“From All The Jobs, The One I Chose Is Music”

I’ve always wanted to be an IT girl and now my dream is finally coming true in the form of being your go-to music gal on YourItList.com. [Does the running man in place.] I’ve been a part of the HarperCollins extended family for a couple years now, so think of me like the second cousin twice removed on your mom’s side who used to have a horrible bowl haircut when she was eight but finally shed the baby fat and stopped wearing stirrup pants. If you already have my books on your shelf, coffee table or nightstand, kudos!! Me love you long time!! If you don’t, it’s okay. I’ll dig deep and try to find it in my cold, black heart to forgive you—that is, if you mosey over to the book store immediately and add the following to your cart: Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide To Emo Culture and Wish You Were Here: An Essential Guide To Your Favorite Scenes—From Punk To Indie And Everything In Between.

Whew… That was a close one.

Without further adieu, I’d like to present the first of many columns for YourItList.com. When some girls grow up, they dream of becoming a princess or a ballerina or even a celebutard. Not me. I dreamed about being British, which I realized was impossible at a very young age because I was born in Cleveland, Ohio. However, as the years passed, I never gave up on the fantasy of moving to England and living the Limey life, thanks to tunage from bands like The Big Pink, La Roux and The Wombats.

Now, if I could only find a bloke to make an honest bird out of me.

THE BIG PINK

Within the first 30 seconds of the song “Dominos,” I fell in love with The Big Pink. I was picking out china patterns, thinking about where we’d vacation on our honeymoon and wondering if I should change my name or not. In other words, I was completely smitten and knew that I needed to build a life with the band—comprised of multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell—STAT. Their debut album A Brief History Of Love is the kind of electro-infused shoegazing rock that would make Ian Curtis and the Moz proud. In other words, it’s dreamy, brooding and beautifully British.

LA ROUX

Blur’s Damon Albarn said it best when he sang, “Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls who do boys like they’re girls who do girls like they’re boys, always should be someone you really love.” I’m not exactly sure what that means, but one listen to La Roux and I’m a little closer to understanding. Awesomely androgynous, singer Elly Jackson might look like your typical Camden bad-ass with a razor-sharp faux-hawk and the kind of glammed out wardrobe that would make Ziggy Stardust jealous, but once she opens her mouth, the Brixton native reveals herself to be pure pop. Roux la la!

THE WOMBATS

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about selling all of my belongings, buying a one-way ticket to Liverpool and following around The Wombats for the rest of my life—or until one of the dudes in the band gets a restraining order against me. (I imagine it would be kind of like going on Phish tour… minus the 23-minute vacuum solos and pesky parking-lot drum circles.) Although the trio is huge in England, they still skulk in the shadow of bigger Brit-pop imports like Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party. That said, I’m hoping America stops kissing Alex Turner’s tush and dishes out some marsupial love when The Wombats release their sophomore album in 2010. In the meantime, “Let’s Dance To Joy Division,” shall we?

Wanna read more of my musings? Hoof it over to http://www.leslie-simon.com. Plus, you’re a wanker if you’re not following me (@redpatterndress) on Twitter. (Okay, you’re not really a wanker, but you are missing out on my bloody fantastic tweets.)