RJDG14

I've noticed the snare production less on American music from the 1980s than British music - in America it was common on mainstream music while in Britain it seemed common on all music. I don't mind the sound - I just wanted to know if there were any British indie bands that were exeptions to the rule, since I can think of some American examples.

It feels as if American alternative had one main phase, from about 1984 until the early 2000s. British indie had two phases - the "snare" phase from about 1979 until 1990, and the "modern" phase since about 1991, which sounds closer to the American stuff. Were British bands after 1990 influenced by American bands which they hadn't previously been?

Was the "snare" sound chosen by the bands, or added to everything by most producers? I've heard live performances of them and they rarely sound that way then, even though you can easily create reverb live. Plenty of 90s British and 80s American music also uses reverb, but with more distorted guitar, a plainer and a different style of vocals it has a more modern "vibe" to it. Is there a reason why a lot of Irish bands sounded closer to the American bands of the era? An Irish singing voice may be closer to the American, or it could be down to differences in common influence.

So the Levellers have what I consider to be a 90s British sound, and New Model Army are essentially a similar band, but with an 80s feel to them. So if most 90s British bands were like the Levellers, and most 80s bands were like New Model Army, were there any 80s bands closer to the Levellers? This would probably be a better comparison.