Snow Patrol

By now, Gary Lightbody is probably bloody well sick of the c word. Despite the success of Snow Patrol's latest album, the gorgeous Final Straw, the Irish front man of the buzz-heavy group can't avoid the Coldplay comparisons. You'd think no one else knew how to craft intricate make-out music...

September 2, 2004

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By now, Gary Lightbody is probably bloody well sick of the c word. Despite the success of Snow Patrol's latest album, the gorgeous Final Straw, the Irish front man of the buzz-heavy group can't avoid the Coldplay comparisons. You'd think no one else knew how to craft intricate make-out music anymore.

Granted, the similarities are striking. Like Chris Martin, Lightbody weaves emotional, sweeping tunes with a certain amount of studio sophistication. But Final Straw reaches further than that. Lightbody evokes (vocally and thematically) his hero, Sebadoh's Lou Barlow, balancing a sensitive loner's private fears with a tunesmith's pure pop instincts. While Martin brought sincerity back to the mainstream, Lightbody's intense songs are almost emo -- without the nerdish self-consciousness, of course. -- Tim Grierson

Snow Patrol performs at 8 p.m. Friday, September 3, at the Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $11. Call 954-564-1074.

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