Listening to this disc, I hear a lot of familiar sounds mixed together in a pleasing manner. The band hails from Scotland, so I expected to hear at least some of that "music for bed wetters" stuff that a lot of the European bands, such as Coldplay, have popularized. However, I hear quite a bit more kick in these 12 songs from Snow Patrol than I had expected. They definitely don't rely exlusively on the sensitive male sound. Some songs actually rock! Guitar tones sometimes hark back to Pablo Honey-era Radiohead. Various effects remind me of Kid A-era Radiohead, too. I also sometimes think I hear the same tones that were used by various bands ranging from Sugar, Gin Blossoms, and even The Wallflowers. That's not to say that Snow Patrol sounds exactly like any of these bands, but rather that I at times think I hear similarities. If there is one band they sound like the most throughout the album it would be Radiohead. But they're not Radiohead. And they're not Coldplay, either. There's probably a better analogy, but I'm not a very good music critic and so this is what you're stuck with. And... To me this combination of musical sounds isn't so bad. I like this album, though, it is a bit of a grower---at least for me.
The surround mix has elements of a human touch---especially when we hear the Kid A type of effects at the start of many songs. Those effects make good use of the surround channels. My favorite song for surround on this album is probably "Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking". Like much of the album it isn't too gimmicky, but there is a definite sense of surround. Vocals stay up front. On the whole, the center width on this album isn't too narrow. Sonically, this recording is nice but does lack warmth---so it's just OK.
I was thinking either a 3-1/2 or a four. Originally, I went with the 4; but then dropped it down to 3-1/2, so I guess I'm not feeling all that generous. And, really, that's probably all right seeing as how the music, itself, isn't even all that wonderful. This disc has its moments, but it's not essential.
