Fallen Empires
Studio album by
Snow Patrol
Released11 November 2011
RecordedOctober 2010 – May 2011
Genre
Length57:17
Label
ProducerJacknife Lee
Snow Patrol chronology
Up to Now
(2009)		 Fallen Empires
(2011)		 Greatest Hits
(2013)
Singles from Fallen Empires
  1. "Called Out in the Dark"
    Released: 2 September 2011
  2. "This Isn't Everything You Are"
    Released: 14 October 2011
  3. "New York"
    Released: 20 December 2011
  4. "In the End"
    Released: 13 February 2012
  5. "Lifening"
    Released: 5 July 2012

Fallen Empires is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish-Scottish rock band Snow Patrol. The album was released on 11 November 2011[1] (10 January 2012 in North America). The album became the first to feature future member Johnny McDaid, who was credited as guest musician and songwriter in the album liner notes, and would officially join the band following the tour.[2] It is also the last album to feature keyboardist Tom Simpson, who would later depart the band in 2013. American singer Lissie provided additional vocals for six songs on the album ("I'll Never Let Go", "The Weight of Love", "The Garden Rules", "Fallen Empires", "Berlin", and "Those Distant Bells").

Background and development

When asked about the writing process for the album, Gary Lightbody commented by saying "It's the longest album we've ever made by far but also the best. We took our time and I also had some bouts of writer's block. It's the first time it's happened for such a long time. I've had days when I haven't been able to write. Since 2009, I've gone through three writer's blocks but I'm glad because the results are great afterwards. They probably made me write better songs."[3] Snow Patrol planned a "Fallen Empires tour" in 2012 with the first date being at the O2 in Dublin.[4] The song "New York" can be heard at the end of "Suddenly" (Season 8 Episode 10) of Grey's Anatomy.[5][6][7] The song is also played in "After School Special" (Season 4 Episode 10) of The Vampire Diaries.[8][9]

Singles

  • "Called Out in the Dark" was released as the first single from the album on 2 September 2011 in the UK as an EP.[10] A video was released for the song before its release date on 17 August 2011.[11]
  • "This Isn't Everything You Are" was announced as the second single from the album on Snow Patrol's official site.[12] It was released on 14 October 2011.
  • "New York" was the third single from the album released in America on 20 December 2011.[13]
  • "In the End" was released as the fourth single on 13 February.
  • "Lifening" was the fifth single and was released on 5 July.

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic58/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Clash4/10[16]
Entertainment WeeklyB[17]
The Guardian[18]
The Independent[19]
Los Angeles Times[20]
Pitchfork4.8/10[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Spin5/10[23]
Toronto Star[24]

Fallen Empires received mixed reviews from critics.[14] According to the website Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average review score of 58/100, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[14]

James Christopher Monger wrote a favorable review for Allmusic, stating that the album "establishes an expansive vista of sound early on, bathing fairly simple melodies in waves of fastidious loops and sparse percussion."[15] Mike Haydock wrote a positive review for BBC Music, analysing that "Best of all are the moments when Snow Patrol blend the two approaches together, combining their own aesthetic with an Achtung Baby adoration."[25] Entertainment Weekly's Melissa Maerz wrote that "For all the sentiment, it's the simplest stuff that rings true."[17] The New York Times's Nate Chinen praised the songwriting, saying that "What makes this all feel reasonably unforced is the abiding earnestness in the songwriting."[26] The A.V. Club wrote that the album "it's comforting at worst and occasionally fantastic."[27]

Dave Simpson wrote an average review, saying that "Although the variation in styles doesn't make for the most cohesive album, the default mood is still downbeat but anthemic--songs for couples to cling tightly to one another while raising mobiles in the air."[18] While Now Magazine found out that "In the first few songs they stretch themselves creatively and come up with promising results, but halfway through it's back to overwrought ballads and middle-of-the-road mid-tempo rock songs."[28] A mixed review came from Rolling Stone's Stacey Anderson, who wrote that "Snow Patrol fall back to the blandly inoffensive safe zone--though at least they sound a little brighter."[22] Pitchfork Media thought that "the results are goofy."[21] The Daily Telegraph criticized the album for "stick[ing] too rigidly to the formula."[14]

Commercial performance

In 2011, Fallen Empires sold 269,000 copies in the UK.[29] The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 31,000 copies. It became the band's highest debut on the Billboard chart and the second album to reach the top-ten.[30]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Gary Lightbody; all music is composed by Snow Patrol and Jacknife Lee, except "New York" by Snow Patrol, Lee and Johnny McDaid

Fallen Empires track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I'll Never Let Go"4:44
2."Called Out in the Dark"4:01
3."The Weight of Love"4:16
4."This Isn't Everything You Are"4:58
5."The Garden Rules"4:29
6."Fallen Empires"5:20
7."Berlin"2:05
8."Lifening"3:53
9."New York"4:01
10."In the End"4:00
11."Those Distant Bells"3:17
12."The Symphony"6:07
13."The President"4:35
14."Broken Bottles Form a Star (Prelude)"1:30

There was also a special digipak version of the album showing highlights of the band playing live at the Royal Albert Hall on 25 November 2009 on their 'Reworked' tour. The track listing is as follows:

First half highlights:

No.TitleLength
1."Finish Line" 
2."An Olive Grove Facing the Sea" 
3."Give Me Strength" 
4."You Could Be Happy" 
5."Take Back the City" 

Second half highlights:

No.TitleLength
1."Dark Roman Wine" 
2."Spitting Games" 
3."Run" 
4."Lifeboats" 
5."The Planets Bend Between Us" 
6."Chasing Cars" 

Personnel

Snow Patrol

Other personnel

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Fallen Empires by Snow Patrol". Itunes.apple.com. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Johnny McDaid". Threee. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Snow Patrol: 'We've already written our next album'". NME. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  4. ↑ "Snow Patrol announce opening dates of Fallen Empires tour". metro.co.uk. 17 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  5. ↑ See occurrences on Google Search.
  6. ↑ "Grey's Anatomy - Snow Patrol 'New York' S08E10". Retrieved 2 September 2013 – via YouTube.
  7. ↑ "Grey's Anatomy 8x10 'Suddenly' Final Scene". Retrieved 2 September 2013 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ See occurrences on Google Search.
  9. ↑ "Vampire Diaries 4x10 'After School Special'". Retrieved 2 September 2013 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ "Called Out in the Dark - EP". iTunes. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "Snow Patrol - 'Called Out in the Dark'". 17 August 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ "FIRST PLAY OF 'THIS ISN'T EVERYTHING YOU ARE' TONIGHT". Snow Patrol. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  13. ↑ "New York - Single". iTunes.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Fallen Empires Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  15. 1 2 James Christopher Monger. "Fallen Empires - Snow Patrol - Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  16. ↑ "Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires". Clash Magazine. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  17. 1 2 Melissa Maerz (10 November 2011). "Fallen Empires review - Snow Patrol Review - Music Reviews and News - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  18. 1 2 Dave Simpson (10 November 2011). "Snow Patrol, 'Fallen Empires'; The Guardian". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  19. ↑ Andy Gill (11 November 2011). "Snow Patrol, 'Fallen Empires'; The Independent". The Independent.
  20. ↑ Wood, Mikael (9 January 2012). "Album Review: Snow Patrol's 'Fallen Empires'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  21. 1 2 Ashurst, Hari (19 January 2012). "Snow Patrol: Fallen Empires". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  22. 1 2 Stacey Anderson (10 November 2011). "Fallen Empires - Album Reviews - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone.
  23. ↑ Young, Jon. "Snow Patrol: 'Fallen Empires'". Spin. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  24. ↑ Rayner, Ben (10 January 2012). "Albums: Sissy is coldly thrilling, and more". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  25. ↑ Mike Haydock (10 November 2011). "BBC - Music - Review of Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires". BBC.
  26. ↑ Nate Chinen (10 November 2011). "New Albums by 3ballMTY and Snow Patrol - Review - NYTimes.com". The New York Times.
  27. ↑ Josh Modell. "Snow Patrol: Fallen Empires - Music - Music Review - The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  28. ↑ Benjamin Boles. "Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires - Now Magazine". Now Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  29. ↑ "The Top 20 rock singles and albums of 2011 revealed". The Official Charts Company. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  30. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (18 January 2012). "Adele Matches 'Titanic's' No. 1 Run Atop Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  31. 1 2 3 "Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns". Discogs. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  32. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  33. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  36. ↑ "Snow Patrol Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  37. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  38. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  39. ↑ "Snow Patrol: Fallen Empires" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  40. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  41. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  42. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Snow Patrol". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  43. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  44. ↑ "Mexican Charts - Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires (album)". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  45. ↑ "Charts.nz – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  46. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  47. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  48. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  49. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  50. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  51. ↑ "Snow Patrol Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  52. ↑ "Snow Patrol Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  53. ↑ "Snow Patrol Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  54. ↑ "Snow Patrol Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  55. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2011". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  56. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  57. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2011". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  58. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 26 April 2014. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  59. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2012". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  60. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  61. ↑ "End of Year 2012" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  62. ↑ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  63. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2012". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  64. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snow Patrol; 'Fallen Empires')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  65. ↑ "The Irish Charts - 2011 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  66. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Snowpatrol – Fallen Empires" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 7 September 2019. Enter Fallen Empires in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2012 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  67. ↑ "British album certifications – Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires". British Phonographic Industry.
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