I'm listening to The Corrs at the moment......ahhhh they are so great. Such a shame that people regard them as nice pop fluff on the back of the rock scene. They are subtle genius I am telling you!

Aside from being an imprbably good looking family, they have shed fulls of talent. 'Sure' you may think, 'but they are nothing special'. That is their genius! At first glance (or listen even!) they are nice pop songs that are throwaway and utterly forgettable. On some levels this is true. Their singles tend to be the least spectacular off their albums as I have found. Their most successful record - 'Breathless' is in my opinion their weakest song ever. For some reason their best stuff is forgotten or worse ignored (like the remarkable 'Only When I Sleep' or 'Forgiven not Forgotten') .But underneath that, particularly in their lesser known songs there lurks a shimmering beauty. Their second album "Talk on Corners" is absaloutely AMAZING! The lyrics are like poetry, the music is incredibly original (a funk, electro, celtic instrumental no less!) and so layered that after years of listening to their stuff I still hear new parts most times. It has to be the only album of ballads that can hold my attention fully.

They have an art of making the impossible sound easy and even to the untrained ear - boring. Take one of their more well know records for example: 'What Can I do'. It sounds like a guy on guitar and a set of drums. But there is so much more going on when you listen carefully - a string quartet,a single violin, a gentle yet funky bass, at least two synths, a piano, an overdubbed second electro drum kit and a quiet yet perfect 3 part harmony. I wish I could do that! I don't think I could think parts for all of those instruments let alone fit them all in without making the song sound crowded. The notes they actually play on all instruments are played thoughtlessly and without effort but I have tried and they are bloody impossible!

All of this coupled with originality, evolution, a sense of romanticism and Andreas voice (also understated, her range is massive!) make them magical. I only hope more people discover them in time. It should be compulsory for everybody to listen to 'Only When I Sleep' before professing to like music :)

Ok. Worshipping session over. Whew.

Other news today: I really do not photograph well. I have always assumed that it was just me and that I could not pose without looking stupid. After experimentation with my camera phone I can now honestly say that it is not my fault but that of cameras everywhere!

I was looking at my reflection in the mirror and thought "I look ok, I should get around to taking a picture of myself" because I always end up needing one for some reason or another. I hold the phone up to take a picture of myself, I look at what I have taken. It is hideous.

I figured I had just taken it badly so I realxed, looked normal and tried again. Even more appalling.

I figured that I must just be that ugly but then I glanced at my reflection again. As I have said before I ain't a basket of fruit! But I certainly was not anywhere near as putrecent as the camera was making me. So I thought I would use the mirror as a control.

I stood in front of the mirror, I looked just fine. Even my expression was not one of confusion or rabid teeth baring like it usually is. I take the picture again. I look like I am stood in a chuffing wind tunnel with my face appearing to be streched at a painful and unatural angle.

What the hell is going on?! I ask myself. Right. This time I am going to check it is not just me. I stood in front of the mirror careful to see that the angle and lighting displayed on the camera are the same that I can see in the mirror. This time I look at the mirror and not the camera so I can see exactly what I will look like on the photo.

Still looking at the mirror looking fine I take the shot. I look down at the camera and I look like some pixie has hacked at my face with a chisel.

I have not the faintest idea what happens between my face and the camera but I could swear somebody somewhere has cursed me to look bloody awful on all photographs everywhere! There are about 2 photographs of me in the whole world that I think look nice. Now I know it is not just me but the cameras!