Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe aren't often discussed as one of pop music's great songwriting teams, but the wonderfully eclectic body of work they've created as Pet Shop Boys speaks for itself. Since crashing into the mainstream with 1985's chart-topper, "West End Girls," the London duo have delivered a remarkably consistent barrage of tightly crafted synth pop singles that fuse dance culture with trenchant cultural commentary and an undeniable sense of melodic grace. Each of their 14 albums has reached the U.K. Top Ten, and they've sent an astonishing 42 singles into the Top 30, including number ones like "It's a Sin" and "Heart." A bevy of compilations have celebrated Pet Shop Boys' highlights over the years, and 1991's Discography: The Complete Singles Collection was a significant number three hit itself. 2023's Smash: The Singles 1985-2020 is essentially an update of the aforementioned collection and contains, in chronological order, each of their singles from this 35-year period. In unpacking its 55-song sequence, the first thing one notices is the uniform quality of their songs: elegantly constructed, dense with pop nutrients, undeniably catchy, yet ever so smart. Tennant is an underrated vocalist who has continually pushed his range over the years, balancing wry asides and spoken word sections with his reedy and surprisingly nimble tenor. Lowe's ear for a catchy hook is another defining element and ranges from subtle (1990's droll standout "Being Boring") to grandiose (2013's marvelous banger "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct"). What's more, the pair has assembled this durable catalog almost without interruption, reliably delivering singles, albums, remixes, and EPs almost annually since their debut. Work ethic and quality don't always go hand in hand, but Pet Shop Boys have both in spades.© Timothy Monger /TiVo

There were comedic hip-hop records before De La Soul's first album. There were beats that pushed the limits not just of what sampling technology could do, but where those samples came from and how they riffed off each other. There were lyricists who broke so far out of the ABAB rhyme schemes of basic rap that it blew the potential for new flows and structures wide open. And there were eccentrics—artists who didn't appear to adhere to any previously existing formula for hip-hop in style, perspective, or attitude because they couldn't be anybody but themselves. But 3 Feet High and Rising did all those things to such a surprising extent for a debut album that its barrage of audaciously new and unique ideas planted a flag nobody's been able to fully uproot. Rappers Posdnuos and Trugoy, DJ/co-producer Maseo, and beatmaker Prince Paul pulled off a work that might've left more people scratching their heads in bafflement if it hadn't also solidified the appeal of hip-hop's emerging bohemian strain. Maybe it's because there's as much reliance on familiar if transformative referential pop-music hijackings (Steely Dan on "Eye Know"; Hall & Oates on "Say No Go") as on the kind of sublime crate digger silliness that lends cartoonish joy to cuts like the head-swimming shaky-kneed "Plug Tunin' (Last Chance to Comprehend)" or the mellow soul-jazz melange of early Native Tongues teamup "Buddy." Even the interstitial stuff fits, weird as it is—goofy skits about body odor ("A Little Bit of Soap") and passé fashion ("Take It Off") adds to their just-rap-about-whatever approach that acts as both a met artistic challenge and a casual bit of messing around. De La Soul would take great pains to control and define their own multifaceted image—peaking with hit single "Me Myself and I," which declares their defensiveness over being perceived as contrived hippie-fashion poseurs while also nodding to a clear silly-yet-deep musical precedent in Funkadelic. But it only takes a couple close listens of 3 Feet High and Rising—and the lyrical intricacy and storytelling in deep cuts like the empathetic social-struggle analysis "Ghetto Thang" and the stay-posi fable-spinning "Tread Water"—to realize they'd be impossible to pin down for the rest of their careers. © Nate Patrin/Qobuz

