He has been a full-time member of Snow Patrol for 21 years, but this is not Nathan Connolly’s first solo rodeo. The lead guitarist first struck out on his own as Little Matador a decade ago, fronting an Irish supergroup of sorts that comprised former members of The Frames, Idlewild, LaFaro and others.
That Little Matador album, the fortysomething musician said at the time, was about working through a traumatic time in his personal life. His latest solo outing, which sees him step out from behind a pseudonym (although with contributions from some of his Little Matador bandmates), has been six years in the making and takes a similar thematic stance: many of these songs are interwoven with heartache, self-doubt and recrimination, with lyrics such as “Don’t dare give chase to me, we know it’s not worth the fight” and “I should’ve held you near” as standard. So far, so Snow Patrol, you might say.
While the Belfast-born musician has conquered the world in his nine-to-five job, it’s somewhat surprising to find that The Strange Order of Things is not quite as musically sure-footed as you might expect. Connolly uses these songs as an opportunity to indulge his apparently diverse style – primarily a return to the rock roots of his former band F.U.E.L. – although at times it seems he can’t quite decide which genre to commit to. A sense of vulnerability dominates Heart of Stone and This Is All That I Don’t Feel, but the former is one of several overstated songs here. Elsewhere, This Life’s Right introduces a spiky grunge vibe, while Love Like Wildfire adopts a Britpop-influenced cadence, both pleasant if outmoded. Night Songs and Waves flirt with electronic-laced pop-rock, while We is one of a handful of emotive ballads that reach for the lofty heights of U2′s epic rock anthems but don’t quite get there.
This is not a completely solitary affair for Connolly, though. The rising star Ailbhe Reddy duets on the pedestrian pop-rock of Ghost, and Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil – a long-time friend – adds his voice to the bolshie rock of Fires. Both seem like wasted opportunities, however, with Connolly’s guests matching his vocals note for note instead of providing a counterpoint. Those songs seem to sum up The Strange Order of Things, an album that could have been tighter, stronger and infinitely more thrilling, with a few tweaks here and an injection of adventure there. Instead it seems a little ordinary. There is plenty of noise here, but not enough risk to make it convincing or exciting.
