Reviews by pops

I own this album and still have a soft spot for the Coral’s psychedelic sea shanty indie but I’m also kind of surprised it made the list.

It reminded me a bit of The Contino Sessions by Death in Vegas - they are both albums that strike me as self-consciously “cool” in a very 1990s way. They are also both very patchy, but I think the high points on Oedipus Schmoedipus are higher.

By coincidence, I’m going to see Belle & Sebastian live later this week. The gig is celebrating 30 years of If You’re Feeling Sinister but I might like Tigermilk even more. Still, looking forward to seeing them with a crowd of my fellow middle-aged twee indie kids.

Richard Hawley is usually one of those artists who I like a lot but only in small doses. Today though I was in the mood to be swept away by the entirety of this rather lovely album.

Little Simz is such a talent. I think her next album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is even better.

I’m not a big metal fan (as my stats on this site prove) which is probably why I’ve never really listened to Black Sabbath. I’m starting to realise that was a mistake.

When it comes to Kanye, I can separate the art from the artist (and some of the lyrics). This goes too hard for me to lowball it.

I found Figure 8 (the other Elliott Smith album on the list) surprisingly generic – I think this rawer, more stripped-back sound works much better. It's fitting that a song here is called 2:45AM, as this does sound like something you should be listening to on your own in the early hours.

A solid pop album with a couple of killer singles.

Can you imagine being the couple on the cover? You’re out for a fun, romantic night on the town, and some maudlin cowboy turns up to tell you how lonely he is and why all women who go to bars are slags. There is a certain old-timey charm to it, but I wouldn’t want to actually sample Ray Price’s Night Life.

I only gave Rage Against the Machine three stars, so I was never going to be won over by their non-union MAGA equivalent.

Judging by the reviews here, I'm not the only person who didn't really keep up with Portishead post-Dummy. This was my first time listening to Third, but I don't think it will be my last.

I'm not sure I've ever really given Simple Minds a fair hearing - I just mentally filed them under 'poor man's U2' and left it there. Based on this album, they are less U2-esque than I orginally thought, but this album is essentially a couple of decent singles and quite a bit of filler.

I’m not big on metal but I surprised myself by liking Roots by Sepultura, mainly because I thought the addition of latin rhythms was really interesting. This one doesn't really have the rhythms, but I still quite enjoyed it, so maybe I just kind of like Sepultura?

Short, snappy and fun.

An album that’s easier to admire than love. It has something to say and the production is really interesting, I just wish the melodies were stronger.

My 501st album, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get some Sly & The Family Stone. (*Cough, I didn't automatically get a Sly Stone album when he died last year, like we did for Ozzy Osbourne and Brian Wilson, cough.*) What an influential, funky and fun album.

I often listen to these albums at work, which has maybe meant I shortchanged a few of them, but I think it worked in Autobahn's favour - it's good for going into a semi-trance.

I've never been a Coldplay fan as such, but I've never really got the hate for them either. Listening to this album (and The Scientist in particular) it’s easy to understand how they became huge.

There are some really good songs here (Candyman will always be a bop) but it feels like a patchy double album with a great single album trying to break out. If I'd have been in charge of the tracklisting, Thank You (A Dedication to the Fans) would have been the first for the chop.