Doja Cat's fourth album Scarlet marks one of the most exciting eras for femcees since Cardi B. Hot off the back of much media and fan speculation, Doja isn't afraid to speak out this time around, and no one is safe. Earlier in 2023, the pop superstar was losing followers by the boatload stating "seeing these people unfollow me makes me feel like I've defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long… now I can reconnect with people who really matter and love me for who I am." This "large beast" is most clearly addressed on the hard-hitting track "Demons," a Doja-fied version of something you may have found on Tyler the Creator's revolutionary 2011 album Goblin: "Lots of people that were sleeping say I rap now/ Lots of people's hopes and dreams are finally trashed now." And rap she does.Proudly boasting "no features" on her social media, this album is 100% Doja Cat; she didn't come to play and she has a lot to say. From her laid-back flow on "Balut" where she addresses her amateur contemporaries to "Wet Vagina" where she points out her newfound status in the fashion world, it is always great to see a female artist who unashamedly backs herself like no other. Even on "Attention" she brings up the fact that the media tried to pin her against fellow rap icon and personal influence Nicki Minaj ("'Why she think she Nicki M? She think she hot shit'/ Huh, I never gave a F, go stir the pot bitch").Beyond her protean flow, Doja's knack for writing flaming hot bars really shines on Scarlet. She is a master of the metaphor and the double entendre. On "Balut" she raps "Make the hoe kneel/ She kill it like an O'Neal," using "she kill it" as a homophone for Shaquille (O'Neal). The production also speaks for the album's versatility, with credits including hip-hop producer legend Rogét Chahayed, London on Da Track, Beat Butcha, Jay Versace and f a l l e n. Scarlet was written between Doja's regular writing schedule and a 10 day Malibu treat.  As a result, half of the album has a different aura and message from the other. Tracks like "Attention" and "Paint the Town Red" have an ultra cool laissez-faire Doja is known for and "Demons," "Wet Vagina," "Fuck the Girls FTG" and "Balut" all have a certain bite recalling her early SoundCloud rap days. The vibe completely switches to something more relaxed and "sing-songy" (think her previous album) on tracks like "Gun" and "Go Off" (produced by  f a l l e n, who also worked on Planet Her), and can also be felt on "97," "Agora Hills," "Can't Wait" and "Love Life." Whilst this album has a lot to offer and there is something for everyone, one might experience a little less whiplash if a few songs were dropped from the 15-deep tracklist.  Regardless, Doja Cat has certainly earned the title of the Princess of Rap and is deserving of the recognition as a truly talented multi-faceted artist and pop-culture icon. To quote Princess Doja one last time, "Is it coke? Is it crack? Is it meth?/ What the fuck do she put in them hits!?" © Jessica Porter-Langson/Qobuz

Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie is the 13th album from British pop outfit Madness and follows 2016's Can't Touch Us Now. Recorded at the beginning of 2023, the album brings the band's brand of nuttiness to a melting pot of ska-inflected pop songs.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

