I have been doing a bit of exploring British music to try and figure out why everyone's so obsessed with it, and why they're so obsessed with bands that no one else in the world has ever seemed to have heard of. Why is Pete Doherty such a "legend?" What is NME? Who the heck is Jools Holland? Where did Top of the Pops go? Why does everyone listen to the same thing? At the same time? And why oh why oh why do people like Jarvis Cocker and Oasis and Morrisey and Kate Bush still hold such mythical status?

Part of my exploration has involved picking a few really popular bands and buying their albums to try to figure out why they're so damn popular. So far, so good, actually. (I did some selective picking...sorry, but I'm never going to like McFly, no matter what.)

One of the nicest surprises has been Lily Allen - the teenage wunderkind that was this summer's hottest of the hot. The Observer Music Mag (really a wonderful publication...shockingly unpretentious and democratic writing, if a bit indulgent of wankers like the aforementioned Jarvis Cocker) "broke" Lily Allen last summer after she'd been discovered through her MySpace page. She's the daughter of an old English TV star or something or other and has lived somewhat of a vagabond life and is now currently settled on music, producing a weird hybrid of reggae and pop that's somewhat chavvy and totally addictive.

She was EVERYWHERE this summer and I was determined not to like her precisely because she was everywhere. I hate the flavor of the moment just on principle. But I saw one of her videos on Yahoo! Music one day and it was good. Not just good, REALLY good. Funny and silly with great lyrics and a totally infectious hook. Everything that good pop should be. So I bought the album and I love it. Sad to say, but the hype was right on...she sounds like what Liz Phair would have sounded like if Exile in Guyville was made 15 years later. She's equally wise and dirty and vulnerable and tough and I haven't heard a grrrl as authentic since - well - Liz Phair. Totally worth my time. Totally worth yours.

Does this mean I'm going to have to listen to Keane, Kasabian, and The Magic Numbers now?