Originally posted March 2026 As part of my GWIM Project – I really enjoyed doing this last year. Most of you won’t know but I also made a live reaction video that resulted in my 1 st ever Copyright Strike on YouTube so I won’t be doing that again!! I correctly predicted 5/13 which I was very happy with, considering that just 1 year earlier I had never even heard of any of the nominees! Let’s see if I can beat ‘2025-Kev’. Mastercard Album of the Year · Dave – The Boy

Originally posted Dec 2025 INTRO Strange – and music can be strange. This marks the end of my 2 nd year doing this project. That’s kinda crazy. Its feels overblown to say ‘I’m a changed man’..... but in this particular area of my life, I think I am. Simon Ore knows me best (especially in this subject) so he would be a better person to assess me than myself. So, what is ‘strange’? Because gut feeling is I did not enjoy the 2025 music as much as 2024. However, the data suggest

Originally posted Dec 2025 Marking Key at bottom Richard Ashcroft “Lovin’ You” This album, from the legendary Verve front man, has me confused. I really like the addictive opening track “Lover”. There’s something about its simplicity (built around the familiar ‘lover ooo hoo’ line from Joan Armatrading’s “Love & Affection”) juxtaposed with its hint of mystery – given to us by the thickly textured ambient backdrop of the track, a trait of Ashcroft both with the Verve and solo.

Originally posted Dec 2025 I won’t say a lot hear as my ‘end of year’ posts will come in late December. There is still technically a month to go but, because of Christmas streaming, nobody in their right mind releases singles in December anymore. Although its to a lesser extent, its a similar situation for albums too. Some of the singles commented on here are actually from earlier in the year. Richard Ashcroft “Lover” (from earlier in the year but its becoming a favourite s

Marking key at the bottom. Wet Leg “moisturise” I can’t quite tell if this is a step up or step down from their fiery debut. Perhaps its a side step..... a maturing after hammering all our doors down and streaming at us. The melodies seem more ‘catchy’ but arguably better crafter than before although there are some metal-y outbursts that remind us of their debut. The lyrics, as before, are simultaneously impactful but playful....... sort of political but with a fun cynicism.

Originally posted Oct 2025 Justin Bieber “DAISIES” (#1) https://youtu.be/QyvREl7epGY?si=pUr3DvZBR4UOjNlZ There’s something about the style of this – the raw rough guitar playing, the simplicity of the composition etc., that makes it very attractive. Not that its amazing. Its one of those tracks – I’ll really enjoy it when its on....... but never choose to put it on myself. HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters “Golden” #1 https://youtu.be/yebNIHKAC4A?si

Originally posted in 2 parts Feb & March 2025 As part of my GWIM Project, I decided to re-engage with the Brit Awards, the most prolific pop music awards in Britain that began life in 1977 although has evolved somewhat since it’s inception. I used to watch them and know everything about them in the mid-90s. I was knowledgeable enough to predict all the winners very accurately (although that was partly because they were very predicable anyway..... I don’t know what the situati

Originally posted July 2025 ALBUMS Marking Key at bottom Black Country, New Road “Forever Howlong” I’ve never resorted to this before during the project but there we go. I really loved this, and my plan was to do one my more detailed lengthy analytical reviews like I did for The Last Dinner Party. I just never even got round to starting it and have forgotten a lot of the detail now. So Instead, here’s another review. I did make a note that my favourite tracks were “Two Horses

Originally posted July 2025 INTRO So, just like that - we are halfway (plus a month now) through the year. The 1 st quarter started off fairly weak. I have another branch of this project now - a whistle-stop tour backwards through the years to 2000. The years 2022-20 have been a general thumbs down too. Thankfully the 2 nd quarter did pick up quite a bit. Admittedly, some of this was released earlier than the 2 nd quarter but just undiscovered by me until later. In the wor

Originally posted April 2025 ALBUMS Marking Key At Bottom Ringo Starr “Look Up” ..... and why not kick off with Ringo? I’m happy with that. A lot of people don’t I speak to don’t realise that, aside from 2 periods, Ringo has churned out an album every couple of year (and it was more frequent on the 70s). The 1 st period of silence was from the early 80s into the 90s, although you could still catch him if you tuned into Thomas the Tank Engine. The 2 nd was just now – his las

Originally posted April 2025 INTRO Some of the biggest hits of 2025 so far have been residuals from 2024. Rose & Bruno Mars, Lola Young, Chrystal, Gracie Abrams, Myles Smith, Teddy Swims, Kendrick Lamar etc. Although it was less apparent to me last year because everything was brand new to me, this was very much the case then too. Nonetheless, when we take the residual tracks away, 2025 has-been a little disappointing to me thus far. SINGLES Doechii “Denial Is A River”...

Originally posted Feb 2025. So, a reminder of my 2024 summary. I concluded that modern pop music was shorter, more eclectic, focused less on melody but more on rhythm, and, most importantly, whilst there ARGUABLY has been a decline in quality over the years it is MASSIVELY overstated by the grumps. My listening was largely tracks and albums that made the UK top ten. My single of the year went to Jade with “Angel Of My Dreams” https://youtu.be/ZP3XMEayaVo?si=k33thvEBF_9IsTU1