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 :

*** MEGADETH, “Youthanasia,” Capitol. Pungent guitar, strafing riffage and relentless rhythms support Dave Mustaine’s commentaries about his--and society’s--fatal flaws.

*** QUEENSRYCHE, “Promised Land,” EMI. Edgy, brooding, grand sonic gestures and gusts of harmonies continue to sweep over Queensryche’s hard-rock terrain, but the band also reveals some subtle new dynamics.

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.