Actually depending on what is being said, a country could be represented as a singular plural difference

Digging: Calibre - Spill

Even in American reviews etc I usually see it as plural. For things like the army, 'it' works well,
because the military is a depersonalised entity; it exists before and after people join it and its
function remains the same. Releasing an album is a creative act, dependent upon human agency, to say
'it' is to suggest that the action occurs without the individuals effort being involved. edit: I am
English btw, and studying to be a professor of literature.

Like The United States or the Virgin Islands or United Emirates etc...

Digging: Eluvium - Nightmare Ending

Think of it this way: would you ever address a band as "it" or "they"?

what if this 'band' only consists of one person like Wintersun for example

Well that's different because it is one person operating under that particular name/identity

It all depends on what you're trying to say about the band/country in question
The United States "is" a large country
The Unites States "are" a major power

Just checked a few different sites, and it's always plural as far as I can see. 'They', 'their', 'them' etc etc. If a band is one person, how is he/she a band and not an 'artist'?

"what if this 'band' only consists of one person like Wintersun for example"
Wintersun does not consist of only one person, it is a "one man project" or the "brainchild" of one person but it does include 3 other members besides Jari.

A band is, by definition, a group of people. The old one-man-bands, with the drum and harmonica etc,
performed the function of more than one person, but the name itself was figurative. The only singular
entity within a band is the group's aim towards a common goal - writing, playing, releasing music.
That singular entity is an abstract concept; it can't get drunk, eat a cheeseburger, release an album.
The people of the band write and release the album, and they are a 'they'.

Album Rating: 4.0

The football team are good.

Now that doesn't make sense does it? If its a band like Love American I would say "Love American is" but if it's a plural name like the Flaming Tsunamis I would say "the Flaming Tsunamis are"

Digging: Night Birds - Maimed For The Masses

You can still refer to the football team as "they" or "them". Your argument is invalid.

"The local football team are doing pretty well this season" makes perfect sense

Album Rating: 4.0

Team is a singular noun

When you say "they", you're referring to the members of the team, not the team as one entity. I could be wrong though, I'm just saying what I think is right.

Love American, like every other band, are irreducibly a group of people. A band name - or football team etc - can never be anything but a plural noun. Manchester United are a football team, and they suck balls.

Album Rating: 4.0

And I'm from the US, our grammar rules might be a bit different, I don't know

"When you say "they", you're referring to the members of the team, not the team as one entity"
That's the point. Did you read what Phlebas wrote? (besides, both implies that there is more than one person involved)

Album Rating: 4.0

And Man. U IS a soccer team. Haha I'm just kidding around

Album Rating: 4.0

Oh maybe we're on the same page whoops

I think my last post was wrong, as the noun actually does refer to the singular concept, but the thing
the band/team does is done by the people, not the concept.

Album Rating: 3.0

I just tend to go with what sounds right.

"Man U are a football team" maybe grammatically correct, but I don't know a single person who says that. "Man U is a team", on the other hand...

So yeah, I just switch from singular to plural, depending on context. As long as I can get my point across, I'm happy.

Digging: Savages - Silence Yourself