This is what happens when you mix Rush with Glam:

[XXX]

You get BritPop, Glam Rock artists like Placebo. If you haven't heard any of their songs yet, then you're missing out on some of the catchiest tunes to come from the 90s and to-day. Start with one of their latest singles, "This Picture," from Sleeping With Ghosts.

[DiggsUK]

I thought Placebo were American, XXX. You don't think we would claim little Brian as our own, do you?

Regards

[XXX]

Placebo are very much British. A band like that could never be the product of the American music scene. Two of the best Glam acts to ever come out of North America were Nick Gilder and The New York Dolls. That was almost 30 years ago! Placebo has its place in modern Rock history with the likes of Suede. Actually, it's your only bet now that Suede is no more. The other closest act would probably be Kent, but the language barrier usually turns casual music fans away - although the best versions of their songs are the Swedish ones and not the re-recorded English tracks. Anyway. Here's another song from Placebo to try: "Soulmates." Great tune. They're also one of the few bands that can do better than decent covers (the other two being Travis and The Dandy Warhols :: :: ).

So, get thee to a record shoppe post-haste

[DiggsUK]

I like 'Nancy-Boy' and 'Bruise Pristine'.

I am sure Placebo are American. Sure, they have had their success in the UK and are in the same vein as Suede (albiet without the wall of sound and the bi-sexuality, and Bernard Butler), little Brian definately speaks with an American accent. I suspect a chap with his 'interests' couldn't make it big in the US anyhow.

I think when you mix Rush with Glam, you get The Darkness, or Geddy Lee in a frock.

Regards

[Denmark Street]

Actually, Placebo are a pretty mixed band: Brian Molko was born in the US, but raised here in Britain by his Scottish Dad. Bassist Stefan Olsberg is Swedish. They met up in London in '94 and formed the band. The only true Brit is the drummer, Steve Hewitt.

[DiggsUK]

Thanks DS, thats cleared up that one then.

Regards

[XXX]

From now on, The Darkness shall be referred to as The Dorkness: So it has been proclaimed in this thread That's a godawaful band if I ever heard one. I see more of a combination between Queen and Geddy Lee, but their material is way too stuck in their past influences instead of coming out with something more "theirs".

Placebo tinkers a lot with sexual ambiguity as well. That's one of the presentation schemes for being a Neo Glam band. Despite the nationality of the lead singer, the style, the music, and the lyrics - pretty much everything that the band is comes from Britain. Proof in point is that their records sales in the UK are grand while the record sales in the US are much much - muuuuch - less than the popular acts (crap like Jet and The Dorkness come to mind). Honestly, I can't think of a Neo Glam band from the US; it would sound funny, actually. As if we're trying to catch on to something that Britain has been doing for the past 15 years or so. One band has sort of jumped on the wagon, but they're not Neo Glam; you can't even call them BritPop because they're not British (like Kent). But they definitely have this pseudo-BritPop sound and this makes them Alternative to music audiences (since there's no such thing as "USPop"): The Dandy Warhols. They don't do it all the time, but think of two firestones crashing against each other - you'll get a spark every so often.

But don't just sit there! Get these albums... Pronto!

Suede by Suede

Black Market Music by Placebo

Isola and Vapen And Ammunition by Kent

Welcome To The Monkey House by The Dandy Warhols

The Invisible Band by Travis

Rialto by Rialto

If you don't have half of these albums in your collections, you're missing half of the British and Alternative music scene from the past decade and a half

[cosmosis]

Start with one of their latest singles, "This Picture,"

OMG. What is Geddy doing with these kids? LOL

some more to come...