ALMOST ARTIST OF THE YEAR
SNOW PAT ROL

3OME BANDS ARE LIKE COMETS THEY HURL TO THE TOP OF THE CHARTS IN ½ER Y BALLS OF RAUCOUS ROCK ONLY TO ½ZZLE BEFORE EVER REALLY MAKING AN IMPACT 4HEIR DINOSAUR CONTEMPORARIES MAY BRIE¾Y BE DIS TRACTED B Y THAT MERCURIAL ¾ASH BUT NOT ENOUGH TO DEVIATE FROM THEIR TIRED OLD POP ROCK ROUTINES ¯ MISTAKENLY THINKING THAT THE ADDITION OF A 3ANTANA GUITAR SOLO HERE AND THERE SOMEHOW EQUATES TO EVOLUTION

!ND THEN THERE ARE THE BANDS THAT SNEAK UP ON YOU STEALTHIL Y AL TERING THE MUSICAL LANDSCAPE AS THEY GO 4HE CHANGE THEY CREATE IS SO SUBTLE THAT THE DINOSAURS DON´T EVEN NOTICE THE ENCROACHING DANGER UNTIL THEY´VE ALREADY BEEN RELEGATED TO PLAYING GIGS OF INDE½NI TE DURATION ON THE 6EGAS STRIP

7ITH THIS IN MIND CONSIDER THE SLOW MOVING 3NOW 0ATROL CLOUDS THAT HAVE BEEN STEADILY GATHERING SINCE ´S 7HEN )T´S !LL /VER 7E 3TILL (AVE TO #LEAR 5P 4HOUGH NOT IN ANY WAY CATACLYSMIC THEY

NEVERTHELESS HELPED USHER IN A MORE INDIE FAVORABLE CLIMATE !ND EACH SUBSEQUENT RELEASE MORE SOF T AND BEAUTIFUL THAN THE LAS T ONLY SERVED TO FURTHER MUTE THE S TRANGLED CRIES OF ENDANGERED S TADIUM ROCKERS EVER Y WHERE 4HAT´S NOT TO SAY THAT ANY ONE OF THEIR SINGLES ±2UN ² ±(OW TO "E $EAD ² AND ±#HASING #ARS² ¯ JUST TO NAME A FEW COULDN´T THEMSELVES CONQUER THE LARGEST OF ARENAS I T´S JUST THA T THEY ARE BEST ENJOYED IN PRIVATE MOMENTS OF INTROSPECTION

4HE TRICK FOR 3NOW 0ATROL NOW IS TO SOMEHOW MAINTAIN A SENSE OF BALANCE "EING FEATURED ON JUST ABOUT EVERY 46 SHOW ½NALE OF THE PAST YEAR BROUGHT THEM PERILOUSLY CLOSE TO OVEREXPOSURE BUT THE BAND SEEMS TO HAVE MASTERED THE EBB AND ¾OW OF POPULAR OPINION S TEPPING OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT BEFORE GETTING BURNED AND BIDING THEIR TIME FOR THE NEXT QUIET ONSLAUGHT !ND THAT RIGHT THERE IS A TRUE INDICATOR OF ELEVATED THOUGHT