Fallen Empires

Snow Patrol's new album Fallen Empires came out last Sunday (or actually to be more precise, THIS Sunday...Jan 22) stateside and I picked it up in store today. It was well worth the extra 3 months of waiting. It's definitely a progression of Snow Patrol's sound, but still retains many elements of the Snow Patrol that we all know and love. There are some really interesting instrumental songs on the album, including "Berlin" and "Broken Bottles Form A Star" - which a perplexing but genius end to a solid album. Of course, There's "Called Out In the Dark", the pop-y and catchy single released from the album and "This Isn't Everything You Are", a  breathtakingly beautiful ballad. There are still Snow Patrol's signature ballads - like "New York", another intimate and chilling song. Also provoking is "Those Distant Bells". There are also some songs on the new album such as "The Weight of Love" and "The Garden Rules" which are both reminiscent of earlier Snow Patrol, but also seem to suggest a new direction at the same time. All in all, it's a fantastic album that really showcases Snow Patrol at it's best.