British Music

[mf]

I figured most of Smogon are not from 'round 'ere, and thought they might be missing out on a resurgence of excellent British music. So, this topic is about good bands from Britain that you would like to let other people know about :) I'm not assuming that nobody has heard of them, but I'd assume that most won't have.

Hadouken! - New Rave band from Leeds, having started last year and recorded this absolute beast of a song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgGItLYyBQ0

The Klaxons - Up-and-coming Indie/New Rave band who released their debut album this year and proceeded to sell out Hammersmith within 2 days while headlining the NME Indie Rave Tour. Just search for 'klaxons' on youtube and you'll get some excellent songs (Look out for Golden Skans and Magick).

Reuben - An alternative rock band from Surrey that I am extremely fond of. Since I first picked up 'No One Wins The War' from a record company compilation CD, I've been in love with them. Freddy Kreuger remains one of my favourite songs years later, I do not tire of listening to it (Great video too!)

Hundred Reasons - ANOTHER alternative rock band from Surrey who, I admit, sound very similar to Reuben. HR have been around longer though, having released 3 albums already. I must really like this sound or something because this is another of my very favourite bands. Check out anything on their myspace, I love all 3 albums.

Nine Black Alps - Indie Rock quartet from Manchester. Their myspace page does them justice, I think :) If you can find a copy of Behind Your Eyes anywhere, get it because it is one of the best acoustic indie rock compositions I have ever heard and is played beautifully.

The View - Indie indie poprock band from Scotland. Usually I don't particularly go for this sort of thing but their songs get under your skin, he has such an infectious voice. Their myspace page has all their songs :) Same Jeans

Kissy Sell Out - Oh my god is Harriet an amazing dance tune. The only place I can find it is on his myspace, please please listen to it if you are at all into dance music.

Pitchshifter - "Guitar-Laden Digital Chaos". R.I.P. An industrial rock band who were my favourite band for a long, long time. I still haven't managed to get to see them during their indefinite hiatus, even though they have been touring almost constantly! PSI is my favourite album - it leans more heavily towards rock music than previous efforts. "www.pitchshifter.com" is at the other end of the spectrum with mostly sampled sounds (although it is still an excellent album). They were noticed by the great John Peel but never reached mainstream status because they never sold out, which I admire. Their myspace is an excellent example of their range - the first two songs are from "www.pitchshifter.com" and the second two are from P.S.I. Listen to Shutdown in particular... What a song.

The Chemical Brothers - Big Beat Electronica duo from England. Out of every band listed here, I'd expect these to be the most well known. They have had hit after hit after hit and they are all truly good songs. They've been going for 10 years now - personally I think their best stuff was from 2003-2005, especially the album 'Push The Button'. Their new album 'We Are The Night' is completely different and in my opinion slightly worse. Galvanize was all over the UK radio stations for months and rightly so.

BLOC PARTY OH MY GOD HOW DID I MISS BLOC PARTY - Thanks Doomsday, this band is another favourite, just stop reading this right now and go listen to them (but come back after). Recent album shows an increasing standard of music, and they are still so early in their career. Any song from Weekend In The City is 5 star - try youtube for The Prayer/Hunting For Witches/I Still Remember

Welsh Rock Bands - Seriously, Wales produces a boatload of good pop rock music for a country its size! You may not like some of these bands (I can see the first three being somewhat stereotyped) but really they make a lot of good music!
Funeral For A Friend: Like so many good rock bands, they produce one or two brilliant albums (Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation and Hours) then sell out when they get too popular :( Juneau, Escape Artists Never Die, Monsters
Lostprophets: Thefakesoundofprogress is undoubtedly one of the best things ever to come out of Wales. Every track is amazing. Get this album and forget you ever heard 'Last Train Home' or any of that shit - I wish I could. Yet another sell-out band :(
Bullet For My Valentine: I'm not a massive fan but if you are into metalcore, check them out
Goldie Lookin' Chain: Brilliant gimmick-rap band that has actually grown to be huge. Highlights: Your Mother's Got A Penis, Guns Don't Kill People - Rappers Do

See also:
The Stereophonics
Feeder
Manic Street Preachers
Super Furry Animals

DJs Yoda and Format - If you're into hip-hop, check these two out. Yoda is a scratch DJ who tends to remix things like George Formby and the A Team Theme Tune, while Format creates his own beats usually with the help of a vocalist. In my opinion his greatest collaborations are with the rapper Abdominal of who I am a huge fan :) Best song

Bloody hell I missed MUSE as well - Muse have always been massive. Always. They are 10 years old this year, and they have produced hit after hit after hit, and have also headlined several major UK rock festivals. They have a very unique sound. City of Delusion and Hysteria are two brilliant songs

Obligatory mentions to the Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks for inspiring a turnaround in mainstream British music and helping the nation realise that not every band has to be a Busted/McFly clone in order to get recognised.

