I don't like American records. I don't like cookie-cutter bands like Matchbox 20. I don't like American radio. So, it comes as a shock that I do like some American bands.

Norah Jones: Have you met Ms. Jones? Certainly not the Helen Fielding creation, Ms. Jones is simply spectacular. Her indie cred is automatic by her lineage (her dad is Ravi Shankar). However, nepotism has created a long line of crappy records but her 2001 debut "Come Away With Me" is stunning. The entire album is one to sip a tasty yet euphoric beverage by. Be sure to check out her covers of "Crazy" as well as the album track "Cold Cold Heart."

Ben Folds Five: After prodding from my friend Ashley, I gave "Whatever and Ever Amen" a spin in my cd player. I'd heard "the Battle of Who Could Care Less" on the radio, amazed on how the Rockford Files are alive and well, and thought it was an incredibly catchy tune. After a listen, I became hooked. Ben Folds Five (actually a trio) mix the feel of seventies piano-ballad boys Elton John and Billy Joel, an actual sense of humor, and lyrics that apply to everyone, making listeners go into an air-piano fit. Ben Folds (pianist/vocalist) called his group, "punk rock for sissies". Whatever and Ever Amen is one of those albums that you want to sing along with in your car, ignoring any passengers who find your vocal training an utter disappointment. Lyrically brilliant, find anything you can from this band -- they broke up : (

Ivy: is an ultra-melodic pop group that make lounge-esque music for the millennium. Featuring the French front woman Dominique Durand, Andy Chase (Dominique's husband), and Adam Schlesinger (of Fountains of Wayne). The trio crafted an album chocked full of radio-ready, lyrically intricate pop on their 1997 release "Apartment Life". I was first introduced to the band via the phenomenon "120 Minutes played one good video in two damm hours?".The melody was so utterly catchy, I was driving family members up the wall humming it. You also may have heard two of their tracks during the toilet-humor filled laugh-fest of the summer of 1998, "There's Something About Mary". Ivy avoided the sophomore slump with their latest disc "Long Distance." More studio based than "Apartment Life," it's still a great disc.

Garbage: is 3/4 American and 1/4 defiantly Scottish. Fronted by the funniest, strongest, and most pissed-off woman in rock, each of their discs is a tribute to all the good things in rock: the riff, the scream, the "Dear John" song, humour. I jumped around like a crazed jellybean when I heard they linked with David Arnold for the theme to "The World Is Not Enough". It was a welcome return to the classic Bond songs done by Shirley Bassey, Carly Simon, and Wings. Be sure to read Garbage's on-line diaries chronicling the making of their latest album.