Snow Patrol
Eyes Open
6/10
I purchased this album on a whim after my current crush put one of Snow Patrol’s earlier songs, “”Chocolate”” on a mix CD for me.
High expectations were shot down on this band’s senior album, since most of its content was filled with poppy, sub-par yet catchy melodies paired with mediocre lyrics. Layered acoustics joined with electrical frenzies and emotional piano melodies are stamped throughout the album, with a couple of stand out tracks.
One stand out song on the album is “”Set the Fire to the Third Bar.”” It begins with a duet by Rufus Wainright’s younger sister Martha and Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody. Their haunting vocals echo throughout the track, creating a nostalgic feeling of tension. The album’s second to last track, “”Open Your Eyes,”” is a typical love song embellished with lyrics that proclaim, “”I want so much to open your eyes cause I need you to look into mine.””
This album is perfect car music – something you can sing along to, but it isn’t anything special.
-Nicole Santa Cruz
Paul Simon
Surprise
6/10
The “”Surprise”” of Paul Simon’s latest album is that he is no longer chill. Play the Sounds of Silence album for an original Simon and Garfunkel fan followed by Surprise and they will most likely have a heart attack.
It’s extremely fast paced and features all sorts of cringing electric guitar effects and techno beats, a far cry from “”The Boxer.”” The album definitely takes some getting used to, but a few listens make the transition bearable.
Some of the album’s better songs are “”Outrageous,”” a funky tune with background melody that sounds like they were ripped off a contemporary Madonna song and “”Beautiful,”” which is one of the more easy going tracks on the album. Though we all wish Simon would pick an acoustic guitar back up, it’s still good to hear from him.
-Luke Mihalovic
The Walkmen
A Hundred Miles Off
6/10
One could argue that the Walkmen sound like other bands today like The Strokes, but the truth is, the Walkmen truly have their own sound as heard on their third album, A Hundred Miles Off. The unique sound is brought about by the harsh vocals combined with hard rock and waltz-like sound. The piano and waltzy sound can be heard more prominently in “”Another One Goes By,”” which is an unusual sound for a band. This song sounds like it was taken out of a 1960s time capsule. One of the better tracks, “”All Hands and The Cook,”” starts out with just an organ and drums and gradually more guitar and drums are layered in. The vocals in all tracks are uncannily similar to Bob Dylan’s voice, only slightly more whiny and powerful at times.
The Walkmen show the world a different kind of band in A Hundred Miles Off, organ and all.
-Amy Wieseneck
