Snow Patrol are one of those bands you either like or you hate. Some people despise the melancholic pop-rock of our home-grown heroes but even the cynics can admit they have the odd catchy hit. In saying that, even the most ardent fan can admit that they can be as bland and as boring as MySpace.
We're in familiar territory with A Hundred Million Suns. Its chock-full of radio anthems to inspire quiet singalongs to those stuck in traffic. Its what they do and they're good at it. You just wish they would push themselves a little. That said, I found myself enjoying a few of the songs here. I enjoyed the odd beat and arrangement of the poignant "The Golden Floor". Its almost Radiohead-esque. Note: Almost.
The quieter songs are very much in the vain of Bell X1. They have a dark, if slightly passive mood and are quite enjoyable.
The last track is...unusual.
At 16.19 mins long, "The Lightning Strike: Parts I, II & III" is both spectacular and over-indulgent. It features beautiful piano movements and Coldplay style guitar chords and whilst interesting, one can't help but feel that it overstays its welcome. But it certainly is epic and fair dues to a band that I had thought incapable of stirring things up a bit. It should be quite impressive when / if they play it live.
I quite like A Hundred Million Suns. Overall its well written and if you can handle the slightly irritating boredom of their faster radio songs then the quiter songs on the album offer a nice reward.
For the iPod Playlist: "The Golden Floor", "The Lightning Strike" (if only for its epicness).
Verdict: *** (3/5)
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