5 things to know about Reworked EP1 by Snow Patrol
Credit to Author: Stuart Derdeyn| Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2019 18:00:25 +0000
Snow Patrol | Universal Music
If this Irish/Scottish quintet never played another note, Chasing Cars would guarantee its eternal recognition. Taken from 2006’s Eyes Open, the single was the most played song of the 21st century in the U.K. That both the album it came from and the song itself sold in excess of six million copies and counting means that all the members can kick back and coast forever more. The massive success of the group also shone a spotlight on the active Belfast music scene, which has been cranking out notable bands of late.
Coming up as part of the post-Brit pop scene, Snow Patrol is one of the most successful U.K. acts of recent vintage, although the band still finds itself in the opening slot for Ed Sheeran on the fall 2018 round of his ÷ Tour in North America.
Following a publicized problem with writer’s block, lead singer-songwriter Gary Lightbody and the band returned with its seventh studio album, 2018’s Wildness. The album debuted at No. 2 on the U.K. albums chart, behind the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman: OST. It was apparently a somewhat less than spectacular week in music as aggregators gave Wildness a score only slightly above a 50 per cent approval.
Subsequently, the band released What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get? EP with remixes of the single of the same name from Wildness. Now it has dropped the four-song Reworked EP, which is the first of two to come out in the next while as the band celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Here are five things to know about the EP:
The opening track on the EP is a new tune to go on the upcoming followup to Wildness. It’s a midtempo ballad with a reverberating piano hook a la Keane and echoing strings that is perfect for a wedding dance moment as Lightbody sings Time won’t go slowly, though/I beg it to last. This crew does love to wax romantic with heavy layers of melancholy on top. Lightbody’s voice has rarely been so soulful and it works.
Track two is taken from 2004’s Final Straw. The third single from the album, it has been a concert favourite for some time. This version is a quiet acoustic-driven take that could almost be called folk. The twanging guitars as the chorus soars just crank up the pathos. This wouldn’t be a bad choice for a country cover.
From 2008’s A Hundred Million Miles, this is a likely contender for “revival” single as the pulsing electronic groove that the band has glossed this one over with gives it a totally different feel than the original piano-centric ballad with its power ballad chorus. This could be a good direction for the band to head if it’s looking to get a more contemporary Coldplay feel to its sound.
From 2006’s Eyes Open, this one also gets a pretty significant reworking — in this case into a mellow acoustic ballad with that same underlying electronic pulse that Crack the Shutters benefits from. It’s like Snow Patrol is seeking something in its old material that can take it somewhere new. It’s an interesting way to revisit back catalogue for both sales and addition to the musical legacy.
Owing to piano and guitar player Johnny McDaid’s neck issues, many dates in the Wildness tour were cancelled so the musician could undergo surgery. The band is busy in Asia through September and can be expected to add more dates coming up at snowpatrol.com.
Also out this week:
No Man’s Land | Universal Music
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Woodstock Sunday Aug. 17 | Real Gone Music
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Atonement | Metal Blade
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Overload | ReFeel Records
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