Reviews by pops

The first track is called Dirge, but I actually liked that one - the real dirges come later. My main issue with this album though is that it’s trying a bit too hard to be a very 1990s idea of cool, and has aged like milk as a result.

I knew this by reputation as a 'difficult' album, so I went in expecting something borderline unlistenable, and instead was surprised by how much I liked it. Don't get me wrong, the lyrics are beyond bleak but it definitely has tunes. Darkly compelling.

At university in the late 1990s, I had a CD player with a timer function, and I used Moon Safari as my alarm - the first track fades in with rain noises so it’s good for waking up gently. Hearing it again made me feel like I was late for a lecture, but also reminded me why I liked it so much in the first place, and not just because it’s perfect for snoozing when you’re a student who struggles to drag her lazy arse out of bed.

I was aware of the Sugarcubes, but thought of them as just a footnote in Bjork’s career. Turns out I was wrong - I really enjoyed this.

I prefer funny, poppy, making-videos-to-troll-the-LAPD George Michael to this version that’s trying a bit too hard to be a serious artist. He can’t totally suppress those pop instincts though, so Freedom 90 is a banger.

I was relieved to find this had held up - Franz Ferdinand were always a bit too smart and angular to get lumped in with the British 'indie landfill' of the 2000s.

Tom Waits yesterday, The Pogues today - the generator clearly won't be happy until I'm swigging whisky in the gutter. I preferred Waits, but this did prove the Pogues aren’t just for Christmas.

I can completely understand why some people can't get past Tom Waits' voice - it veers from 'a drunk doing Springsteen on karaoke' to 'a drunk who's about to cough up something gross into a dirty handkerchief' - but I really enjoyed this. The songs are good, and whenever the production on the ballads threatens to gets too syrupy, here comes that disconcertingly wet rasp to give it some edge.

I wanted to like this more, but I feel like the production is often more interesting than the actual songs.

Up to and including City With No Children, I’m thinking “this is a five-star album, why is it so long since I last listened to it?” Then it starts to sag… They claw it back to four stars with Sprawl II though.

A little bit sleazy, a little bit sloppy, and some fantastic tunes. I love it.

It’s impossible to separate this album from David Bowie’s death. But if you could take it out of the equation and judge Blackstar on its own merits, how many artists make an album this good and interesting 50 years into their career?

I thought this would be bland, but fair play - Mother is unhinged. Otherwise, some decent tunes and I can hear they are playing around with different genres/ideas, but somehow it just doesn’t grab my attention.

I was excited to get this one as, if I’m honest, I’ve never really given jazz a chance. What if it turns out I love it and didn’t know? Based on this, I probably won’t be buying a load of black polo necks and taking up smoking just yet, but I did enjoy it.

Punk energy and pop smarts - a winning combination.

I’m only 36 albums in and this is my second by PJ Harvey. That’s not a complaint because I love her and this is one of her best. Bonus points for quoting Summertime Blues (“take my problem to the United Nations”) in the context of a song about war crimes.

I’ve known this album since I was a kid, it has some absolutely undeniable songs, and I always think of it as a classic. However, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve listened to Bridge Over Troubled Water all the way through because it just never crosses my mind to play it, and while I enjoyed revisiting it, I’m not sure that will change. Maybe that’s the difference between a four-star and a five-star album?

This just completely washed over me - not unpleasant but nothing stood out.

Started strong but tapered off. I really enjoyed that start though.

I prefer pop Queen to prog Queen.