Snow Patrol: 'Fallen Empires' Group Open Up on 'Liberating' New Album, Their Surprising Beyonce Connection During In House Chat (VIDEO)

During last night's taping of 'Live on Letterman,' Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody ... perhaps overcome by the moment ... paused between songs to shout out, "New York is the greatest city in the world!" Indeed, fair Gotham does seem to hold a special place in the Irish singer's heart. The city, and one resident in particular, inspired the aptly named track 'New York' on the band's new album, 'Fallen Empires' -- out today (Jan. 10).

When we met up with Snow Patrol in our own New York offices a few months back, the city was anything but lovable. It was a grey, rainy morning and the guys were tired after a late night out at a Black Keys' show. But as the caffeinated tea began to kick in, Gary himself started coming to life as he opened up on why the band "decided to be a lit bit braver" with this new album and how a case of serious writer's block turned 'Fallen Empires' into the CD the singer is most proud of. Read on for all the details from Gary, as he shares his journey through recording this "liberating" CD.

'Fallen Empires' has been called, "A musical road trip around California." Can you take us through the highs and lows of that trip and explain why you decided on California to record your CD?

Well, the first reason why started in California was the sunshine. We've never made an album in the sunshine before. We've always made them in a city, in the snow, in the rain, in Ireland. We wanted a more liberating experience -- being by the Pacific Ocean, in Malibu is where we did most of it, in a house, rather than a studio. So we had windows looking out onto the Pacific Ocean. We could pontificate on the great wide world, I'd say, rather than being trapped inside some dank studio. The other reason was that I was there already, living in Santa Monica. Nathan's girlfriend's an actress, so he was there with her. After we finished the 'Tired Pony' album, I was there last year, I just stayed in America, just really fell in love with the place. Just being by the beach. I lived by the beach in Ireland, but as much as I love it, it's not a sea I can really swim in. I had a severe recalibration of my own thoughts and feelings about getting into a freezing cold sea. It's a beautiful place to hang out. It was really inspirational for the album as well. It made it a whole lot expansive. We were much more creative in that new environment, too.

How is this album different than your past work and what artists would you say influenced 'Fallen Empires'?

The same as usual. Celine Dion as a big influence... The album is mostly Celine Dion covers, we just changed the names for the song. (laughing) I shouldn't have said that. We're going to be sued now ... We've always had this kind of dormant dance gene in our music. I've been going to dance/house/hip-hop clubs for 15 years at least and dj-ing for quite a bit of that time as well ... since I met Tom, the electronic wizard in the band who does all those things I don't understand. But it's never been front and center in our music before, so this album we've decided to be a little bit braver and put it up there a little bit more and with a few songs, you know? Just a few songs to see how it went and it really seems to blend in really well with what we're doing. So there's a few songs, like ' Called Out in the Dark' and 'I'll Never Let Go' with the symphony that have a bit more of a pounding rhythm to it. There's still some classic moments in 'This Isn't Everything You Are' and 'New York' the song is kind of ballad-ish. Or is it balladic? I don't know. Balladic sounds rude. I'll say ballad-ish.

Your band is known for their powerful and poignant lyrics. Take us through that process of writing such touching songs.

My best songs, certainly the more popular ones if those can be called my best ones, they're generally written in a flurry in five minutes. The songs that come out easiest, always seem to be the most satisfying and the ones that connect with people the most, because there is no forced words, there is nothing ... I've lost the words. You're asking me about words and I've lost the words! How ... utterly ... ironic. It doesn't feel like you're pushing it. It's just coming easy. With those times, you've got to really run with it. You can't put the guitar down when you're in that vein of ... When you get into that sort of vein, really you're being taken over by it and there's no rhyme or reason to what's happening. And then other times, you're sitting there and you're trying to write, and you're trying to write, and you're trying to write and it takes days, weeks, and at those times you find the heart of darkness. I've had a lot of writer's block on this album, but I think coming out the other side of it, when I actually attain some clarity, that's when I started to write some of the best lyrics I've ever written. I think the lyrics on this album are better than anything I have ever done.

How do you work through that writer's block?

You have to ride out... I've had a lot of great advice from people who've been through it, but you have to ride out all the poison, draw it out with manic scribbles that look like ruminations of a madman that you don't want anyone to find. I certainly don't want anyone to find those books later in life and think I'm that guy from 'Seven' or something. It's one of those things you have to go through now and again. I know you don't feel it at the time or couldn't possibly know it at the time, it is a renewal process, casting off a former way of writing, so I can write so much better.



You surprised a lot of people with your 'Crazy in Love' Beyonce cover on 'Up to Now.' Did you ever get her reaction to the track?

Yeah, we heard that she liked it! And ?uestlove from the Roots came to one of our sessions in L.A. one time and sat in the back, just listening. I thought he said that he'd dj'ed at a party where Beyonce was at and [after he played it] that she came over and asked who it was, that she was dancing, dancing away to it. If you're going to do a cover, do it outside of your comfort zone and do it differently than the person who'd done it originally. It has to be fun, too. You know what I mean? There are circumstances that you do a song that is ... We cover 'Teenage Kicks' a lot and that song is part of our DNA. But with 'Crazy in Love,' we just wanted to do something fun. It's probably one of the best pop songs of all time. I want to think that we didn't diminish it. We took it to a different place. We punked it up and we ran with it and it's certainty raw. It's not raw on Beyonce's record; it's extraordinarily well produced. We sort of deconstructed it.

So the new album is coming out in January ... that's a great way to kick off 2012.

For fans it is!

For you, too.

Yeah! (laughs)

Any resolutions for the new year? Anything you're looking forward to most in 2012?

One of my resolutions is to have more fun and stop worrying so much about resolutions. Fingers crossed, dueting with Celine Dion would also be great!