Great Scots!

Oh those crazy Brits. It seems like every three or four months, some new band from across the pond is being force-fed to us Yankees as the greatest band in the history of recorded music (or at least since The Beatles). For every Coldplay that actually shows some staying power,...

By Mike R. Meyer

April 16, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Oh those crazy Brits. It seems like every three or four months, some new band from across the pond is being force-fed to us Yankees as the greatest band in the history of recorded music (or at least since The Beatles). For every Coldplay that actually shows some staying power, there are countless other Britpop bands (Travis, Supergrass, Pulp, Blur, et al.) that arrived with similar fanfare, only to fade into relative obscurity stateside. Even Oasis, whose undeniably catchy pop anthems managed to hold America’s grunge-obsessed attention for a couple years, never approached the level of adoration they received back home. In 2004, Scottish dance rockers Franz Ferdinand were the latest “next big thing” from Britain, and they seemed to be off to a good start with their infectious first single, “Take Me Out.” Their self-titled debut sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide, but its 2005 follow-up, the aptly titled You Could Have It So Much Better, never approached those numbers. Franz Ferdinand’s latest, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, debuted at No. 9 here in the U.S., but promptly nosedived out of the Top 50 the following week. It’s a shame, really, since Franz Ferdinand – not to mention every other band mentioned above – is a helluva lot better than freakin’ Coldplay.
Sat., April 18, 6:30 p.m., 2009

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.