The Student Playlist

Showcasing the Best New Music, Curating the Classics

Tag album

REVIEW: Steve Mason – ‘Meet The Humans’ (Domino)

by Ed Biggs As the former lead singer of The Beta Band, Steve Mason has forged a strange path that has kept him running parallel to, yet separated from, the evolution of British indie over the last two decades. The band he founded with Gordon Anderson in the mid ‘90s produced one of the most criminally overlooked back catalogues of the latter-day Britpop era. Imagine if Pink Floyd had disbanded upon

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REVIEW: Santigold – 99¢ (Atlantic)

by John Tindale It’s been four years since Santi White, aka Santigold, provided us with the soundtrack to the summer of 2012 in ‘Disparate Youth’ from sophomore effort Master Of My Make Believe. Since then White has had a baby, taken on some acting jobs and, more importantly on the music front, ditched cynicism in favour of a more pastiche pop sound. What becomes clear over the course of 99¢’s 45

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REVIEW: Pinkshinyultrablast – ‘Grandfeathered’ (Club AC30)

by Matthew Langham Following on from the minor success of their debut record Everything Else Matters, St. Petersburg’s five-piece Pinkshinyultrablast return with their self-described blend of ‘thunder pop kung-fu gaze’, which saw them play to sell-out crowds in tiny venues throughout 2015. Grandfeathered is an expansive eight-track album, which capitalises on the soundscapes that were explored throughout their debut.

REVIEW: Yuck – ‘Stranger Things’ (Mamé)

by Ed Biggs Having made one of the most distinctive British indie albums of the ‘10s with their self-titled debut, Yuck suffered a devastating blow three years ago when lead singer and chief creative force Daniel Blumberg quit to release his own music. Many feared for the group’s future direction, but guitarist Max Bloom stepped into the spotlight and made their second record, 2013’s Glow & Behold, a minor success that

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REVIEW: The 1975 – ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It’ (Dirty Hit / Interscope / Polydor / Vagrant)

by John Tindale When The 1975 released their eponymous debut LP, they set themselves on a fast track to the mainstream; here was a band releasing catchy, if earnest, indie-pop that resonated with the masses. However with all the successes there were a fair few people (myself included) who questioned whether they had earned it. For all the singles and hype there was no back-bone to support it over an agonising

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REVIEW: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – ‘This Unruly Mess I’ve Made’ (Macklemore LLC)

by Ollie Rankine Few artists have experienced the spectacularly unique fall from grace demonstrated by Seattle hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It’s not unfair to say that most of us were left a little bemused following The Heist’s controversial victory at the 2014 Grammys when it claimed the title of Best Rap Album while in the same category as both Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, m.A.A.d City and Kanye’s Yeezus, two

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REVIEW: Animal Collective – ‘Painting With’ (Domino)

by John Tindale In case you weren’t already aware, Animal Collective are a bit of an odd case. Featuring an ever-changing line-up and an alternative approach to electronics, their only consistent characteristic is their ability to command the listener’s attention, it is no wonder that tenth studio album Painting With was so highly anticipated by the masses, after the slight disappointment that was Centipede Hz in 2012.

REVIEW: Soulwax – ‘Belgica’ OST (P.I.A.S.)

by Ed Biggs Unquestionably one of the definitive acts of the noughties, Soulwax seem to have always been around, and yet have not really done anything for a very long time. During the second half of the noughties, Stephen and David Dewaele toured across the world on a punishing, relentless schedule that saw them play roughly five times a week, every week, for half a decade, delighting fans across the world

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REVIEW: Kanye West – ‘The Life Of Pablo’ (GOOD / Def Jam)

by John Tindale When the most divisive man on the planet announced he was going to be releasing a seventh studio album in 2013, a mere five months after the release of the almost-experimental Yeezus, many heads were turned. Now two and a half years and no fewer than three title changes later, The Life Of Pablo has finally arrived and the media storm with it. Part of Kanye West’s brilliance is

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REVIEW: DIIV – ‘Is The Is Are’ (Captured Tracks)

by Matthew Langham It’s been a frustratingly long wait for DIIV’s follow-up album to their 2012 debut Oshin. In the time that has passed a lot has happened to the quintet, inclusive of but not limited to drug busts, addiction and rehab cycles and multiple failed recording sessions. It seems that lead singer Zachary Cole Smith’s heroin addiction is replicating that of his musical hero, Kurt Cobain.