If I lay here, if I just lay here would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Speaking of Snow Patrol (see last week)…”Forget what we’re told, before we get too old, show me a garden that’s bursting into life…all that I am all that I ever was is here in your perfect eyes, they’re all I can see…”. These lines are from their second album, Eyes Open, released in December 2005. I think it’s rare for a Major Label Sophmore album to be as good as the Freshman debut. This is certainly not the case here. The music on this CD is as intense and catchy as their debut, Final Straw (Polydor, 2003). While the overall sound remains the same - pianos, guitars, synthesizers, drums, the songs loose nothing in the way of mystery, depth, and romanticism.

The band, formed in Dundee, Scotland in 1994, has changed line-ups slightly over the years, but the main characters remain the same. While the founding members are from Northern Ireland, I’d like to think that my theory about Scotland breeding really cool, moody and layered music still applies. Like their predecessors, Del Amitri, these guys must be effected by the gloomy weather and bone-chilling rains that I have heard so much about from my Scottish friend, Suzanne. What else do you do on a rainy day in an industrial city but sit around your flat making great music?

I think what’s surprising is that it took them so long to reach such worldwide success. Their first two albums (1997 and 1998) were put on labels no one in America has ever heard of, Electric Honey and Jeepster, which thusly no doubt kept them on the other side of the pond. But I don’t see this as a bad thing necessarily – I think they were just keeping them to themselves, holding out until they were really ready to make the break. Like fine wine you leave in your cellar until that perfect moment this band has certainly been worth the wait!

Like so many millions of people around this troubled world I spent yesterday in front of the TV watching the Super Bowl. I, like my father, was rooting for his hometown team, Da Bears! I was excited to no end at the possibility of a Chicago team bring it home for the fans since the Cubbies blew it in World Series a few years ago. Sadly, I was disappointed as poor Rex Grossman made some fatal Rookie errors and, pardon the pun, threw the game away. Poor kid, though no doubt next year he will kick some butt, yesterday was an ass whooping, lesson learning day no Bears fan will ever forget.

But Da Bears loosing wasn’t the most disappointing moment of the day, there were several, actually, and it started with the Worlds Most Boring Commercials! All the hype about the game in the preceding weeks, and the infamous commercials that are to air led to a real let down. To say nothing of seeing Katie Couric’s face every break (UGH) promoting a ‘newer, softer, nighty night snews’ the other commercials were lacking in anything interesting, or funny. No groundbreaking happened yesterday just two minutes to go to the bathroom and forget the lameness in between downs. If it weren’t for Letterman and Oprah the whole day of commercials would have been a complete wash!

The game ends, the trophy is presented to the owner of The deserving Colts and basically the first words out of his mouth had to do with GOD. Yep. GOD. I thought I was watching Kurt Warner all over again. Ok – I can live with that, sort of, but then Tony Dungy gets up and talks about GOD and how GOD is the reason they won, and how GOD gave them the will to persevere and overcome the initial deficit they faced in the first half blady blady blah….No mention of his family, or the team having anything to do with the win. JUST GOD. The message was: if you pray hard enough GOD will grant you the Super Bowl. I guess Lovie Smith, also GOD fearing, as mentioned by Tony Dungy, didn’t pray hard enough. Or was it PLAY? I’m so confused at this point I don’t even know what to do. I mean, did you see GOD at the game? Was he/she in the players box and the camera person missed the shot? If GOD was there – does it mean that he/she was rooting for The Colts? Why not Da Bears? Does GOD really care that much about football to favour ANY team? Does GOD care about football to begin with? I’m guessing – NO! I’m thinking The Colts won because they PLAYed (not prayed) the better game.

In any case, it was a good match-up. The rain added an element that made it feel like real football, and not some perfectly staged ‘studio controlled’ event like past years. Prince was awesome, the players played their hearts out, and overall it was a great way to just forget the world - for awhile.

Thanks for tuning it…Until next Monday….CHEERS!!!