Their music has always given us that “feelin’ good” feeling, so why change tack now? With their androgynous vocals, ethereal guitars, weightless rhythms and sensual melodies, the aptly named Cigarettes After Sex would be foolish to change their style. Maybe that’s why Cry follows directly in the footsteps of their eponymous album from 2017, Cigarettes After Sex. In this second album, the Texans take their dreamy shoegaze and pop to a whole new level – it’s enchanting, cinematographic, sultry and bordering ever so slightly on erotic. All the way through Cry, Greg Gonzalez and his partners in crime Randall Miller, Jacob Tomsky and Josh Marcus have managed to make their ambient-pop music sound similar to that of Angelo Badalamenti, the usual composer for David Lynch’s productions. This album could be a soundtrack for a film without a doubt! © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Doja Cat's fourth album Scarlet marks one of the most exciting eras for femcees since Cardi B. Hot off the back of much media and fan speculation, Doja isn't afraid to speak out this time around, and no one is safe.Earlier in 2023, the pop superstar was losing followers by the boatload stating "seeing these people unfollow me makes me feel like I've defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long… now I can reconnect with people who really matter and love me for who I am." This "large beast" is most clearly addressed on the hard-hitting track "Demons," a Doja-fied version of something you may have found on Tyler the Creator's revolutionary 2011 album Goblin: "Lots of people that were sleeping say I rap now/ Lots of people's hopes and dreams are finally trashed now." And rap she does.Proudly boasting "no features" on her social media, this album is 100% Doja Cat; she didn't come to play and she has a lot to say. From her laid-back flow on "Balut" where she addresses her amateur contemporaries to "Wet Vagina" where she points out her newfound status in the fashion world, it is always great to see a female artist who unashamedly backs herself like no other. Even on "Attention" she brings up the fact that the media tried to pin her against fellow rap icon and personal influence Nicki Minaj ("'Why she think she Nicki M? She think she hot shit'/ Huh, I never gave a F, go stir the pot bitch").Beyond her protean flow, Doja's knack for writing flaming hot bars really shines on Scarlet. She is a master of the metaphor and the double entendre. On "Balut" she raps "Make the hoe kneel/ She kill it like an O'Neal," using "she kill it" as a homophone for Shaquille (O'Neal). The production also speaks for the album's versatility, with credits including hip-hop producer legend Rogét Chahayed, London on Da Track, Beat Butcha, Jay Versace and f a l l e n.Scarlet was written between Doja's regular writing schedule and a 10 day Malibu treat.  As a result, half of the album has a different aura and message from the other. Tracks like "Attention" and "Paint the Town Red" have an ultra cool laissez-faire Doja is known for and "Demons," "Wet Vagina," "Fuck the Girls FTG" and "Balut" all have a certain bite recalling her early SoundCloud rap days. The vibe completely switches to something more relaxed and "sing-songy" (think her previous album) on tracks like "Gun" and "Go Off" (produced by  f a l l e n, who also worked on Planet Her), and can also be felt on "97," "Agora Hills," "Can't Wait" and "Love Life."Whilst this album has a lot to offer and there is something for everyone, one might experience a little less whiplash if a few songs were dropped from the 15-deep tracklist.  Regardless, Doja Cat has certainly earned the title of the Princess of Rap and is deserving of the recognition as a truly talented multi-faceted artist and pop-culture icon. To quote Princess Doja one last time, "Is it coke? Is it crack? Is it meth?/ What the fuck do she put in them hits!?" © Jessica Porter-Langson/Qobuz

A decade after their last album and the inescapable "I Love It" (featuring Charli XCX)—a song that pop culture still can't quit—the Swedish electropop duo Icona Pop are back. Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo had coasted on the endless party circuit of festival and dance celeb gigs for years, until the pandemic actually brought the party to an end. "Initially, we were devastated to leave LA and the whole system we had built there. Suddenly, we were in Sweden, and we felt alone. In retrospect, I'm very happy we were there, but there was a lot of crying at first," the pair said in a statement. But they regrouped "and thought 'what the fuck are we going to do now?' Eclectic, fun, hard, pop, deep, mainstream, catchy, weird, late at night, early in the morning—always with a tear in the corner of the eye and a smile on our face." That freedom and time to explore led them in a wild variety of directions. Chill "Fall In Love," with its catchy "fa-la-la-la in love" line, fits with Dua Lipa's sophisticated modern disco sound. "Need You" mixes R&B influence with a hard, metallic edge and throbbing undercurrent. "Loving You Ain't Easy" relies on cool-breeze piano and a skittish rhythm for its expression of naked desire. Hjelt and Jawo play with burbling pop on "Stockholm at Night" and "Feels In My Body," while "Desire" packs in deep house beats and features Joel Corry and Rain Radio. It's just one of many collabs, along with "I Want You" with EDM duo Galantis, the fun-house vibe of "Off of My Mind" with Vize, and kinetic "Shit We Do for Love" featuring longtime writing partner Yaeger. The star turn, though, is "You're Free," a rework of Ultra Naté's 25-year-old "Free" whose super powered vocals and pleasure-seeking focus perfectly jibes with Icona Pop's MO: "Yeah, I just wanna dance right now till my heels wear out!" And while "Where Do We Go From Here" is not as explosive as "I Love It," it still fizzes and pops and delivers a glorious build. But the wildest moments come in the form of "Stick Your Tongue Out"—a pulsing Peaches-esque banger that orders "lick it, lick it"—and closer "Spa," with guest stars Sofi Tukker. With rocking guitar and goofball self-care lyrics, it is pure camp: "Put some cukes on my eyes/ Tell me, is this paradise?" Tucker Halpern deadpans, while the girls declare: "I'm done with the club/ Just take me to the spa/ 'Cause I wanna feel the sweat/ From the steam room and the sauna." Why not? © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

