they had really figured out what they wanted to sound like, and stepped it up to a level where they wouldn't just be indie and fade out, but that they really wanted to create a definitive sound that would make them a true rock-band. It was a much more positive album; it still came from the dark-grey-UK-sadness that is part of the band's identity, but had a future-orientedness that wasn't present in Final Straw. Or maybe I just didn't need it to be so sad when it came out, so it wasn't. How could our ears ever be objective, whilst living so close to our souls? I believe I do have the new album, which I would be happy to lend you for a listen. Thanks for blogging. It makes my ears wake up. Courtney I remember how much I loved Final Straw when it first came out. In fact, the first time I heard ‘Run’ on the radio, I went home and spent 4 hours searching all the lyrics I could remember, and fishing through all of the new music lists I could find for something that could be it. I was obsessed. Once I got the album, I slipped into a Snow Patrol-induced depression for a few days. It was a very deep connection for me. I felt at the time, that some of the messy noises and stumbles even added to that sound of disappointment and dysfunction, although it wasn’t as orchestrated as some rock chaos. (Radio head is a grand example of unnerving choices in sound.)

Eyes Open was a whole new experience with them. It was like they had really figured out what they wanted to sound like, and stepped it up to a level where they wouldn’t just be indie and fade out, but that they really wanted to create a definitive sound that would make them a true rock-band. It was a much more positive album; it still came from the dark-grey-UK-sadness that is part of the band’s identity, but had a future-orientedness that wasn’t present in Final Straw. Or maybe I just didn’t need it to be so sad when it came out, so it wasn’t. How could our ears ever be objective, whilst living so close to our souls?

I believe I do have the new album, which I would be happy to lend you for a listen.

Thanks for blogging. It makes my ears wake up.

Courtney

]]> By: Sean D http://www.thelisteningblog.com/2009/10/final-straw-snow-patrol/comment-page-1/#comment-30310 Sean D Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:11:57 +0000 http://www.thelisteningblog.com/?p=378#comment-30310 I haven't heard A Hundred Million Suns, but I remember thinking the same things about Final Straw when I got it in 2005 (without the comparison to the next album, which had not been recorded yet). I also had the impression that the amount of electronic engineering being put into the album was somehow unrelated to the scope and style of song the band was aiming at. For songs that are as comparatively straight-forward and simple as are on the album, the electric engineering seemed like structurally unrelated diversions, added after the fact in post-production to add an attention-catching textural gimmick into the song. It's been a long time since I've heard the album, though—I wonder if every track has its own unique gimmick that shows "this is our engineering part of the song." It's interesting to see that by 2006 they had dropped most of that. When I first heard Final Straw I thought they must have hopped on the electronic music wagon that seemed to pop up after KID A did so well. I have no numbers, but at the time I recall thinking that Radiohead-style electronic textures had become a sort of fad, especially among American "Indie" and European bands. I fancy you could ever hear a little of the KID A influence on All That You Can't Leave Behind. Have you had any thoughts on this? I haven’t heard A Hundred Million Suns, but I remember thinking the same things about Final Straw when I got it in 2005 (without the comparison to the next album, which had not been recorded yet). I also had the impression that the amount of electronic engineering being put into the album was somehow unrelated to the scope and style of song the band was aiming at. For songs that are as comparatively straight-forward and simple as are on the album, the electric engineering seemed like structurally unrelated diversions, added after the fact in post-production to add an attention-catching textural gimmick into the song. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the album, though—I wonder if every track has its own unique gimmick that shows “this is our engineering part of the song.”

It’s interesting to see that by 2006 they had dropped most of that. When I first heard Final Straw I thought they must have hopped on the electronic music wagon that seemed to pop up after KID A did so well. I have no numbers, but at the time I recall thinking that Radiohead-style electronic textures had become a sort of fad, especially among American “Indie” and European bands. I fancy you could ever hear a little of the KID A influence on All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Have you had any thoughts on this?

]]>