Reviews by pops

I’ve got friends who were obsessed with the Manics, but I’ve never quite got it. A couple of killer singles aside, I find them a bit clunky. This hasn’t really converted me.

One of the rare albums where I'm honestly not sure whether I liked it or not. It feels like a stretch to say I enjoyed it, but I did find it interesting and I definitely don't think it was noise for noise's sake. I was also genuinely surprised when it finished - I've had shorter, more tuneful albums that I found more of a slog. So, three stars, I guess?

I’d agree with anyone who says the Byrds are over represented on this list, but this country rock gem is the one I’d go to bat for. It only loses a star for whatever slack-jawed yokel voice McGuinn is doing on The Christian Life - was he worried that if he sang it straight, people might think he meant it?

I think if I’d heard it back in 1996, there’s a strong chance I would have loved it, but in 2026 I thought it was decent if overlong.

A lot of Hejira seems to be Joni Mitchell musing on whether being a female artist is incompatible with a ‘traditional’ relationship, and I found that interesting and even moving in a way I wasn’t expecting. That might just mean I’ve reached the Emma Thompson in Love Actually stage of perimenopause, but I loved this.

I was expecting this to annoy me but it kind of washed over me. I suspect that’s not what Slipknot were going for.

I saw The Who live at Glastonbury, and the only thing I really remember about it is Pete Townshend claiming he’d invented the internet. This was clearly a much more memorable gig.

I like Bruce Springsteen a lot and this is an impressive album for anyone 30 years into their career. (Also, fair play to the Boss for including Middle Eastern influences on his 9/11 album.) Still, if you’ve heard his other albums on the list, you probably don’t need to hear this before you die.

They could obviously write a hook, but the Adverts are a bit like their namesake - good for grabbing your attention in short bursts, but after a while, you start to tune out.

I bet they were fun live and On a Rope in particular is a great single, but over the course of an album it gets a bit same-y.

I once read an article about artists whose sales had fallen off a cliff. It included an interview with David Gray, and he came across as very philosophical and honest about White Ladder being his commercial peak. So, while I don’t quite understand why this slightly dull album had people in such a chokehold, I genuinely hope Gray is still raking in the cash from it and generally living his best life.

The quality control would get shaky by the late 1990s, but the Wu-Tang Clan were on a hell of a roll at the start. Tical probably wouldn't crack my top five Wu-affiliated albums, and it’s still getting five stars.

I'm not totally convinced that bossa nova was Sinatra's genre, but fair play to him for trying something different.

Dusty Springfield had such a great voice, but I don't think the production and choice of songs here always play to her strengths. (She had to wait for Dusty in Memphis for an album that did that.)

It's interesting that one of the songs here is a tribute to Jeff Buckley, because it does feel like Rufus Wainwright may have (inadvertently) slotted into a gap left by Buckley's death. Angus Dei was the track that most made me wish I was listening to Buckley instead (as has been pointed out, Wainwright's voice sounds more like Thom Yorke), but I liked a lot of this.

Part of me wants to grade this higher, as it's an interesting idea and I feel like we should be rewarding ambition. However, I really didn't enjoy listening to it.

I listened to this on a lazy Sunday morning, which is probably the optimum time to hear it - it’s so soothing. And just when it was starting to wear out its welcome, it finished.

If this was instrumental, it might be oddly hypnotic if overlong. But the vocals pushed into actively annoying for me.

I liked this, but I have a soft spot for showtunes so someone being best known for writing for movies was never going to put me off. (Also, Political Science - that barely feels like satire right now.)

I knew today was going to be stressful so when the generator gave me Vespertine, I thought I might not be in the right headspace for it. I was wrong - it's gorgeous and I feel better for having heard it.