I nearly missed out on Snow Patrol. Oh, I'd heard the name, as one of the throng of indie bands that emerged in the late 1990s, but I could tell you nothing about their music. I didn't care that they had a new album out in 2003. I even contrived not to listen to 'Run' when it became a big hit, on the grounds that it had such a boring title. But gradually, I began to change my mind. The following year, another song of theirs of was being played on the radio, and I thought it wasn't half bad. Couldn't figure out why it was called 'Chocolate', and the lyrics were quite strange, but the tune was catchy. The band then turned up on �Later... with Jools Holland� (a show which has introduced me to a significant amount of good music). That was when I heard 'Run' properly for the first time (more fool me for thinking it would be boring), along with a track called 'Tiny Little Fractures' � short, noisy and, again, I liked it. It was time to buy the album, �Final Straw�.

Two things stood out in particular about Snow Patrol's songs. Firstly, the voice: Gary Lightbody's wonderfully distinctive Northern Irish brogue; you just couldn't imagine anyone else singing those songs. Secondly, the lyrics, which were equally distinctive: oblique, yet clearly with some underlying rationale; and very few titles in the lyrics. I started by picking out songs from here and there in the track-listing to listen to, but it soon became clear that the best way was to start from the beginning, and here's why: It starts with 'How to be Dead', a wordy, mid-tempo duet-with-self about a disintegrating relationship (most of Lightbody's songs are about disintegrating relationships). After we've been carried along on the soaring, fairground-style break and the intriguing lyrics, the guitars get louder and we're into 'Wow' and its four minutes of earthy noise. No sooner has that finished than 'Gleaming Auction' begins, the one with that bit that goes 'da-da-dah' (you'll just have to listen to it); two minutes later it segues into 'Whatever's Left', though you may be so caught up in the music that you don't notice the join. And once you know jolly well that Lightbody will follow you, the 'ooo-ooh's of 'Spitting Games' start up, and... I could go on, but you get the picture. I just press play, and one compelling song comes after another, and there is no reason to stop � except to skip the three minutes of silence before the two (excellent) bonus tracks.

Snow Patrol songs have since become ubiquitous, the soundtrack to a thousand TV shows; but that shouldn't � and doesn't � dilute the power of their music. I've listened to all of their albums now and, though I do like them, I think their first two aren't as complete, and the fourth doesn't have the same sense of mystery. �Final Straw� is, for me, the album where the disparate elements of Snow Patrol come together to the greatest effect. It was made with craft and intelligence, but it also has great depth and heart. I think it is the best album to bear the band's name (though �Son of Evil Reindeer� by Lightbody's side-project supergroup The Reindeer Section is at least its equal).

It's surprising how your views towards music can change. Not only do Lightbody's lyrics � some of them, anyway � now make more sense to me (I now know that 'Chocolate' refers to something that seems nice but is bad for you � like an affair); I sometimes find it strange that more songs don't leave the title out of the lyrics. Now there's a sign of a band � and an album � that's left a mark on me.