Snow Patrol stole hearts across the lands with big, swoony power ballads like “Chasing Cars” and “Run,” appealing to a broad demographic that likes their twee just left of Coldplay and just right of Belle & Sebastian. Strictly musically speaking, their latest release, Fallen Empires, sees the band up their electro-folk leanings to new heights and produce some of their strongest tunes. From as opening track “I’ll Never Let Go,” in which pulsating electronics and gorgeous female backups underpin one of singer/songwriter Gary Lightbody’s signature soaring anthems, to the hammering title-track and OMD-ish twinkling keyboards of “The Symphony,” the feel is looser and more inviting than previous releases. Though Fallen Empires has fewer lighters-to-the-sky moments than before, it’s also less heavy-handed as a result, sneaking in Lightbody’s dramatic lyrics like “Every eye trained on a different star/This magic/This drunken semaphore” into danceable first single “Called Out in the Dark,” which calls to mind Phoenix as much as any ponderous rock forebears. Longtime fans need not worry, though — Lightbody still writes chin-up odes like no other — through Lightbody’s earnest baritone, “The Garden Rules’” chorus of “Oh you will never know/How much I love you so” is genuinely moving.

Also available as Deluxe Edition CD/DVD and LP