Snow Patrol
Wildness

“Wildness”, the seventh studio album by the Northern Irish band Snow Patrol, was the most complicated to assemble for the band led by the talented Gary Lightbody.

A severe depressive phase that affected the band's leader, resulting in a writer's block, caused the longest gap between albums, a gap extended by a few solo releases for the curly-haired frontman (mainly with the supergroup Tired Pony, alongside former R.E.M. member Peter Buck). Now that everything seems back in place, it’s time to dust off the historic brand, and the result is more than good.

“Wildness” is a solid and inspired record, the first with Johnny McDaid (a singer-songwriter who had already collaborated with the band on the previous “Fallen Empires”) as an official member, and it's produced by an old fox like Jacknife Lee (The Cars, U2, R.E.M., The Killers among others), who also co-writes all of the album's music.

The new work's essences are basically two: one branded with Snow Patrol’s distinctive fire, which includes the beautiful opener and second single “Life On Earth” (where a distinctly R.E.M.-like vocal line wonderfully explodes into an airy melodic opening in the chorus, accompanied by martial drums and sudden bursts of strings), the hyper-classic “What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?” (very simple, just piano and voice, perfect to expose Lightbody's melodic and expressive talent) and the melancholic “Soon”, in addition to the subdued and peculiar closing “Life And Death”. Notable is the latest single “Empress”, the last (and only, in this album) testament to the biting alt-rock sound of the old “Eyes Open” and “Final Straw”.

The other essence, however, is the more lively and exquisitely pop one; in this particular terrain, the path becomes more challenging. While “Heal Me” indeed enriches a typically Lightbody-like sound setup with a varied and colorful arrangement, elsewhere “A Dark Switch” pushes too hard on the kitsch accelerator and somewhat loses direction, while “A Youth Written In Fire” is only partially successful in recalling the best works of the most recent U2. Still served, with “Wild Horses”, is yet another perfect singalong piece for the imminent tour of the big comeback.

“Don’t Give In”, the lead single chosen to present the album, did its dirty work in presenting the essence of these ten pieces; a middle ground between newness (in this specific case, a delightful folk-like arrangement slightly enhanced by the electric guitar at the end, along with a new vocal register for Lightbody, more edgy and raw) and tradition (the unmistakable melodic trademark of the Northern Irish band).

A good return. Hoping not to have to wait another seven long years.

Best track: What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?