American music = crappy, part 2

Merry belated Christmas and happy belated New Year! Well, fortunately for whoever actually reads my blog, most of the various things that occupy my mind never actually make it to the keyboard, but one thing which I feel must be expressed is this very important idea: American music sucks, and U.K. music rules. Now, this is not a hard and fast rule, as The Killers, an excellent band, emerged from Las Vegas, and Rush, though not strictly American -they’re Canadian, if that makes any difference-, is regarded by millions as one of the greatest rock bands ever (and this is nothing to say of all the mediocre U.K. music that I’m sure does exist). It’s worthy to note, however, that both The Killers and Rush credit some big British names as significant musical influences.

I have two recent experiences which have supported my belief that the U.K. somehow produces better music consistently. First, I was recently introduced to Muse’s music, specifically their latest album, and I liked it over all. Initially, I didn’t realize they were British (notwithstanding the resemblance of the lead singer’s voice to that of Thom Yorke of Radiohead). It was only after listening to their music and liking it that I learned that they were British after all. Again, the U.K. makes better music than us.

My second and most recent experience to back up my claim is simple: for Christmas I got “The Boy With No Name” by Travis, a Scottish band, and it is understatedly excellent! Great lyrics, catchy melodies, a pleasant mix of optimism and bittersweetness. Does America ever produce music like this? Nope. Generally speaking, we seem to like our music loud and obnoxious, not deep and reflective. There is so much to love about this country, but when it comes to popular music, I prefer the greener pastures across the pond.

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