Reviews by pops

The cover sets the tone - it’s just so joyous.

I enjoyed Led Zeppelin II a lot more than I thought I would. This was more what I was expecting (a bit too long, basically), but the good bits are so good it pushes it up to four stars. However, before I accuse Led Zep of being predictable, I should say if you'd played me Down by the Seaside and asked me to guess who it was, I would have said Neil Young

It's not like I can't see where the people criticising the lyrics are coming from, but the combination of those G-funk beats and Snoop's drawl is just too hard to resist.

One thing I'm learning from this project is that I have unexpectedly high tolerance levels for 1970s experimental electronic music. I've already discovered I like Brian Eno and Suicide, and it turns out I like Faust too. I'm now intrigued for what other krautrock may be coming my way, as it's a genre I'd always been a bit daunted by.

I was expecting this to be dark and rocky, but it's pretty poppy (and synth-y). That's not a bad thing - This Is the Day and Uncertain Smile are bangers.

I’m a bit of a sucker for a retro soul vibe, but I love that this then puts an interesting, contemporary spin on it.

I enjoyed this chilled jazz album. I listened to it while doing housework, but I think it would sound best while you read a book with a glass of red wine.

I love a show tune, I took A-level German and I gave the Young Gods album four stars because I liked that there was an oompah/Kurt Weil-ish tinge to their industrial metal. So I feel like I should be the prime target for this but somehow I can’t see myself listening to it again.

Prior to listening this album, I only really knew Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino. It turns out though that if you heard that, you've kind of heard them all - but in a good way.

Has anyone made a 'captive audience' joke yet? Maybe the crowd seem so into it because it's not like they had a hell of a lot else to do, but I also think Cash's charisma, humour and the great songs played a part too.

As someone who read the NME and Select in the late 1990s/early 2000s, it always felt like the music critics were willing The Beta Band to be better than they actually were. This album re-enforced that - I quite liked it, but I'm not sure I'd listen to it again.

Stevie Wonder was on such an incredible roll in the 1970s. I was thinking of downgrading this to four stars just because I slightly prefer Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life, but that feels like I'm penalising him for being too much of a genius.

This Frank Sinatra kid is definitely one to watch - he can really carry a tune.

This was a pleasant surprise. It felt like variations on a theme, but it was a good theme.

I’ve never thought the two Pauls sounded alike before but some of this reminded me of Ram-era McCartney, That’s a compliment by the way (as is the fact that while I liked this, I prefer Graceland - how many 60s artists made their best album in the 80s? It might be just Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen.)

It's not that Brutal Youth is bad (although it is a bit too long), it's just that if you’ve already got five other Elvis Costello albums on the list, you probably don’t need this one.

There are some really strong tracks here, but I have to imagine this album would have hit a lot harder if it hadn't come out a year after Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Still, no shame in not being quite as good as one of the best albums of the 1990s.

Are Sonic Youth a lot more tuneful than I've been led to believe or has getting the Einstürzende Neubauten album raised the bar for what I consider to be 'just noise'?

It's hard for me to be objective about this album because it unlocks a lot of great memories. Odelay came out when I was 18 and it's an album I usually put on when I was already in a good mood, so it's the soundtrack to the best bits of starting university - and the following year, Beck was the undoubted highlight of my first festival. I had a Beck poster up in my student house, and now I have an (amazing) artwork a friend made for me based on the Odelay cover hanging in my living room. Aside from the nostalgia though, I do believe Odelay is a genuine banger. It's quirky, inventive and eclectic, but underpinned by some great tunes.

It’s definitely a promising debut (and a welcome reminder that Any Winehouse wasn’t just tragic - she was also sharp and funny) but Back to Black is where she delivered on that promise.