Fallen Empires is the fifth album from Snow Patrol, and the boys are not showing any signs of slowing down. The band demonstrates that they can keep their mark on the industry with Fallen Empires, which is an interesting blend of electronic pop and alternative rock, overall keeping true to their musical style, but branching out with a greater variety of sounds.

The album starts out strong with “I’ll Never Let Go”, and demonstrates their ability to blend catchy vocals with a heavy beat and more of an electronic sound. “Called Out In The Dark” sounds like one of those songs that you’ve heard before, even if you haven’t. Also showing electronic influences, this song will no doubt sneak its way into your head, before more or less lodging there permanently.

Gary Lightbody demonstrates some great vocal ability in “The Weight of Love”, showing off his deeper register and the stronger minor qualities in his voice, creating a song with resonance and depth. In “This Isn’t Everything You Are”, the eventual build up of the song adds a nice complexity to the classic ballad. It takes a while for the build up to happen, but it is worth the wait.

Always looking for songs that feature good piano, I was happy to find “The Garden Rules” makes nice use of the magical instrument. The melody of the vocal and the piano blend perfectly to create a soft and memorable song. If you take the time to listen to the lyrics, there are some beautiful phrases hidden in there.

“Fallen Empires”, the namesake of the album, provides some relief from the quiet with some very upbeat and catchy sounds, with a hint of electronica from the earlier songs in the album. The mix of steady rhythm with melodic guitar, piano and vocal phrases in “Berlin” make for a nicely crafted song - once again proving you don’t always need words to express a feeling.

“Lifening” is wonderfully calming, featuring some nice guitar melodies, and empowering lyrics. This might be a nice song to play while determining your goals for the coming New Year. Or while cringing over all the mistakes you made over the last 12 months, ice-cream and feline companions on hand (or is that just me?). Either way, this is a good song for reflection.

“New York” would have to be one of my favourite tracks from Fallen Empires, as it has a great emotional intensity that translates well through the lyrics. It also translates to the number of plays this song has had on my iTunes playlist (I won’t tell you the exact number, but it is higher than every other song...).

“In The End” has a good slow rock feel, and features a catchy chorus, while “Those Distant Bells”, in contrast, is quieter, featuring once again the acoustic guitar and piano, and the promise of a great ballad.

“The Symphony” is upbeat, with a cute electronic feel, very different from the classic Snow Patrol sounds of “The President”, where the vocals are hauntingly sad and unforgettable, particularly matched with the lyrics. The final track of the album “Broken Bottles Form a Star (Prelude)” is just another example of Snow Patrol’s diversity. If Mumford and Sons merged with Freelance Whales, they would give birth to this song; a fantastic blend of folk with quirky electronic percussion sounds and synth.

Review Score: 7/10