With her second album My Everything, Ariana Grande already made a clean sweep of awards in 2014. Four years later, now 25 years old, she seems more comfortable than ever on Sweetener, a multi-textured pop album. The young woman, who had a tendency to lose herself in weeping lyrical musings, has found a new path on which she’s able to lay out her strong personality. Behind her angelic face hides a fierce predator, capable of venturing onto risky territories. She doesn’t appear unfazed by Pharrell Williams on their retro 90’s duo Blazed. Ariana Grande knows how to take her rightful place, even with the queen Nicki Minaj, who confronted her in a hip-hop test (The Light Is Coming). With REM and God Is a Woman, there is no longer any doubt. The young singer blurs boundaries and expands her musical field to the point of embodying a goddess. But the charm of Ariana Grande is the ease and humility with which she plays with her various facets. Kitsch and romantic, intense and funny, Sweetener is without a doubt the album that resembles her the most, by its fantasy, and the fact that she composed ten out of the fifteen tracks or so. As a confirmed singer-songwriter, Grande now joins the next level with a solid album, but not as experimental and scattered as her previous ones. © Anna Coluthe/Qobuz

One of the most distinctive records from the first days of alternative rock and an enduring cult classic, Violent Femmes brought the tense, jittery, hyperactive feel of new wave to a then unlikely context: raw, amateurish acoustic instrumentation. The music also owes something to both the urgency and straightforwardness of punk, but with minimalistic drums, Brian Ritchie's busy acoustic bass riffing and simplistic, to-the-point songwriting, the Femmes forged a sound all their own. Still, one of the main reasons Violent Femmes became the musical embodiment of young adult angst is lead singer and songwriter Gordon Gano. Naïve and childish one minute, bitterly frustrated and rebellious the next, Gano's vocals perfectly captured the contradictions of adolescence and the torment of making the transition to adulthood. Clever lyrical flourishes didn't hurt either; while "Blister in the Sun" has deservedly become a standard, "Kiss Off"'s chant-along "count-up" section, "Add It Up"'s escalating "Why can't I get just one..." couplets, and "Gimme the Car"'s profanity-obscuring guitar bends ensured that Gano's intensely vulnerable confessions of despair and maladjustment came off as catchy and humorous as well. The songwriting throughout is no-frills but effective, with straight pop structures like "Please Do Not Go" remaining uncluttered enough for every minute detail to be immediately apparent, and fragile closer "Good Feeling" tender and spacious in the same way the best Velvet Underground ballads were. Arriving right when punk rock was mutating into hardcore, Violent Femmes offered a contrarian counterpoint to the overt aggression of the band's more distorted peers. These incomplex songs played on unamplified wooden instruments carried as much bile as the most ear-shattering punk band, and conveyed it all in a toxic mutter that was all the more intense for its relative quiet. The album helped create what became the template for college rock and subsequent movements in alternative music, and the Violent Femmes would refine and revise the formula that arrived here in its perfect, acerbic form for decades to come.© Steve Huey & Fred Thomas /TiVo

The Beach Boys' post-1966 catalog is littered with LPs that barely scraped the charts upon release but matured into solid fan favorites despite -- and occasionally, because of -- their many and varied eccentricities. Surf's Up could well be the definitive example, beginning with the cloying "Don't Go Near the Water" and ending a bare half-hour later with the baroque majesty of the title track (originally written in 1966). The album is a virtual laundry list of each uncommon intricacy that made the Beach Boys' forgotten decade such a bittersweet thrill -- the fluffy yet endearing pop (od)ditties of Brian Wilson, quasi-mystical white-boy soul from brother Carl, and the downright laughable songwriting on tracks charting Mike Love's devotion to Buddhism and Al Jardine's social/environmental concerns. Those songs are enjoyable enough, but the last three tracks are what make Surf's Up such a masterpiece. The first, "A Day in the Life of a Tree," is simultaneously one of Brian's most deeply touching and bizarre compositions; he is the narrator and object of the song (though not the vocalist; co-writer Jack Rieley lends a hand), lamenting his long life amid the pollution and grime of a city park while the somber tones of a pipe organ build atmosphere. The second, "'Til I Die," isn't the love song the title suggests; it's a haunting, fatalistic piece of pop surrealism that appeared to signal Brian's retirement from active life. The album closer, "Surf's Up," is a masterpiece of baroque psychedelia, probably the most compelling track from the SMiLE period. Carl gives a soulful performance despite the surreal wordplay, and Brian's coda is one of the most stirring moments in his catalog. Wrapped up in a mess of contradictions, Surf's Up defined the Beach Boys' tumultuous career better than any other album.© John Bush /TiVo

