Music For The Weekend : Dan Fogelburg 1951 - 2007

It's great how, as you go through life, a certain album always stays with you. It doesn't matter how long it's been since you last played it, when you put it on again it sounds as good, sometimes better than the first time you played it. Souvenirs by Dan Fogelburg is one of those musical moments in life. We were driving down to Dublin the other day and we put it on in the car, both singing away at the top of our voices ( and in key too ) !  It is relevant in terms of todays music, even though it was recorded in the seventies, it transcends the trends and phases that music goes through. Sadly he died in 2007 from prostrate cancer at the age of 56, and two years later the people of his home town Peoria raised enough money to create a permanent memorial garden in his name. The City also renamed the road that runs past his old High School Fogelburg Parkway.

This song is off Souvenirs and called As The Raven Flies :

Noah and The Whale

Noah and The Whale are a UK band that have been getting a lot of airplay on Radio 1 for the past year.  It takes a bit of time but they DO grow on you ! They are really creative, not only in their music, but in their videos too. This track is Life is Life, taken from their album released last year called Last Night On Earth. :

Doors in Marrakech

It might seem a strange post to do - on doors, but these are not your average front door, nor will you find them at your local B&Q or Homebase ( Lowes or Home Depot in the US :) ! They are one of the many delights of Marrakech, doors are things of beauty that they create and batter over a very long period of time,  as you can see from the photos :

Don't think Yale had much to with this door lock ! 

Wonder if this where they had the firing squad ! 

Okay we do have more photos, so we're leaving the door open for another door post ... in a day or so !

Moroccan Tiles in Marrakech

The buildings in Medina (the old part of Marrakech) are very plain and for the most part terracotta coloured. They line the narrow streets and alleyways, and are part of the reason it is so easy to get lost ! Inside these buildings they are anything but plain. They are usually entered through an old elaborate heavily carved door, and once inside the floors, walls and sometimes the ceilings, are covered in patterns of tiny coloured tiles. Here are a few of the patterns we came across in our stay in Morocco. In later posts we will show you some of the actual rooms these tiles came from and the dramatic effect that they have. 

Need To Breathe ... Again !

Here are a couple of songs for the weekend, both by Need To Breathe.

This one is A Place To Go :

Followed by Learn To Love : 

Too late, you're going to be humming these songs all weekend now !

Yet More Tokyo Goodies

And the goodies keep on coming ! We have said before how good the Japanese are at merchandising their stores, and these next few photo's show you how they set their products up, so they become more of a lifestyle. They have this ability to mix and mingle, which works to show the products on sale in the best possible light.  

How to make a toothbrush cute !  

Soft Toys become little families :

Gomez : Natural Reaction

Gomez have been a favourite band for years, and how we have not featured them already on here beats me ! Their last two albums - How We Operate and A New Tide were a revelation and a peak in their career. This track is Natural Reaction :

Looks like they have a new CD out called Whatever's On Your Mind, so we will check that out this week. They are a band that surprise you with each new album, always trying out new avenues and directions, which can be a risky path but they have a knack of winning you over each time. Fingers crossed !