Category: 2000s

Janet Jackson – R&B Junkie

Damn it, Janet. Dan Poliak on the complete madness of 2004.

Dan Poliak August 22, 2017 1 Comment

Darren Hayes – Darkness

Had it, lost it, got it back on his own terms: here's Derek on the very wonderful Darren Hayes.

Alphabeat – What is Happening

Alphabeat exerted a certain fascination on the British public in 2008 - for precisely three singles. The fourth, annoyingly, was AMAZING.

Billie Piper – Misfocusing

The entire pop career experience squeezed into a little under two years: it's the one and only Billie Piper!

In which Dan asks the question "Is 'Better Man' Robbie Williams' career-defining song?" Dan is American, and therefore has an entirely different perspective from the rest of us who are all shouting "NO, IT'S OBVIOUSLY ANGELS" right about now.

a-ha – Nothing is Keeping You Here

Not many bands really get better with age, but a-ha managed it.

Beyoncé – Ego

In which Dan asks the question "do singles even exist anymore?" The short answer is of course "no, not really and we sort of have Beyoncé to thank for it". But we'll let him delve a little deeper via discussion of the unbridled filth-fest that is "Ego".

Pet Shop Boys – Integral

You've had your chance, now we've got the mandate. If you've changed your mind, I'm afraid it's too late.

Lene Nystrøm – Pretty Young Thing

From "Play With Me" - the decade's other great lost pop album - it's Lene from out of Aqua with the quite frankly terrific 2003 flop "Pretty Young Thing".

Cyndi Lauper – Shine

The gist: in 2001 Cyndi Lauper made the album of her career but unless you lived in Japan or were willing to spend an insane amount of money on the import, you didn't get to hear it. This was a COLOSSAL SHAME.

SHeDAISY – Passenger Seat

In any other industry, a knock-off might be considered a bad thing. In pop, as Dan Poliak explains, it's often anything but.

Dame Shirley Bassey – After the Rain

Very few people would make you wait fifty years for their best record. But that's exactly what Dame Shirley Bassey did.

The Divine Comedy – Our Mutual Friend

We've all woken up in a stranger's bed with a sense of deep shame. Only The Divine Comedy would dare set that to an orchestra.

Sufjan Stevens – Christmas in the Room

Derek shares his love for "Christmas in the Room" by yuletide enthusiast Sufjan Stevens. A slightly less frantic way of saying "All I want for Christmas is you".