Represent your country with one artist/band.
 

If you had to choose one band or artist to represent your country who would it be and why?

You have to distill everything that's good (or bad) about your country through one band/artist and why they encompass your own country.

They don't even have to be your favourite band but you have to take into account their music, their lyrics, their image, their approach and realisation of their music.

You can even be negative about them if you want to but you should write honestly and put them forth as what your country's music has, is or will be about if it applies.

I already have my choice but it's rather late for me to get analytical at this hour and want to write a more coherent post than I am capable of right now!

I don't think Canada can go too wrong with Arcade Fire.

This is very difficult... But I'll give it a shot.

I think Radiohead would be a good shout for the UK. They've encompassed myriad genres and influences in a career that's generally defined by its consistent quality. In that sense, you could say they encapsulate the history of British popular music - there's been duds, but on the whole, we aren't too bad at this lark.

Their at times forward-thinking, at other times post-modernist, but always exploratory approach to music captures the essence of a British culture that's confused and alienated by the rampant consumerism and commercialisation gradually brought over from the smothering influence of the US. You sense that Britain is searching for who it really is - something I feel Radiohead's been doing in their music for years. On top of this, the feelings of unease, paranoia, weariness, angst and desolation that permeate a lot of the band's output can be transferred over to the feelings of British society as a whole. Nobody likes the government, our country's finances are in a mess and unemployment is up - the future isn't exactly a picture of peace and harmony.

The band's released albums that have shaken up the musical climates of the times, written content that has real social, contextual relevance, and managed to transcend epochs in British music that have held other esteemed bands captive. In short, they represent the progressive qualities of Britain's best cultural exports.

On the flip side, they also encapsulate the British music press's tendency to elevate any band that demonstrates a semblance of artistic ingenuity to the status of demi-gods.

Yeah... That all comes off as a little pretentious. Others will make a much better job of this. Good thread.

you made this very hard....considering that i live in a country where i disagree with 98% of the population....hummm i'll give this some thought

Oh c'mon you have to write more than that!

Great post fella, exactly what I was hoping for.

****!! this sucks for me since i mostly listen to Uk rock lol
but hmmm it would have to be the beach boys from 1965-67
or maybe the doors :)

USA... ugh!

Lots of tough choices. If we're going with a band, I say the Beach Boys. If it's a solo artist, I think most people would say Bob Dylan. But I think it should be Miles Davis.

Yeah but why? This is not a confrontational thread more a thread for members to really post in detail and not be lazy bastards ;)

I might have to go with Nick Cave. The fact that he had to move to Berlin to get some recognition has to tell you something about our culture. You also have to love the fact that he convinced Kylie Minogue to perform I Should Be So Lucky as spoken word.

I came to the wrong place then.

Realistically, there aren't a lot of acceptable representatives of Canada. I'm not even sure of what Canada's identity is (outside of stereotypes perceived from outside it), let alone who from our pitiful export list should stand for it.

I suppose Arcade Fire could be said to represent the English and Quebecois communities equally, and I suppose their activism and relief efforts reflect well. They carry themselves in a pretty understated way for being such an important and influential act in the last decade of music. I'm just waiting for someone to throw something smarter into the ring.

I imagine I'd feel more strongly about this if I felt a stronger cultural presence.

Well the beach boys are one of the most influential artists of all time :)
pet sounds..all those sunny hits that made the kids happy..
smile...the influenced every group from the beatles to daft punk. :D

I'm oddly unfamiliar with American popular music.. but when I think of America, I think of Buddy Holly and Elvis. They were two founding fathers of rock n' roll. (I prefer Buddy over the King but that's sort of irrelevant.)

I see how it is!:mad::laughing:

For the Beach Boys... Well, the only other bands I considered were the Doors and the Velvet Underground. I narrowed it down to those three because of the lack of good/important bands in the 1950's, those two were the best of the 60's, none of the 70's bands are good enough in my eyes, and I think it's still too soon to judge any bands that started in the 1980's or afterwards.

Initially I thought about who was the best out of those three, and the list came out like this. There was a definite order, but they're all very close.

1. VU
2. Doors
3. Beach Boys

But, then I thought about it a little more and my next thought about it was what qualities would I look for to represent my country and how relevant are they to my country.

The Velvet Underground are incredibly influential and have a tremendous, if small discography. Very much the same as the Doors, too. The Beach Boys have a vast, large discography that has a lot of quality but also some duds and misfires. In terms of relevance to Americans in general, the Beach Boys in their early days are uniquely American when they sing about cars, girls and summers on the beach. I also feel the genre of surf rock/music in relation to America is very close to the relation between British Invasion and the UK. It's something the world can easily identify with that country. And to see the Beach Boys grow into the band they became in the late 60's and early 70's and create music as deep and influential as the stuff the Doors and VU were making; makes me give my vote to the Beach Boys.

As for solo artist, I went through the same process with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Miles Davis. I'm not a huge fan of the Boss, but his sound is something that can be identified as uniquely American. Bob Dylan was very influential for his time and is as recognizable a name in music as you'll get. However, Miles Davis IS jazz and jazz is the most American genre of music, IMO.

Happy(,) Jack? :D

fixed.

i totally agree with you on every level :)

for America ..... MIKE PATTON


because who else are u going to pick he ****z on everyone else Duh

Although they're certainly not my favourite band, nor am I particularly into their genre of music, I think someone like the Chieftains or maybe Christy Moore best typify Irish music.

