The Student Playlist

Showcasing the Best New Music, Curating the Classics

Posts by Ed Biggs

CULT ’80s: The Jesus & Mary Chain – ‘Psychocandy’

by Ed Biggs Although it quickly earned itself a reputation as being one of the most outrageously loud guitar debuts in pop history, it’s impossible to understand the last 30 years of British rock without an appreciation of Psychocandy, the first album by The Jesus & Mary Chain. Before, ‘noise’ wasn’t really a distinct concept in pop music, simply a function of the volume at which guitars were played.

REVIEW: Grimes – ‘Art Angels’ (4AD / Roc Nation)

by John Tindale Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, has been going through a period of reflection over the three years since the release of last album Visions, a low-budget bedroom record of spectral synths that has had a seismic impact upon the sound of mainstream pop ever since. During this time, Boucher scrapped an album for being too “depressing”, but more importantly she wrote a song for Rihanna (‘Go’) that was subsequently

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REVIEW: Colder – ‘Many Colours’ (Bataille)

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

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REVIEW: Ryan Adams – ‘1989’ (Pax Am)

by John Tindale Ryan Adams has gained himself a cult-like following by releasing alt-country albums at an alarming rate; 1989 is his 15th album in album in 16 years, and is possibly his most interesting release. The news of an entire Taylor Swift covers album went viral but critics were split on the validity of the artistic endeavour.

REVIEW: EL VY – ‘Return To The Moon’ (4AD)

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.

REVIEW: Guy Garvey – ‘Courting The Squall’ (Polydor)

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

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REVIEW: Cheatahs – ‘Mythologies’ (Wichita / PIAS)

by Ed Biggs With their self-titled debut album at the start of last year, the British-Canadian four-piece Cheatahs displayed the kind of trans-Atlantic vision for shoegaze and noise-rock that you would expect from their international make-up. A mixture of the American road/death-trip drone rock you hear from the likes of Wooden Shjips and the melodic fuzziness we’re accustomed to on this side of the ocean, Cheatahs demonstrated a keen understanding of

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CULT ’80s: The Replacements – ‘Tim’

by Ed Biggs These kinds of stories just don’t happen anymore. The universal acclaim and critical attention given to their previous album Let It Be the year before allowed The Replacements, one of the most volatile, unpredictable and legendarily drunk bands in American history, to make the step up to the big time in 1985. Just like their cross-town Minneapolis rivals Hüsker Dü, they left their indie label Twin/Tone and signed

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REVIEW: Joanna Newsom – ‘Divers’ (Drag City)

by John Tindale It’s been five years since Joanna Newsom released the critically acclaimed epic Have One On Me, but don’t take that to mean that she has been resting on her success; Divers is the culmination of five years of effort and it is a truly magnificent record for it. Newsom has it all, lyrical excellence to sonic brilliance: this is never more apparent than in lead single ‘Sopakanikan’.

CLASSIC ’90s: Pulp – ‘Different Class’

by Ed Biggs The rapid ascension of Pulp from perennial outsiders to chart toppers and festival headliners during the mid ‘90s, and the multi-platinum sales figures of their 1995 album Different Class, is the most dramatic illustration of the effect that Britpop had upon the British music scene. In pretty much no other place or time could such a band have achieved so much so quickly.