The Student Playlist

Showcasing the Best New Music, Curating the Classics

Tag album

REVIEW: The Drums – ‘Abysmal Thoughts’ (Anti-)

Now simply a solo vehicle for singer Jonny Pierce, the fourth Drums record is perfectly fine but doesn’t take any risks or offer many variations of the formula.

REVIEW: Lorde – ‘Melodrama’ (Lava / Republic)

The outrageously talented Ella Yelich-O’Connor doubles down on her existing sound for her second full-length album ‘Melodrama’.

REVIEW: Royal Blood – ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ (Warner Bros.)

Following their meteoric rise to the top three years ago, Royal Blood stick to their guns and offer up more punishing riffage on ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’

CLASSIC ’00s: Justice – ‘”Cross”‘

Justice’s debut album “Cross” was one of the defining dance records of the 2000s, influencing a decade’s worth of subsequent EDM and pop.

REVIEW: Cigarettes After Sex – ‘Cigarettes After Sex’ (Partisan Records)

Much of the hype leading up to ‘Cigarettes After Sex’ originated from the maturity shown in the group’s writing, though little of that is evidenced here.

REVIEW: London Grammar – ‘Truth Is A Beautiful Thing’ (Ministry of Sound / Sony)

After a four year wait, London Grammar play things very conservatively on their second album, opting to refine and polish the sound of the first rather than break new ground.

REVIEW: SZA – ‘Ctrl’ (Top Dawg / RCA)

SZA’s much-anticipated debut album ‘Ctrl’ delivers handsomely, full of insightful and on-message slow jams and genre-mashing fun.

REVIEW: Amber Coffman – ‘City Of No Reply’ (Columbia / Sony)

Amber Coffman’s first solo album after leaving Dirty Projectors, ‘City Of No Reply’, is sadly far too polite and inoffensive to be memorable enough.

REVIEW: Phoenix – ‘Ti Amo’ (Glassnote Records)

The problem for Phoenix is that many believe they have already released their masterpiece in 2009 hit record ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’. While ‘Ti Amo’ hints that the French four-piece can reach these heights again, the reality is they may very well not.