Certainly, trad (traditional) as its name implies, looks back to and encompasses the heritage and shared history of the Irish people. We are a people who love looking back (though we like to say we are forward looking and thinking --- at least, our so-called government do! --- we're always saying "Wasn't like this in my day" and "I remember when...") and we're very very strongly linked to our past. A lot of that comes from the fact that conflict, particularly with the (damn) English, colours much of our history. But we didn't need the English to fight: we did that well enough on our own. North against south, king against king, province against province: the legacy of Ireland is steeped in blood and war, jealousy and revenge, and that old chestnut that just will not go away, religious sectarianism.

Now, I don't know much of the Chieftains, the Wolfe Tones or Christy Moore's music personally, but in general it's simple, traditional, usually either obliviously happy drinking songs, rebel songs or tales of long ago. It's music you can dance to, music you can have fun to, and to be honest, doesn't bear too much in the way of critical examination. Trad is not about to break any new ground or introduce any amazing new themes or sounds or innovations. Hey, it's trad, y'know?

But anyone coming to Ireland and heading to an Irish bar will hear trad music, or want to hear it, before the likes of U2 or even Rory. Yes, we have had our share of fantastic musicians over the decades, but trad is the one music form that is, I believe, eternally, undeniably and totally representative of my country.

Be the hokey! :)

Go on: tell me your fingers and feet aren't tapping to this...

Old Automatic Garbage (OAG) I suppose

they sing in English and Malay, 2 predominant languages here, although they don't really sing in Chinese or Tamil, but I can't think of any band that sing in all four, besides the Alleycats, which were more of a pub band

they also have a slightly Britpop sound, that harkens to our heritage as a colony



just some editing - in true Malaysian spirit, they also never rehearse and are truly sloppy live

Guernsey

Um......

Well that guy who formed Dreadzone was born here.

Er.......

Have to agree with Sneer's post regarding Radiohead. Other than The Bends I have never been a huge fan for whatever reason, but they are the stand out choice.

I think Blur also deserve a mention. They made a conscious effort to try and make British sounding music around the time when America had taken over the charts (according to Albarn at least) and I think they did a good job of creating popular music that was also of genuine value.

I should have said England in my post, not the UK. The Scots, Welsh and N. Irish would probably hiss at the thought of Radiohead - that English monolith - being their national representative.

I think I can safely say no one has ever captured Canadas "**** it" spirit than my man, the legend, K Dot O Dot!



Look at this beauty. Look at him.

My vote goes to early jazz and ragtime bandleader James Reese Europe to represent the US. If you can say two things about American music of the 20th and 21st centuries they would be that (a) it is by-and-large the product disparate musical traditions fusing with each other, especially African with European, and (b) it has been massively exported and imitated around the globe. In a lot of ways James Reese Europe can be seen as an early focal point of both of these things. Aside from the fact he's simply one of the great early jazz talents, he is a key figure in American musical history in that his band was the first jazz/proto-jazz band to play Carnegie Hall—thus helping introduce jazz music to a more mainstream white American audience—and also the first jazz/proto-jazz band to perform in Europe (in 1918), thereby opening the door to many, many decades of American musical exportation.

didn't she sing a song or two on Murder Ballads also?

it's weird to me that you would choose Nick Cave to represent Australia...and being from Melbourne! :)

^i thought this was the Australian national anthem :)

She just sang with him on "Where the wild roses grow".
But what a performance!

I'm gonna have to go with RUSH as the quintessential Canadian band.
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pu.../rush_2604.jpg

Just like the nation the band just keeps on ticking, they've been around seemingly forever but never really in anyone's face. 44 years and still going strong is quite an achievement for any band, let alone one of their technical caliber. From humble beginnings they made attempts at success and rather than crumble when their label put pressure for that possibility for success to start paying back commercial dividends they strengthened their resolve and forced the industry to respect their position with their landmark 2112 album. Their styles are almost as varied as the cultures and people who populate the great white north (can't really think of any hip-hop experiments from the group though).

Virtuosos in their own rights and well recognized by their peers and fellow musicians the individual members of the band come across as very laid back and down to earth. No haughty attitudes and airs of superiority, they let their music be the star of its show rather than forcing their egos. It's like how Canada will forever be in the shadow of the USA but we've got a nicer reputation, not based on boastful claims, but from how people perceive our actions and society.

The other thing that really makes it feel Canadian to me is the proggy-psychedelicness for lack of a better term. Even in big cities there's not that much to do in comparison to an equally populated American city, and I think a major factor in that is the Winter. Our Winters are long and harsh, they limit the outward opportunities, and if you happen to be a snowbound musician it's the best time to beef up your chops and develop your own style, really though what else is there to do? I think that forced natural solitude in their formative years reflects itself well within the introspective metaphysical lyrics that dominates the majority of their work.

We're an innovative nation, we struggled to colonize a new world, we stepped up when our motherland called for help, we continue to strive for a better tomorrow, not just for ourselves but for everyone because we all deserve it. RUSH's musical career really encapsulates that, their innovation, their drive, their resolve, their hope for a better future. It's all there in their music.

Mr. Dave, excellent write-up for Rush/Canada. That's what I'd like to make out of mine:

Tom Waits/USA

But I'm going to have to edit it in, because I'm logging off. Yes, I probably should have just waited til tomorrow to post at all, but I didn't want to forget.

On Twitter DJ Shamann told me K.O. is working on some new projects :)

this must of been the dude trash talking to me on Xbox last night :P

Hello.

I will go with John Lennon - England/UK.

He somewhat overshadowed the other three parts of the band (McCartney, Harrison and Starr / Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). At one point he was on top of the world, but after a period of time he gradually withdrew from the limelight. He had a good comeback with Double Fantasy (Falklands) but then died. The UK isn't dead yet, although Scotland may be independent in a few years time ;)

Thanks d00d, looking forward to your future edit :yeah:

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