 

[Doomsday]

Bloc Party! I love Bloc Party.

Also Galvanize is probably the only electronic song i like.

 

[Kyril]

so many good ones missed if you a rocker. Lost Prophets for one, WALES w00t XD

 

[Dan Dan]

Yeah Bloc Party are a big one you missed, they fucking own something silly. Lostprophets are old, everyones heard of them by now. Hadouken! are fun, I saw them live and they put on a great show. Check out "Liquid Lives" and "Bounce!".

Klaxons are sexy too, but I fucking can't stand The View. We know you've had the same jeans on for 20954732940 days now, have a BATH you scummy peasant!

 

[Ecnemalas]

all I can think of is Radiohead

 

[mf]

i was kinda thinking of slightly more obscure music than radiohead ;)

 

[MetalFreak13]

cradle of filth are british..or london(same thing in my book!).......i love british music now

 

[Hipmonlee]

I had a big discussion the other day about how british people love things that are british too much..

Bands like Oasis put out a couple of songs that are liked and suddenly are described as the best thing since the beatles. but on the other hand, British music buyers tend to be more pretentious than americans, so you dont really get that bottom tier of artists either. It is like british acts only ever seem to be "ok" or "the greatest thing ever", you dont ever get "crap" or "good" or whatever..

I like the Klaxons.

[edit] - wait maybe its not the klaxons I like.. I dunno some british band..

Have a nice day.

 

[mf]

I don't know, I always feel like the music industry is dominated by American labels churning out records like there's no tomorrow while the UK underground scene continues to thrive unnoticed. Noticed. Noticed. Oticed. Eh. Eh. Eh.

 

[Hipmonlee]

Well, I think the music scene in america is dominated by americans, but here for instance, we hear a lot from all sorts of british acts all the time..

Like, half of those bands you mentioned I am at least aware of, if not familiar with their music..

And I am not the most attentive person when it comes to popular music..

[Edit] - Also I just remembered who The Klaxons are, and yeah turns out they were pretty cool all along

Have a nice day.

 

[Glen]

nice list, m0nkfish! im pretty trendy though, i had a post about hadouken! in the now playing thread...

THE OLD NOW PLAYING THREAD

hjeheehehe fEB 23RD MOTHERFUCKERS

 

[Pax Deorum]

Don't know why, but I seem to find a lot of bands from brittain dull. Some artists I enjoy come from there though, like Annie Lennox and Gabrielle. There might be a few more, but I can't recall.

 

[Dan Dan]

Hot Chip - You have to listen to them, they are pretty cool imo. Don't really know how to "class" them, maybe electronic/funky shit something like that I DUNNO BUT I DO KNOW I LIK EIT.

The Young Knives "Indie/Classic Rock/Pop" as they class themselves. They're some geeks that make music that's pretty catchy.

Mystery Jets - The singer has spinobiffidus somethingus, meaning he can't walk. BUt they still make pretty good music nonetheless! Check out their Myspace if you have it, or Youtube if you don't.

Just a couple more bands up and coming from England!

And Hip, British people DO love things British. I wouldn't say too much, though we do have an unrivaled sense of patriotism for our homeland. It's something we're proud, what's wrong with that?

 

[mf]

god i forgot hot chip too :/ haven't listened to much of the young knives but from what i have heard they are another indie pop band which is not a bad thing :)

lol a quote from Hot Chip's myspace:
We thought pop music should be more imaginative than it is at the moment. Our next album is mostly about WWF wrestling.

The Streets - How I forgot one of the most prolific rappers of the UK scene is beyond me.. Mike Skinner is a one-man garage/hip-hop band. So far he has released 3 albums:
Original Pirate Material deals with everyday life. This is my favourite Streets song, The Irony Of It All. Something I agree with (you'll understand when you listen)
A Grand Don't Come For Free was his breakthrough album, a little more pop-friendly but not worse for it. AGDCFF is a concept album, here is the plot taken from wikipedia:
In the story, the protagonist loses £1000. In the first track on the album, "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy", he realises he has lost the money after coming back from returning a rented DVD and attempting to withdraw money from a cash machine. In the process of trying to recover the money, he:

• Picks up with a girl called Simone who works in JD's with Dan. ("Could Well Be In")
• Tries to place a bet but couldn't make it to the TAB. The bet ends up losing anyway - it's his lucky day.("Not Addicted")
• Finds himself high on ecstacy, cocaine, and alcohol in a nightclub; when his girlfriend fails to show up to the date, he's "mashed" and sees her kissing Dan, then forgets about it. ("Blinded By the Lights")
• Weighs up the pros and cons of being in a relationship (and refers to his broken television which becomes relevant later in the story) ("Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way")
• Argues with Simone and she kicks him out ("Get Out of My House")
• Poses to impress a girl ("Fit But You Know It") in a take away restaurant during a heavy night drinking on holiday
• Remorsefully reviews the events of the previous night during a phone call to a friend ("Such a Twat")
• Suspects a friend of stealing his coat and £1000. Discovers that his girlfriend is having an affair ("What is He Thinking?")
• Tries to cope with his girlfriend breaking up with him ("Dry Your Eyes").
• The final track, "Empty Cans", features two endings to the plot, a bitter ending and a happy ending (the former where he and a TV repairman get into a fight after he finds something valuable in the TV, and the latter in which he finds the thousand pounds hidden in his TV) with matching music for both.
• The B-Side to the UK single release of 'Fit But You Know It' contains the song 'Soaked By The Ale'. The story of this song takes place between the events of 'Fit But You Know It' and 'Such A Twat'. It documents one of Skinner's mates being annoyed at Mike for stealing a tub of ice cream whilst on holiday in Spain as a result of his excessive drinking. The chronological order is identified in 'Such A Twat' where Skinner raps "And that incident with the ice cream I forgot, it all ended in our vodka".

The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living is another concept album dealing with his newfound fame. It's my least favourite, I prefer the older stuff.

 

[Lemmiwinks MkII]

And Hip, British people DO love things British. I wouldn't say too much, though we do have an unrivaled sense of patriotism for our homeland. It's something we're proud, what's wrong with that?

I prefer US bands in general, and that goes for films and TV shows too. I can't be the only one, can I?

 

[Doomsday]

The Streets are cool, I really need to get more stuff from them.

 

[Dan Dan]

I prefer US bands in general, and that goes for films and TV shows too. I can't be the only one, can I?

no, but you should be.

 

[Pax Deorum]

ooo forgot Lamb. One of my favourite trip hop duos. Tracks like Trans Fatty Acid, Gorecki, Gabriel and I Cry are simply amazing.

 

[UnicronEX]

I like The Beatles.

 

[norulz]

Klaxons are my new passion, and everyone knows I'm a huge Muse fan.

Live on Origin Of Symmetry, their best album yet!

 

[0mastar]

Loss Of A Child, 65daysofstatic, Stereolab and Talk Talk are some great British Post-Rock bands, especially Loss Of A Child who are, imo, one of the best Post-Rock bands out there.

Oceansize are a great Prog band, kind of like dredg and the more prog-like Porcupine Tree (who are also from England, and who most people have already heard of) material.

Jesu are an amazing band from Wales, with music in the style of Isis, Pelican and Boris. I'm not really sure what genre I should call them as there's a lot they fit into.

I really don't like The Kooks or The View though. They both have the same boring kind of sound to their music. Can't stand Muse either.

 

[Hipmonlee]

Don't know why, but I seem to find a lot of bands from brittain dull. Some artists I enjoy come from there though, like Annie Lennox and Gabrielle. There might be a few more, but I can't recall.

It is my thing again, decidedly average bands get overhyped to a ridiculous degree.. You are told you will be getting the greatest rock and roll album in history, but it turns out it is just Coldplay..

Also I think I might have come off as though I dont like British music, which isnt true at all, it is a hell of a lot better than local music here, where unforgiveably bad bands are worshipped for being almost as good as band x from Britain..

Supergrass is another often overlooked band from england I quite like.. TBH I am kinda surprised at my inability to think of any, except for ones from 10 years ago that I never really liked all that much anyway..

The Go! Team are pretty cool.

Have a nice day.

 

[mf]

coldplay are an embarrassment.

oh... ENTER SHIKARI - not another overhyped mediocre band, i promise. 'post-hardcore' but really not similar to any other band of that genre due to their trance/electronica influences. check them out :)

 

[Hipmonlee]

Well, if I am being honest, Coldplay arent all that bad, its just they arent anything like as good as british media made them out to be..

I think Arctic Monkeys suffer from this too.. They are a damn good band, but just not quite as good as the press they get..

Other examples: The Kooks, Oasis, The Streets (sorry guys), Travis, Bloc Party (sorry again), etc...

Have a nice day.

 

[Sklez]

The Rakes are a band I am really enjoying at the moment. Their first album had more of a relaxed, almost joke like tone but the new album is more serious but not to the point of being up themselves, which I like.

On the point of bands taking things to seriously, I really believe The Kaiser Chiefs have really lost their way. Am I the only one who thought their second album lacked any of the fun they previously had?