Those who think X Factor has brainwashed us should look closely at album sales for 2009: very little of it is bland, processed balladry

Lady Gaga's new video proves how wrong I was about her initially. I wish I could say the same about Pixie Lott's offering, writes Jude Rogers

Rather than treating them like national treasures, let's hope musicians stretch their prejudices about what older artists can do

Records full of sound and fury may signify nothing. Some of the most affecting albums are the ones that privilege sparseness

Don't listen to doom-mongering heavyweight critics. Just get out there, and feed the music, writes Jude Rogers

The minimalist four-piece band from a Notting Hill garage are equally awed by Pixies and Aaliyah

Shakira's howling alter ego goes back to the old rules of pop star alternate personas, says Jude Rogers

If Michael Jackson was superhuman, Dizzee Rascal is human to a fault - and it's made him, finally, Britain's first black male superstar

Why might Katy Perry be suing a fashion designer of the same name? Because she knows image is more sacred than ever in pop

The Beatles' decision to embrace video games harks back to the original spirit of rock'n'roll

It's ordinary-man, matter-of-factness that gives Arctic Monkeys their charm - and we should thank drummer Matt Helders for reminding us of it

Jarvis Cocker in 2009 lacks the tenderness that always propped up his cleverness - and that tenderness was Britpop's magic ingredient

The Horrors' brilliant new single is proof that prominence in the gossip pages doesn't guarantee lifelong musical awfulness, says Jude Rogers

Jude Rogers wonders why Steven Patrick has decided to make his worst albums worse