It’s no secret that I think that the British are far more talented in the music department than my fellow Americans. Of course, I do give credit when credit is due, but you’re more likely to come across a fantastic British band rather than an American one.
I’m not being snobby—I’m merely highlighting a pattern in contemporary music.
These songs are heavy on guitar, call-backs and, of course, the British accent (the accent itself varies depending on location, but if we dwelled on the specific localities of accent, we’d be here all day). The British music scene isn’t focused on sounding cooler than its listener like so many New York bands tend to do, but it is rather focused on having a good time and being full of energy.
Don’t believe me? Let me prove it to you through 10 fast-paced, danceable songs that are sure to knock your socks off.
“I Found Out” by The Pigeon Detectives, off of their album, Wait For Me.
What I particularly enjoy about The Pigeon Detectives is that they don’t try to be overly fancy in their lyrics or complex in their melodies and rhythms. They’re a band who write songs about what all 20-somethings love to do: going out, getting absolutely hammered, and general lusting.
“I Found Out” opens up with a set of energetic, aggressive chords bolstered by the drums that repeat throughout the entire song. It isn’t long until the lead singer, Matt Bowman, wails into the song, screeching, “I heard you’re going out with him,” with a load of poisoned emphasis on the word “him.” The rest of the band calls back to him, repeating exactly what he says. In short, even the band knows this song is easy to sing along to and they want you to join in, if not immediately, soon.
“Mirror Kissers” by The Cribs, off of their record, The New Fellas.
If The Pigeon Detectives weren’t enough to convince you that the British music scene is far superior, I have no doubts that it is The Cribs that will have you a full-blown convert.
Anthemic? Check. Bouncing bass? Check. Scrappy guitar? CHECK.
It should be illegal at how catchy this song is. The Cribs are immediately calling out all of you hipster folk who hold back, specifically, because “you’re the hipster type.” Shake off your exorbitantly expensive dirty flannels, your filthy beanies, stretch out your skinny jeans and f*cking dance to this track. The drums essentially command that you jump around your bedroom to this song.
I had the pleasure to see these guys last March at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn. If you think their energy is overwhelming in this song, wait until you see them live. In short, I was drenched in sweat and had been kicked in the head after The Cribs were done with me. It was amazing. Go now and see them.
“Don’t Look Back Into The Sun” by The Libertines, off of their album, Time For Heroes – The Best Of The Libertines.
You’re lulled into a dreamy sensation provided by the quiet, quick guitar chords that are nearly silenced by another guitar’s sweet melody. It slowly gets louder, adding a sense of confusion until the guitars explode into a scrubbing, descending scale and Pete Doherty screeches into existence.
The rest of the song is a wild rollercoaster ride where you’re throwing yourself about to keep pace with this incredibly fast-paced song. The guitars are the definition of chaotic, garage noise and something to headbang to (something I found myself doing instead of writing this entry).
You’re given temporarily relief through the verses as the song doesn’t explode again until the chorus. It’s all fleeting, descending into wild musical, noisy bliss by the end of the track.
“Do You Want To” by Franz Ferdinand, off of their record, You Could Have It So Much Better.
If you don’t think this song is danceable, I want you to close your browser right now and think about what you just said. Come back in an hour when you’re being reasonable.
Franz Ferdinand is a band that gives equal respect to the guitar and bass. There is no specific melody emphasis for either instrument—they share it. You can easily hum the bass line as easy as the guitar riff. Don’t even get me started on the lyrical content.
There is a certain bravado in this song that is admirable. Opening up immediately with the line, “When I woke up tonight I said / “’I’m going to make somebody love me.’” is something that makes us furrow our brows at the sheer cockiness of the speaker, but we remain envious or him or her somehow.
Don’t lie to me and say that you never had that exact lyric run through your head as to prepared to go to River City or Fens (RIP).
“Helicopter” by Bloc Party, off of their album, Silent Alarm.
The raw sound of the guitar has always drawn me to this specific song by Bloc Party. About two weeks ago, I was sitting at Terminal 5 when this song came on the speakers and I found myself dancing far harder to this song than I had the opening band.
