Reviews by pops

This was fun for the first few tracks but I was getting bored by the end.

When this came up today, I thought “Didn’t I own this album?” and after listening to it, I’m still not 100% sure. The Bucket is the only track I recognised. Basically, it’s not that memorable.

Individually, the tracks were fun (especially Going Out of My Head) but as an album it gets a bit wearying.

What a great debut - it's got so much swagger that Rock 'n' Roll Star became a self-fulfilling prophecy and Britain overlooked the fact that they never topped this.

Remember when people thought George W Bush was as bad as it could possibly get? Almost makes you nostalgic. Speaking of rethinking your 2000s stances, this project has made me wonder why I drifted away from Radiohead post-Amnesiac, as this and In Rainbows are both belters.

Some tracks were oddly hypnotic with moments of unexpected loveliness, and others were just... dull. I'd have to listen to it again though to work out which ones were which.

Just as I was getting mildly irritated with this cod renaissance fair folk, it would hit me with something gorgeous like I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain or Once I Was. (Also, I knew Tim Buckley appeared on the Monkees' TV show, but on a couple of these songs, his voice really reminded me of Micky Dolenz, which I wasn't expecting.)

I already knew and liked The Mother We Share, but for some reason had never really felt the need to check out any more Chvrches. That was maybe my loss as I really enjoyed this.

Just when I was thinking “well this was punky, sleazy fun, but that might be enough” it ended. More bands should know exactly when to quit on their albums.

It makes me want to turn up the collar of my trench coat and moodily smoke outside a 1980s wine bar as I stare at the reflection of the neon sign in a puddle.

I've got a soft spot for the mopey, melodic and occasionally downright odd pre-disco Bee Gees, and there are some gorgeous songs here. As an album though, Trafalgar could probably have done with a bit more variation.

I'd always thought Young Americans was one of Bowie's lesser 1970s albums. Now I’m wondering what I was basing that on because I loved this.

I assume Korn actually set out to be annoying, because there's no other explanation for the array of silly voices on this album. So congrats, lads - mission accomplished.

I own this album but probably haven’t listened to it in a good 15 years. I can see both why I bought it and why I don’t really revisit it - it’s fun but forgettable.

I wasn’t expecting this to be such a slog. Even Alive, the Pearl Jam song I thought I liked, went on a bit.

It’s not The Queen Is Dead, but it’s still pretty great.

I know we’re supposed to say that the people who think Born in the USA is a flag-waving anthem haven’t listened to the lyrics, but I think on some level Springsteen wanted to have his air-punching, MTV-conquering, stadium-filling cake and eat it with this album. And fair play to him, he totally pulled it off. (Also, you know how Todd Rundgren said he always thought Bat Out of Hell was a Born to Run parody? No Surrender suggests the influence went both ways.)

Even before the allegations, I think my attitude towards Marilyn Manson was shaped by that Onion 'Marilyn Manson now going door to door trying to shock people' story. If you take away the controversy-baiting stuff, this is kind of repetitive.

One thing I've been learning from the outliers section of my history on this site is that I clearly have higher than average tolerance levels for quirky/challenging female artists. Bjork, Joanna Newsome, PJ Harvey, Fetch the Bolt Cutters-era Fiona Apple, I love you all, so how can I not love the final boss of quirky/challenging female artists at her weirdest?

This is so slick, it felt like it slipped in one ear and out of the other.