Bright Light Bright Light – Little Bit
Ooh-aah, just a Little Bit: the greatest pop moment of 2016.
Kimbra – Cameo Lover
She's just some pop star that you used to know. As it turns out, a ruddy brilliant one.
Jagwar Ma – O B 1
Stewart writes about embracing the new, as long as it sounds a bit old.
Tracey Thorn – Joy
Christmas. It's for the grown-ups really, isn't it?
Alex Newell & DJ Cassidy (with Nile Rodgers) – Kill the Lights
Echoes of an era with the best person to come out of Glee.
Hurts – Stay
The best wintry ballad of the decade.
Gloria Estefan – Wepa
In which Gloria Estefan hitches a ride with Pharrell Williams, unfortunately just before he fitted new wheels on his wagon.
Brandon Flowers – Lonely Town
My beautiful dark twisted fantasy of four top ten hits from a Brandon Flowers album.
Will Young – Like a River
Work hard, do good things and all your dreams will come true: not strictly the case when you're a pop star in this day and age.
Sophie Ellis Bextor – Not Giving Up On Love
She's the finest British pop star of the 21st century who keeps releasing amazing records. We're the people who don't buy enough of them and therefore we don't deserve to have nice things. Bingo! State of the charts these days EXPLAINED.
Kero Kero Bonito – Picture This
Joe Rivers on a cracking bit of pop that is very much built for the age we live in.
Gwen Stefani – Make Me Like You
Brilliant song, amazing video, but Gwen Stefani can't get a hit single. Are those pesky "isms" to blame? Dan Poliak investigates.
Britney Spears – I Wanna Go
Britney's Femme Fatale era: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Here's the best bit.
Lily Allen – URL Badman
Lily Allen - the pop star so amazing we'd have had to invent her if she didn't already exist. Here's Joe Anderton on the frankly brilliant "URL Badman".
Belle and Sebastian – I Didn’t See it Coming (Richard X Mix)
In which Belle and Sebastian turn into Dollar for four perfect minutes.
Mini Viva – One Touch
(Mini) Viva Forever! Brand new contributor Joe Anderton with a cautionary tale of bad scheduling that consigned one of pop's most exciting new acts to the dumper.
