The Wombats

It's a bit weird to have a name so Australian for a band that repeatedly reminds us of how British it is. The Liverpudlians' tales of drunken nights and broken schoolboy hearts are set to a snotty Brit-pop bounce that is catchy enough to pogo to. They declare they are "moving to New York" but then drop enough Anglo references to fill a BBC special on pop culture -- Bridget Jones, Mary Poppins, King Lear, Joy Division and Oliver Reed all get a shout-out. The Wombats' keenness for irony is clear, and while their youthful snarkery is endearing, like any adolescent phase, it can also get tiresome.