OK, a decade at HMV means I have all the typical muso prejudices but also that I can spot a good pop tune when I hear one. Hours behind the counter while the stereo churned out endless repetitions of Adamski’s Killer or The Power by Snap made Roxette seem like godlike genius. My guilty pleasures are mostly from the pop end of the spectrum.

Amiina – Souvenir. Amiina are from Iceland, starting out as the string quartet on Sigor Ros albums, and this cover of the OMD classic was a free download.

Sugababes – Soul Sound. The Sugababes Best Of should be in every record collection. Personally, I prefer their first album when the ginger one was still in the band.

Alice Martineau – If I Fall. Sad one this, get your hankies ready. Martineau was an up and coming pop-ish singer-songwriter about a decade ago but she died of cystic fibrosis shortly after her debut album was released. It isn’t a classic but it has some nice songs and I can never quite bring myself to chuck it out.

Gwen Stefani – Cool. So retro it could have come from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack.

Fergie – Mary Jane Shoes. I must confess that I have a huge crush on Fergie. I cannot explain why.

Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend. Everyone in the family likes this song.

The Cardigans – Lovefool. Nothing guilty in loving Nina and the band but this is their most poppy song and it felt like the right CD to put it on.

Cat Stevens – Don’t Be Shy. Not my normal cup of tea but it makes me think of Harold & Maude, one of the greatest movies ever.

Catatonia – Road Rage. It’s the wah Cerys rolls her Rrrrrrrrrrrrrs.

Eve & Gwen Stefani – Let Me Blow Ya Mind. I’ve gone all hippity hoppy.

De La Soul – The Magic Number. Told you.

P!nk – Don’t Let Me Get Me. I have a crush on P!nk as well. It might be that !.

The Dream Academy – Life In A Northern Town. Actually this remains a cracking album, some amazing stuff on there. They did a great cover of Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want which was used in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off but was never released. Must see if I can hunt it down.

Lauryn Hill – X-Factor. Hasn’t she gone a bit mental?

Natalie Imbruglia – Glorious. She lives round the corner. So does Anna Friel.

Sixpence None The Richer – Kiss Me. Perfect pop.

Doris – Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby? A 1960s album from Sweden that I picked up in my HMV days. It is all this good.

Lene Marlin – Sitting Down Here. More Scandinavian ladies, this one a bit more recent.

US3 – Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia). Used to be a popular track in HMV Cambridge when we were cashing up the tills.

Charles Trenet – Boom! You should hear me singing along to this. Actually…

There you go. A pleasure from start to finish I am sure.