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7 out of 10
Once upon a time Snow Patrol were struggling musicians. Honestly it's true. So in the spirit of goodwill and economic slow down the band has definitely not decided to release a 'Greatest Hits'. Look it's not even got a mention of it in the title, so it's defiantly not a collection of songs you've already got. And it's definitely not come out just because it's nearly Christmas. Oh no sir.
So scandalous rumours out of the way, lets get down to some facts. 'Up To Now' showcases the bands five studio albums, including some songs that might seem new, but were just on albums prior to Final Straw and some songs which actually are new.
I find it odd that in the age of MP3 players that these sorts of retrospectives even exist, let alone are popular. Then I take into account just quite how lazy the average British citizen is and it suddenly doesn't seem so surprising. I mean I can understand when we had to piss around with the irony that was a portable CD player, but now really? All the songs are already there in one place.
I suppose this carries the added advantage of not feeling left out when the band announce there going to play an "old one now". Which is invariably is 'Starfighter'. With thirty tracks overall your getting a good whack of Snow Patrol, but perhaps most disappointing is the initial over reliance on material from the latest albums. That and the most awkward white boy rapping on the 'Crazy In Love' cover. Obviously 'Chasing Cars' et al have a place but the couple of tracks from 'When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up' sound a little tacked on.
This is definitely a shame, because if anything they provide a more interesting insight into a band on the cusp of greatness. They might not have the production of the big hitters, but as the rerecorded version of the 'Planets Bend Between Us' shows. The ideas were already in place and formulating.
Not that the band probably need to be unduly concerned with back catalogue sales, new single 'Just Say Yes' suggests that the bands future is more than rosy. I look forward to 'From Now to Even Nower' which is inevitable (even if that title definitely isn't). Cynicism aside it's plenty of Snow Patrol for your money, and while for some people it's the equivalent of waterboarding, you can't go far wrong with a very solid selection of songs. It just about manages to showcase another side than the "popular" version of the band too.
Listen: www.myspace.com/snowpatrol
Tracklist:
Disk 1:
1. Chocolate
2. Chasing Cars
3. Crack The Shutters
4. Set The Fire To The Third Bar - Snow Patrol, Martha Wainwright
5. Crazy In Love
6. Just Say Yes
7. Batten Down The Hatch
8. You’re All I Have
9. Hands Open
10. Cartwheels - The Reindeer Section
11. The Planets Bend Between Us
12. Ask Me How I Am
13. On/Off 14. Making Enemies
15. Run
Disk 2:
1. Take Back The City
2. Shut Your Eyes
3. An Olive Grove Facing The Sea
4. Run
5. Give Me Strength
6. Signal Fire
7. Spitting Games
8. Open Your Eyes
9. Dark Roman Wine
10. Fifteen Minutes Old
11. You Are My Joy - The Reindeer Section
12. The Golden Floor
13. Starfighter Pilot
14. PPP
15. Chasing Cars
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