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Snow
Patrol – Songs for Polar Bears
[1] Downhill
from here
[2] Starfighter
pilot
[3] Last
shot ringing in my ears
[4] Absolute
gravity
[5] Get balsamic
vinegar...quick you fool
[6] Mahogany
[7] NYC
[8] Little
hide
[9] Make
up
[10] Velocity
girl
[11] Days
without paracetamol
[12] Fifteen
minutes old
[13] Favourite
friend
[14] One
hundred things you should have done in bed
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| Signed to
the somewhat elite Jeepster label back in 1998 and originally named
“Polar Bears”, Snow Patrol are now on the brink of UK
domination, airplay, and a top ten album in the form of the re-released
'Final Straw'… but where did it all begin? |
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| Well as you’ve
probably guessed it was 1998’s 'Songs for Polar Bears' named
as a jibe at a small-time US band who claimed the name back after
a lengthy legal dispute. First impressions are good; the album has
an immediacy that is hard to argue with, whilst also having hidden
depths of lyrics and a song craft that has only grown since. Stand
out tracks are numerous and really depend on your mood. 'Starfighter
Pilot' is always a favourite, as are it's remixes, which in actual
fact rank among the best tracks the band have ever released (the
remixes are only available on the second single of the song). ‘...Polar
Bears' really sets the tone for the band's work, and although a
little raw in places, it is edgy and distinctive. |
Those familiar
with the band’s later output feel that the album lacks some of
the epic slower tracks which have now become synonymous with Snow Patrol,
substituted here for a slightly more anarchistic, and youth rebellion.
If this was a film, it’d be a cult classic. It’s not, and
as such, it will go down as an excellent and refreshing album from a
band always destined for greatness.
5 out of 5
Richard
Sawyer
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