Track Listing

1. Downhill From Here
2. Starfighter Pilot
3. Last Shot Ringing In My Ears
4. Absolute Gravity
5. Get Balsamic Vinegar...quick You Fool
6. Mahogany
7. NYC
8. Little Hide
9. Make Up
10. Velocity Girl
11. Days Without Paracetamol
12. Fifteen Minutes Old
13. Favourite Friend
14. 100 Hundred Things You Should Have Done In Bed

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4387 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's a disservice to Snow Patrol to compare them to their more successful labelmates, but to say that Songs For Polar Bears sounds like Belle and Sebastian gone grunge should go some way to defining the skewed brilliance of this Northern Irish trio. Snow Patrol do some wonderful things to the conventions of fuzzy new-wave guitar-pop; pare it down into a melancholic hymn on "The Last Shot Ringing In My Ears", hyper-tense it into the caffeine buzz of "Starfighter Pilot", or let it dissipate altogether on the ethereal "Velocity Girl2. Songs For Polar Bears works because it's the polar opposite to club-footed cock rock; an album that sounds warmly empathetic, while others are all too eager to shoot their dull load of guitar machismo. That it's a little overlong is a shame--an earlier EP, "One Hundred Things You Should Have Done In Bed" was concise perfection--but Songs For Polar Bears feels like a tender bandage, while the rest of the world's rockers dully figure that if it hurts, it works. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Yes, worthwhile
I've done the same as many others, started at Final Straw and worked backwards. - None will dissapoint. As you would expect this one is a little more rough around the edges but is probably better for it. Recommended.

emotional bliss
From the instantly recognisable, funky intro into 'Downhill From Here' to the inspired '100 thing you should have done in bed' this album could almost be Gary Lightbody's life-story.the stunningly heart felt 'Mahogany' and the hauntingly beautiful '15 minutes old' showcase the bad sides while songs like 'starfighter pilot' show the good. i would recomend this album simply for mahogany and 15 minutes old-musical brilliance and emotional bliss

I love songs that grow slowly on you!!!
I bought all 3 snow patrol albums in a backward order because the latest one (final straw)I loved it so much i played it to absolute death and so needed to get my teeth in to their past releases. Their second album I played to death as well, so then naturally bought 'Songs for polar bears'. I knew very well on the first listen it would take some time to get used to. I percivered (cant spell that word) and am in love with this. I think its brilliant. Its taken many listens but was certainly worth the wait It took and thats how i like albums. To grow slowly and develope into something great. I dont always pick up the tunes at first listen and have to let them grow. Thats a good way to get your moneys worth, 20 listens of getting used to and a 1000 listens of pure pleasure. I listen to this album on my head phones at the gym to drown out the poppy radio rubbish that drives me away early. A brilliant album by brilliant song writers. Well worth the cash.
PS, I like all the songs on this album as were I like only 85% on final straw!