British Invasion

Why do bands from England think that they haven’t made it until they “invade” the US? I mean, who are we to judge music? We have made Fergie’s horrid song “London Bridge” a hit on the radio. For that alone, our opinions should be obsolete when it comes to who becomes musical hits.

One of the best bands I have heard recently is the Arctic Monkeys , a four-man band from England, originally formed in 2002. I’m a huge fan of British music. The Hollies, The Animals, The Kinks – these are some of the greatest bands of all times. During my senior year of college, I took History of Rock and Roll and was furious at my teacher when he mentioned The Kinks in passing as if they were nobodies worth talking about. I wrote him an email on why The Clash deserved more than just a mere bullet point on his power point during his lecture for the emergence of punk music. They are passionate with their music, able to write fierce politically charged lyrics and maintain idealism about the world around them. I also wrote that their album London Calling is the best album of all time and NOT The Beatles Revolver, though that does come in second place.

Arctic Monkeys is one of those bands I heard that drove me crazy from the start. I heard their single “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” maybe played on the radio all of two times here but it was an impeccable song. The band's debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, holds the record for the largest first week sales of a debut album in UK history and this is the Beatles motherland we’re talking about. That’s saying something huge about this band. “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” has been playing endlessly both over my computer and in my car. It reminds me of lyrics The Kinks might have written.

“Stop making the eyes at me, I'll stop making the eyes at you
And what it is that surprises me, is that I don't really want you to
And your shoulders are frozen, cold as the night
Over you're an explosion, you’re dynamite”

Not that I’m saying the Arctic Monkeys are the next Kinks or even the next Beatles. I hate when people are compared to people that previously came before them. In my opinion, the Arctic Monkeys are the Arctic Monkeys and they’re insanely good. Now if only everyone else in America would realize it.