Johnny Marr -Playland
THE second solo LP from former Smiths guitar slinger Johnny Marr finds him continuing to mine the post-punky indie pop sounds he explored on 2013's
Older fans will no doubt crack a wry smile at the Echo & The Bunnymen-esque
Little King's middle-eastern riffing charms, given the rivalry that once existed between Ian McCulloch's Liverpudlian lot and Mozza's Mancunian mob, while lead single Easy Money proves Marr hasn't lost his knack for penning a catchy single - although the fact this one is verging on disco a la Franz Ferdinand may catch some listeners by surprise. Indeed, it's odd to hear a player as influential as Marr copping from bands that would almost certainly cite his unmistakable Smiths guitar sound as a key influence. Then again, he's also a music fan, so perhaps it stands to reason that there should be definite traces of Interpol and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in the brooding yet slinky Speak Out Reach Out spiky guitars and soaring chorus successfully tap The National's rousing brand of indie rock. Sensibly, Marr doesn't ignore his own past either: the haunting jangle of This Tension successfully combines Smithsy guitar pop magic with shoegazey atmospherics to become one of Playland's stand-out moments, along with a similarly expressive slow number called Candidate which recalls his time with Bernard Sumner as Electronic. Elsewhere, the rumbling charge of album opener frantic
Beatles bass-lick-pilfering indie pop anthem and the excellent title track's highly strung glam clatter are destined to become live favourites for this noted guitar man playing at solo stardom with great gusto.