The Student Playlist

Showcasing the Best New Music, Curating the Classics

Tag Mute

REVIEW: Swans – ‘Leaving Meaning.’ (Young God / Mute)

Michael Gira’s latest iteration of Swans is rather similar to that which gave us three consecutive masterpieces, but ‘Leaving Meaning.’ isn’t quite as revelatory.

REVIEW: Fever Ray – ‘Plunge’ (Rabid / Mute)

Karin Dreijer’s second Fever Ray album ‘Plunge’ is a lot more expansive and pop-orientated than its 2009 predecessor, but retains all the elements that made The Knife so compelling.

REVIEW: Liars – ‘TFCF’ (Mute)

TCFN is in no way the worst album ever, but it is the worst album Liars have released, whether it be through its deliberately painful drones and grating textures, or just poor songwriting Andrew has made a huge misstep on this record.

REVIEW: Goldfrapp – ‘Silver Eye’ (Mute)

Goldfrapp’s seventh album ‘Silver Eye’ synthesises all of the band’s previous sounds to come up with something pleasing and powerful.

REVIEW: M83 – ‘Junk’ (Naive / Mute)

by Ed Biggs Having spent the entirety of the noughties dwelling in the musical hinterlands, sculpting critically acclaimed but modest-selling albums under the name of M83, Anthony Gonzalez unexpectedly found massive exposure with ‘Midnight City’ five years ago, a transcendent piece of retro/electro pop that got used as the soundtrack for the BBC’s Olympic Games coverage, ‘Made In Chelsea’, and countless adverts on top. Trust me, you know that song.

REVIEW: Yeasayer – ‘Amen & Goodbye’ (Mute)

by John Tindale It’s been four years since the release of Yeasayer’s last album Fragrant World, a wonderfully eclectic album which balanced experimental electronics with a pop sound to dazzling effect. But, much like in Yeasayer’s other work, there was always that feeling of more to come, another gear to go through – unfortunately for Amen & Goodbye, the group’s fourth, this is a feeling that will remain for at least

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REVIEW: Arca – ‘Mutant’ (Mute)

by Ed Biggs Venezuelan-born production wizkid Alejandro Ghersi dropped Xen, his much-hyped studio album as Arca, at almost exactly this point last year, and it was obvious immediately why the likes of Kanye West, Björk and FKA twigs had approached him to harness the fluid, futuristic post-R&B sound that has become his trademark. Here was somebody painting a startling, imaginative way forward for electronic music at a prodigiously young age, able

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