My rock crit credo has always, always, *always* been that I couldn't care less if the sellout album hits, so long as it is any good. And anyway, in a pre-poptimism world where purity of intention, DIY-tinged production, and Not Being Too Girlpop is about all that seems to matter to the hipsters and the critics, I would argue "Liz Phair" is probably the most audacious thing she ever took a punt at - short of "Funstyle", which is best forgotten anyway.

If it didn't ... read more

We're now zero for three on these Marina singles - and there's something particularly shameless about this try-hard I'm Serving, Queen! "SALVATION" reject doing all it can to hit the right notes, only to feel like a box-ticking exercise, right down to the title of the song.

If you're trying to pander to me this shallowly, at least get yourself some interesting production - this is usually the bargain we expect from our pop divas. Thoroughly unimpressed.

Lana-by-rote is, by anyone else's metrics, usually pretty good - the production is lovely, and her voice is gorgeous - but this is a song we've heard before. If you enjoy Lana's vaguely cherry-pie-encrusted vibe, she does all the stuff you'll like. I just worry that this is what stagnation sounds like.

The idea that this sits in some prestige nineties range seems ridiculous, in that light. I've heard better, you've heard better, we're allowed to expect more - ... read more

A plastic bear trying to look big and menacing so it can scare you away from the finer weaknesses, like glaringly trend-riding production, some of her worse songwriting, and abysmally crafted hooks. The reason this doesn't work, of course, is because nobody outside her army could avoid a chuckle at how humourless and transparent the pose is. Whether it was meant to be an articulation of Herself, a character, or both, the fact was that Swift could neither carry off Supervillainess, nor ... read more

Empowerment pop: Pop music that empowered Katy Perry's purse.

A whole load of cliches lazily plastered together.

The biggest broken promise in contemporary British history, made so after allowing St. Tony to get his dead-man grip on it for his anti-change change campaign.

Thirty one years after it topped the charts, and twenty-eight after it was lent to the party that would eventually choose market orthodoxy and US-led warfare as guiding lights for the millennium, few single pieces of music have so loudly aged as poorly as this one.

Not to mention: It was always kind of a mediocre hit in the first ... read more

I find his writing genuinely compelling, and his voice weary and hefty, but I'm particularly in love with this production, which does not lean on sparseness for the sake of lyrical and vocal emphasis, but rather goes for dissonance and abrasiveness to complement it all.

I found more than one copy of this CD in a British Heart Foundation charity shop in North Wales on my travels, and I'm heartened that there will actually be music of some quality there between the Slim Whitman best-of ... read more

There's no "Fuck The Pain Away", aside from the blatantly desperate name-check on "Kick It!", but Peaches is having a good time; highlights are "Operate", which comes closest to the lyrical flow that made her debut fantastic; "Shake Yer Dix", which feels like her most deranged and debauched by nature of her charismatic delivery even when it is not, and "Back It Up, Boys", which is a harder-edged rocker-ish song that Peaches wears ... read more

The title track was a moderate hit, but for my money, "Take My Advice" does a similar job sonically, only better; otherwise, "Take Me To The Groove" might be the best on the album. Ms. Sims did not give us a worthy LP, otherwise.

The further we get from trip-hops point of origin, the fainter Tricky seems to become in the cultural memory of it all.

Which is an absolute shame, because this record is handily one of my favourites from the nineties writ large. It is the kind of misery that loves company and shares it gladly - and it has absolutely no intention of telling you where it wants to go with you, either.

Martina's vocal performances here are, of course, absolutely stunning - the production usually ... read more

Deeply irritating, aggravating, and poisonous. I love it!

Fresh and familiar all at the same time - this is an introduction to Gwenno's fourth LP, and, reportedly, her first largely English-language effort (she's notable for having recorded previous albums in Welsh and Cornish).

Everything I've come across suggests that this album is going to thematically tackle her experiences as a young dancer and artistic type out stateside, and there's definitely something technicolour U.S.A about it - honestly, more Nevada desert more than ... read more

This album will only grow more relevant with time, as forces continue to mulch and starve the innocent for their own gain.

Her voice is great. The production is decently nostalgic. She's v promising.

A lot of people accused Jewel of discarding substance for commercial viability on this record. The issue is I don't think there was any real substance to her folkie schtick regardless.

Here, she tries to have Y2K "pop icon" and nineties from-the-heart spiritualist all at once, including a commentary on the commercialism of her own decision on the catchy "Intuition" (a self-deprecating joke I'm sure people would go wild for had, say, Charli xcx leaned harder into ... read more

The answer to the question: "Was the disco backlash at all justified?"

Yes. The answer is yes. Sure, it was often homophobic and racist, but the late seventies had *so* much of this that I can't completely condemn them all for it either.

That said, this album is now one of my favourite terrible albums ever made.

One of the only albums I will ever give a true 50 not for being bland throughout, but for having true gold-stars - "Calling Occupants..." is easily the best song the Carpenters ever put to record, and "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song" is one of the best bits of their standard-fare on offer - and some enormous duds - "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" is a trainwreck, "B'wana She No Home" is genuinely discomforting to listen to, and "On the ... read more

He's going to make music like this because this is the kind of music that does well on The Algorithm and this is essentially what a significant percentage of pop, but especially pop-rap, seems to be devolving into.

Doja could be on all cylinders here (she isn't) and it'd maybe notch it a 5 at best.

This album often feels like a joke Jack himself was not let in on. Like an older brother recording a younger brother doing something he thinks is impressive so the older one can post it online for the amusement of his friends. Put another way, this feels like a teenager telling you they know what the problem *really* is with the world having never bothered to use the internet outside of podcast clips on Tiktok and YouTube.

Not completely redundant. But mostly lacking in quality. Still ... read more

The production here is quality, but you're really coming for the velvety vocals. Like flying on a silk sheet.

My personal favourites by some distance are the title track, the opener, and the absolutely *deliciously* assembled "I'm Still Waiting", which is deeply evocative and probably a high-point for our performers. This record is remarkably consistent all the way through. An r&b *gem.