This is the first time I get to review Snow Patrol, a band from our native Northern Ireland. But I promise to be objective….even though it’s a constant thrill to see a local band make it big!

One thing I will say is that it’s great to see hear the Northern Irish accent come through so heavily in Gary Lightbody’s vocals. I think in the right setting, our accent can be quite soulful and unique. (check out Duke Special for further proof!)

Anyway, on to Chasing Cars. I love the song. But I’m of the school who thinks that Snow Patrol sound a wee bit too much like Coldplay and U2. Don’t you? I haven’t listened to their first album, but the songs I’ve heard from Eyes Open play to a very safe, radio-friendly formula.

The video is less than exciting, featuring Lightbody for the most part lying on the ground singing. I’d give it a miss, but I know you want me to link to it.

On a funny note, I read that the title of the song comes from Gary Lightbody’s father who once said of a girl he fancied “You’re like a dog chasing a car. You’ll never catch it and you wouldn’t know what to do with it if you did.” Nice one.

I love the Pussycat Dolls. I like to think of them as an elite troupe of lapdancers, who’ve escaped from the club and are trying unsuccessfully to fit in with society.

Let’s face it, there isn’t much pretence – the name Pussycat Dolls has lap dancing written all over it, as do the dance routines, as do the tunes. Hell, I’m not complaining!

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Nelly Furtado’s been on a roll recently with singles like Maneater and Promiscuous, and now she slows the pace down a little bit with the atmospheric All Good Things (Come To An End).

Unlike the first two singles, All Good Things doesn’t rely on the ‘Loose’ theme of the album’s title! It’s actually got a very haunting Enya-type vibe, and a distinctly weird video featuring Nelly wandering about a beach and er…dealing with upside-down furniture in a forest!

Still, All Good Things is another excellent track from Nelly’s Loose album, and it’s all a world away from her earlier material. She really has come of age this year!

By the way, am I the only one who thinks she looks like a young Courtney Cox?