Pop Quiz
O.K. here's a question, or rather two..

1). What do these groups have in common?
Fountains of Wayne
Grandaddy
Sparklehorse
Mercury Rev
The Flaming Lips.

2). Who are the British equivalent(s) of these bands?

any thoughts at all welcome...

[Update] - Well spotted ade, they are bands listed in my links section over there on the right. I like them. They are all American. They make some sort of grown-up rock/pop music that mixes great songwriting, intelligent lyrics and humour.
No one is bothered what they look like or how old they are. They make records that sell, even the music critics like them. There is a huge list of American bands like this going back years. One of the first I liked was Sparks, who still make decent albums today.
The point being, question 2. There are no British equivalents as far as I can see, unless anyone can enlighten me. Americans are far better than us at this. We have angsty, humourless coldplay, radiohead and clones.
I realize that it's all tastes and preferences - that's what keeps it interesting, but I reckon there is a great untapped market here.
Any arguments?