by Matthew Langham Hinds, or Deers as they were formerly known, have appeared on numerous “One To Watch” lists over the last two years. It’s been a busy a busy few years for the Madrid quartet after a legal battle forced their hand into changing name – a ‘hind’ is a female deer, fyi. Spurred on by the inconvenience, the all-female group have toured relentlessly throughout 2015 in anticipation of their
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2015 has been our first year of operation under our new name The Student Playlist, and it’s been a year of steady expansion. There are now five of us, with a view to adding yet more talented, passionate writers in the new year as we continue in our quest to point out the best new music, rediscover old albums, both stone-cold classics and hidden treasures, and cause lively debate with
by Matthew Langham Released way back in September, Julia Holter’s fourth studio album has been merited as one of the most significant albums of 2015. While the L.A. musician may not have received much commercial attention from her three previous records, Holter is an artist who is continually shapeshifting through different soundscapes. Have You In My Wilderness sees Holter take on a seasonal soundscape; highlighting the light and dark between autumn
by Matthew Langham The brainchild of Parisian electronic producer Marc Nguyen Tan, Colder returns after ten years since his critically acclaimed album Heat. Known for his track ‘Crazy Love’, Colder was way ahead of his time following his 2003 debut album Again and decided in 2005 to take a back seat on his solo work and focus on other projects. Ironically, Many Colours has a monochrome, dreamy soundscape which doesn’t stray
by Matthew Langham Respectively of The National and Menomena / Ramona Falls, Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf make up EL VY, a pressure-free side project which features the baritone vocals of Berninger, but combined with a more upbeat pop sound which is a step away from his duties as vocalist of the celebrated indie masters. However, it’s Knopf’s multi-instrumentalist abilities which truly come to the forefront throughout the album.
by Matthew Langham Manchester’s Elbow have gone from cult band to Mercury-prize winning album toppers with thanks to the success of singles including ‘One Day Like This’ and ‘Grounds For Divorce’. Whilst their chart success has not alienated their diehard fans or watered down their charm, frontman Guy Garvey has found his own personal success not just as musician, but as a radio broadcaster. The progressive leanings of 2014’s The Take
by Matthew Langham Also known as Chk-Chk-Chk (or, indeed, any noise repeated three times in a row), Californian dance-punk group !!! have long been known for taking neither themselves nor their sound too seriously. Their artwork for their sixth studio album As If is a reminder of a sense of humour from a band that have consistently released solid records, but never reached major commercial success.
by Matthew Langham Manchester synthpop duo Hurts, consisting of Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson, return with their third album Surrender, two years after Exile which charted at a rather disappointing Number 9 in the UK album charts. Back when they started, their singles including ‘Better Than Love’ and ‘Wonderful Life’ did particularly well in the UK and even better in Germany, so this slump in commercial fortunes was unexpected.
by Matthew Langham It’s been an awfully long time since Preston entered the Big Brother house and committed what many would call career suicide. Dating the airheaded Chantelle Houghton, flouncing off ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’, Preston became a professional celebrity, and his actual band The Ordinary Boys seemed like a sideline by comparison. They lost all credibility very quickly from that point, and their last album, 2006’s How To Get Everything
by Matthew Langham Editors, those hardy survivors of the post-punk revival in British music over a decade ago, have endured a rough ride since the departure of their ex-guitarist Chris Urbanowicz who left due to a change in musical direction following their move away from atmospheric guitar pop on 2005’s The Back Room and its heavier-than-hell successor An End Has A Start.