Available exclusively on Qobuz Time waits for no one…right? While times and tastes change, every so often a group fine tunes a durable mix of musical firepower and showbiz glitz and manages to defy the years. This first call, horn section-turned-band, has solved the aging issue with a practical formula: get in a groove, write punchy horn charts, consistently whip up a high-energy funk revue where the jams blend together and viola, you have a band that is now celebrating the almost unheard-of milestone of a half century together! Tower of Power has a tradition of marking every passing decade with a live album and for their 50th anniversary in 2018 they brought the house—17 musicians and a full string section—to the Fox Theater in their original stomping ground of Oakland, CA, and filmed and recorded over 20 tracks in front of a partisan crowd that sounds appropriately stoked. Though more than 60 musicians have passed through this band over the years, the first key to the band's longevity is the continued presence in their signature two trumpet-three saxophone attack of the group's two founding saxophone players, tenorman Emilio Castillo and baritone sax player Stephen "Doc" Kupka. Another essential element to the relentless tempos is the return of original drummer David Garibaldi, who deserves an ironman award for setting a lethal pace throughout. A special treat is that the other half of the band's classic original rhythm section, bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia, appears on four tracks—his final live recordings with the band before his death in September 2020. Of the guests, it's good to hear SNL band director Lenny Pickett back in the fold and B-3 organist Chester Thompson adds several animated solos. While many of these hard funk horn jams are mixed together without a break, this long set contains many outstanding instrumental highlights. ToP, who have appeared as a backup band on records by artists as diverse as Little Feat, The Meters, John Lee Hooker and Elton John, slide comfortably into supercharged versions of their early hits like 1973's "What is Hip" and near the end, 1972's "You're Still a Young Man." A new tune "Stop" from 2018, vividly keeps the band's sound vital. Working hard to be an asset in a horn band, guitarist Jerry Cortez, makes his presence felt in a solo in "Can't You See (You Doin' Me Wrong)" And the band's best sweet soul number, "You're So Wonderful, So Marvelous," reappears here in a new, near-definitive version. At times, strong-voiced lead singer Marcus Scott's vocal enthusiasm verges on being obnoxious—not every tune needs multiple screams or a "Make some noise!" shout between verses. And while it may be time to retire the band's well-worn JB medley, "Diggin' on James Brown," the smooth professionalism here is terrific and it's impressive that the band manages to keep up a full-bore, whirlwind energy level throughout these 22 tracks. While viewing the accompanying video would undoubtedly add to the enjoyment, this is one fiery soul set: proof the horn-driven funk has a thousand variations and so perhaps…an eternal life. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

This is history in the making. Queen B surprised us with the release of a live album taken from her two dazzling concerts at Coachella in 2018, chronicled by a Netflix documentary. B performs a retrospective, revisiting 40 tracks from her 22-year career. There are no new songs here, but there is a studio cover with Tay Keith of Before I Let Go, the Frankie Beverly and Maze 1981 soul track. Other Destiny’s Child members Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland make bonus appearances on Lose My Breath, Say My Name and Soldier, husband Jay-Z on Déjà Vu, sister Solange on Get Me Bodied, and her daughter sings Afro-American anthem Sing and Lift Every Voice. This performance effectively explains why it was nicknamed ‘Beychella’, as this makes its mark on the festival’s history. And that was the goal, with 200 people on stage, colossal high-budget visual spectacle in this immense two-hour performance highlighting afro-feminist empowerment; Beyoncé has earnt her throne. “When I decided to do Coachella, instead of me pulling out my flower crown, it was more important that I brought our culture to Coachella.” To the sound of the second lines of a New Orleans brass band, a revamped drumline, Malcolm X on Don’t Hurt Yourself and amidst multiple references to African-American history, the queen of pop inhabiting the Queen Nefertiti reminds us of the importance of her discography in the 3rd millennium. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz

Kacey Musgraves could easily be contemporary country's next big thing. She's a sharp, detailed songwriter with a little bit of an edge, and while it's tempting to think of her as another coming of Taylor Swift, say, she's got the kind of relaxed sureness about what she's doing as a songwriter and performer that puts her closer to a Miranda Lambert. On her first nationally distributed album, Same Trailer Different Park, she definitely sounds more on the Lambert side of things, with a sparse, airy sound that lets her lyrics shine, and she'd as soon use a banjo in her arrangements as a snarling Stratocaster. From her debut single, the marvelous "Merry Go 'Round" (which is included here as the third track), Musgraves showed an intelligent, careful writing style that is as pointed as it is poignant, and even though the song seems to skewer small-town country life, it does it without malice or agenda, and is really more just telling it true than anything else, a trait that ought to be treasured in Nashville but usually isn't. Nashville wants one to tell it true as long as that telling conforms to the template, which Musgraves isn't likely to do. "Merry Go 'Round" might be the best song here, but there are others that are nearly as good, like the lilting, wise opener, "Silver Lining," the implausible "Dandelion" (one wonders how she manages to make such a winning song out of such a metaphor, but she does), and the gutsy (and again, wise) "Follow Your Arrow," all of which feature clear-eyed observations, unintrusive but appropriate arrangements, and a certain flair for telling it like it is and making it sound like bedrock, obvious wisdom. Musgraves has a sense of humor, too, and all of these traits add up to make Same Trailer Different Park more than a collection of songs just aiming for the country charts.© Steve Leggett /TiVo

Much like Disney's Tarzan, Dreamworks' animated epic Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron opts for a mostly pop-based soundtrack instead of an instrumental score. Tarzan used the music of Phil Collins as a backdrop to its stunning visuals; Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron features 15 new tracks from Bryan Adams to lend atmosphere to the tale of a runaway stallion's journey across the Old West. Adams' rousing, slightly sweet anthems are a good match to the film's look and theme, and they're also in keeping with the rest of his work. "Here I Am," "I Will Always Return," and "Don't Let Go" could fit in just as easily on his albums as on this collection. Likewise, "Get off My Back" sounds a lot like it could've been on 18 'Til I Die. There's some variety here as well, demonstrated by the vaguely Native American-influenced "Brothers Under the Sun" and understated ballads like "Here I Am" and "Nothing I've Ever Known." Not all of the diversity works well, however; the rebellious "You Can't Take Me" suffers from some shrill, tinny-sounding synths that make it difficult to listen to. The few instrumental excerpts at the end of the album round it out nicely, making Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a pleasant and successful soundtrack, especially for Bryan Adams' fans.© Heather Phares /TiVo

Limp Bizkit made their reputation through hard work, touring the hell out of their debut album Three Dollar Bill Y'All and thereby elevating themselves to the popularity status of their similarly rap-inflected, alt-metal mentors Korn. With their second album, Significant Other, they come close to reaching Korn's artistic level; at the very least, it's considerably more ambitious and multi-dimensional than Three Dollar Bill. Limp Bizkit, of course, hasn't abandoned their testosterone-overloaded signature sound, they've just built around it. There are flourishes of neo-psychedelia on pummeling metal numbers and there are swirls of strings, even crooning, at the most unexpected background. All of it simply enhances the force of their rap-metal attack, which can get a little tedious if it's unadorned. Not so coincidentally, the enlarged sonic palette also serves as emotional coloring for Fred Durst's lyrics. He broke up with his longtime girlfriend -- his Significant Other, if you will -- during the writing of the album, and his anguish is apparent throughout the record, as almost every song is infused with the guilt, anger, and regret that was churned up in the wake of separation. That, however, gives the impression that this is an alt-metal Blood on the Tracks. It's not. Nevertheless, it does have more emotional weight than Three Dollar Bill, along with more effective, adventurous music. More importantly, it balances these new concerns with trace elements of their juvenile humor along with the overpowering aggro rap-metal that is their stock in trade. Which makes it a rare artistic leap forward that will still please audiences that just want more of the same.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo