Where Has All the BRITISH Music Gone?

Don't get me wrong - I like plenty of American rock outfits - I love the Peppers, Matchbox 20, and even the Goo Goo Dolls and I find other groups like The White Stripes and Strokes to be pretty good, although not really my type.

However, American music has become way too dominated, in my opinion by rap and hip-hop. Whatever rock is left has degenerated to crap like Creed or bad alternative. What happened to good, melodic guitar rock?

The British music scene has an abundance of groups that play this. I don't want to exaggerate the health of the British music scene - they have plenty of manufactured crap too. But they also have and have had over the last few years, some incredibly good guitar rock bands that just haven't made it in the U.S. Right now, The Darkness, Franz Ferdinand, and The Coral are ripping it up on the other side of the pond, but both are basically unknown here (Darkness is gaining ground, though). Coldplay has had decent success here, as has Radiohead, as more of a cult outfit. In the mid to late 90s, huge groups in England and Europe (that were good, even great!) like Blur, Pulp, The Stereophonics, The Verve and Oasis (okay, so they tanked horribly after two excellent albums, but even so, the first two albums, in my opinion, deserved far great success than they had.)

What happened? Is this a bad thing? We are getting sort of an Aussie-rock invasion, which may not be a bad thing (both the Vines and Jet are quite good, although I'm still warming to them). But does anybody else miss good British rock?

Morrissey's back.

He's the musical guest for the week. Might want to check it out. He's doing an interview with Kilborn tonight, as well.

and 80% of the albums were made by British artists. I can't say I miss British rock, anymore than I love American rock. Music is music, to me at least, and if it's good, I'll buy it. It just so happens that much of the best music of the past half-century has come from the British Isles. Of course, you've got to factor in the number of British "pioneers" who just ripped off American blues music...but that's a rant for another evening.

I don't particularly enjoy any of the Oz-Rock bands I've heard (all two of them). I despise the Vines and Jet I find a little too shallow.

As for new British rock, I can tolerate Franz Ferdinand and I really dig the silliness of the Darkness. Coldplay is quite underwhelming and Radiohead is Radiohead. With the exception of shit like Oasis and the Verve, I dig 90s Britrock like Blur, Pulp, etc.

I am terribly sick of the New York cool post-punk bullshit that every new band seems to follow. I love post-punk, but Jesus these bands are getting really fucking repetitive. Do something original.

they have every seventies hook in the book in their music. It's really fun to play "What did they steal that from?" Yeah it's pretty derivative, but kind of fun in a Small Faces - scruffy kind of way.

I do like Coldplay, despite myself. I think the Darkness are a hoot, since 70s excess was kind of in it's grave.