"There are swaggering bands, bands who are in your face. And then there are bands who get hold of you somewhere else. I think it's a heart thing, an intimacy thing. Like you know them and they know you. I think we are one of those bands."

So says Snow Patrol singer and chief songwriter Gary Lightbody. And all the proof you'll need is Snow Patrol's new album Eyes Open, a collection of songs which more than makes good on the promise of its predecessor, 2004's two million selling Final Straw. Recorded during a tumultuous and tempestuous 2005, Eyes Open is the work of a band who have scaled the heights supporting U2 through Europe, appearing at Live 8 in both Hyde Park and Scotland but somehow stuck to their core values: beautiful power songs underscored by some of the most poignant and telling lyrics in rock.

Track Listing
1. You're All I Have
2. Hands Open
3. Chasing Cars
4. Shut Your Eyes
5. Beginning to Get Me
6. You Could Be Happy
7. Make this Go On Forever
8. Set the Fire to the Third Bar (featuring Martha Wainwright)
9. Headlights on Dark Roads
10. Open Your Eyes
11. The Finish Line