Snow Patrol

The Celtic pulse beats strongly within Snow Patrol, formed in Scotland (at Dundee University) by a couple of Irish lads: Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland. Although McClelland left the band in 2005, the frame of a solid indie-rock outfit remains — an outfit that first saw its fortunes rise when "Run" from Final Straw (the band's third album) became an international hit, paving the way for emotive anthem "Chasing Cars" and widescreen ballad "Signal Fire" from the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack. Snow Patrol confirms its mastery of uplifting melancholy in Next Steps.

You can't beat a good ol' dose of alt melancholy, and Snow Patrol have consistently mined a vein of exquisite sadness to stunning effect — check out the lullaby vibe of "You Could Be Happy" or the downcast gorgeousness of "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" (a hook-up with Martha Wainwright), both tracks from 2006's outstanding Eyes Open. But there's more to Snow Patrol than sweet misery: "Spitting Games" and "Chocolate" walk the line between powerhouse riff-mongering and vocal understatement to adrenalizing effect.

With roots in a dynamic far-northern indie-rock tradition that also takes in the likes of Belle & Sebastian and Idlewind, Snow Patrol have seen their star rise on the international stage thanks to a support slot with U2 and — more to the point — a fine clutch of artful, heart-stopping, totally brilliant tunes. Originally called Polarbear (a Jane's Addiction spin-off had that name sewn up), the band shrouds itself in effortless cool and the thrilling shock of authentic, imaginative, cutting-edge rock. These Essentials bring together choice tracks from a band whose ascent curve only gets steeper by the month, including 2009's iTunes Live highlight "The Golden Floor" and the heart-pounding "Crack the Shutters" from 2008's A Hundred Million Suns.