Simply, there’s just something very infectious about this sound. I enjoy that the guitars are stripped down and aren’t overproduced and how Kele Okereke’s voice is unaltered. It’s a sound that is refreshing and can make you immediately forget how Bloc Party is now some sort of monster glued together by Dr. Frankenstein.
Let’s all live in 2004-2005 British bliss, shall we?
“Hey Little Sweetie” by Little Man Tate, off of their record, Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy.
The album title is very fitting for a song about a “naughty (ad infinitum) little girl” who is graduating college. I’m sure she, like the rest of us, are very aware that this degree doesn’t come easy, but it’s certainly worth having, is it not?
I’m done preaching.
The song opens up immediately with jangly guitars that give way to the jumping bass octaves. Like The Pigeon Detectives, Little Man Tate doesn’t seek to overwhelm its audiences with complicated stories and melody, but just wants to play fun indie rock for the masses.
If you ask me, though, the chorus needs a LOT of work. But, hey! It’s easy to sing along to! Pros and cons, my friends.
“Fluorescent Adolescent” by Arctic Monkeys, off of their album, Favorite Worst Nightmare.
It’s not really a British rock music playlist if you don’t include the Arctic Monkeys. While I think they’re now vastly overrated (I still respect their musical grind, however), we all still need to appreciate their work on Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare.
“Fluorescent Adolescent” is kind of the introductory track for many into the world of British indie rock. I dare you to try and find me any self-proclaimed indie kid who doesn’t cite this song as a reason why he or she continued digging deeper into the world of indie music.
Arctic Monkeys tell a very relatable story about growing up, summed up quickly in the first verse, “You used get it in your fishnets / Now you want to get it in your night dress / …Remember when you used to be a rascal?” I’ve always enjoyed how simple this song is. It doesn’t try to be anything more than it actually is: a song that is easy on the ears and awesome enough to show your friends.
Your new favorite lyric: “Oh, that boy’s a slag / The best you ever had…”, hands down.
“22 Grand Job” by The Rakes, off of their release, Capture/Release.
More drums! More drums!!!
Listen to that bass! Listen to the lead singer repeat, “22 grand job / In the city / It’s all right!” to almost painful levels! This song is immediate and inherently fun. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t mind a 22 grand job right now—money is money.
The lead singer, Alan Donohoe, doesn’t seem to take a breath when he sings. The song drives incessantly forward, pulling you, the listener, with it, whether you like it or not. The guitar spins your head around with its circular runs during the chorus, pleasantly humming while Donohoe sings. The repetitive nature of the song nearly mirrors the mundanity of a 22 grand job which is certainly very cool.
That’s the only time where something mundane will be interesting and I apologize.
“Our Velocity” by Maximo Park, off of their record, Our Earthly Pleasures.
This song is far less repetitive than the song above and much quicker.
“Our Velocity” brings us back to the cocky British speaker. However, this speaker clearly has no mouth filter, giving the listener every thought he or she has ever had in the past five minutes. We are introduced to a much more vulnerable side of this speaker in the lyrics, “I’ve got no one to call / In the middle of the night anymore / I’m just alone / With these thoughts” which is something interesting to consider when you suddenly remember that this same speaker is ready to talk only about himself or herself.
The guitar is fuzzy and full of energy. A synthesizer bridges the song’s chorus and verses seamlessly, further emphasizing this speaker’s seemingly endless stream of consciousness. As he or she goes through his or her emotional turmoil, so do you. It’s a very immersive experience.
“To Lose My Life” by White Lies, off of their album, To Lose My Life….
There’s something romantic about this song in the most morbid of ways. The opening lyric, “He said to lose my life or lose my love” is answered directly by the chorus, “Let’s grow old together / And die at the same time.” When’s the last you heard a lyric like that?
The steady tempo convinces the listener that the speaker is content that he or she is about to die with his or her beloved. Harry McVeigh has a voice that is reminiscent of David Gahan’s of Depeche Mode, adding to the haunting, dark sound of “To Lose My Life.” Despite the fact that this song is loaded with doom and gloom, it’s very easy to dance to.
On that note, if you like to be melancholy as you dance, here’s the perfect track. Have a great week, Jaspers.
You can listen to this week’s playlist via Spotify.