POP : Do You Hear What We Hear? : Prick up your antlers: Calendar’s annual recordings guide is here to help you sift through the year’s notable pop, jazz, classical, children’s and holiday music--and the best of the box sets. : Separating Best Bets From Lumps of Coal

Calendar’s pop staff surveys 40 of the nation’s most popular or critically acclaimed albums :

**** HOLE, “Live Through This,” Geffen. Courtney Love’s incredibly sad lyrics reflect the turmoil in her life in an album that aims at all levels of the human psyche and rarely if ever misses its target.

**** LIZ PHAIR, “Whip-Smart,” Matador. Her voice still hits those characteristically flat notes that make her real. This brilliant sophomore effort confirms Phair as a revolutionary force.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended) and four stars (excellent). A rating of five stars is reserved for reissues or retrospectives.