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8.0
69949
8.0 |
The Skinny
After last year's likeable enough The Messenger, this is richer by far: the tunes are plentiful, the production old school and beefy (fat bass, cool synth), the guitar playing, you know, not bad
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8.0
69951
8.0 |
Q
Features a clutch of songs that stand up against anything Marr has co-authored in the past. Print edition only
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8.0
70071
8.0 |
NME
Trademark licks and provocative lyrics combine as former Smiths man finds his niche on second solo album
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8.0
70090
8.0 |
All Music
It plays more like a rock & roll album, always in a hurry to make its point understood as quickly as possible
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7.5
69946
7.5 |
Consequence Of Sound
It may have taken an unusually long time for Marr to come around and embrace the fruits of a solo career, but if Playland and The Messenger before it are any indication, the guitar god seems pretty intent on making up for lost time
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7.0
69947
7.0 |
FasterLouder
Although it doesn’t push any boundries Playland is a modern sounding collection of guitar laced electronica
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7.0
69953
7.0 |
Uncut
A bunch of rocking pop tunes. Print edition only
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7.0
70295
7.0 |
Beardfood
Each track is a lovely slice of Brit-Rock nostalgia
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7.0
70416
7.0 |
PopMatters
Johnny has done the business and he’s probably shown there is no finer holder of the rock guitar on the planet right now
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7.0
70442
7.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
An enjoyable rock record with occasional dips into complacency that are sometimes matched by its moments of bravado and energy
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6.0
70174
6.0 |
The Arts Desk
The lead single 'Easy Money' wouldn’t sound entirely out of place on a Black Keys album
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6.0
70275
6.0 |
Mojo
Gritty, pacey, avowedly urban aesthetic inspired by Marr’s post-punk roots. Print edition only
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6.0
69970
6.0 |
Evening Standard
There are echoes of Marr’s former band on his second album
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6.0
69975
6.0 |
Exclaim
Seems like the kind of better-than-average album that befalls way too many British musicians past their prime
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6.0
69948
6.0 |
musicOMH
If a handful of tracks from the first album had been replaced with the best tracks here then Marr would have produced one of the best guitar albums of the last decade, but taken on their own individual merits, neither quite achieve greatness
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6.0
69950
6.0 |
The Guardian
Dazzling guitar work, decent enough indie-rock tunes and a slight lack of vocal charisma
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5.0
70124
5.0 |
Drowned In Sound
What’s clear is how badly Marr needs a foil, a counterpart, a collaborator, because on his own his ideas only seem to stretch so far, and so, sadly, does our good wil
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5.0
70080
5.0 |
Under The Radar
Placing himself firmly in mid-'90s Britpop, couched comfortably with the bands he is instrumental in influencing, Playland rings with the familiarity of retread
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4.6
70062
4.6 |
Pitchfork
A lack of effort isn’t the main problem with Playland; if anything, there’s been too much effort put into it. It’s been fussed over so much that any spark that may have spurred it has been smothered
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4.0
70288
4.0 |
State
Ultimately Playland is simply more frustrating than anything else; not only has Marr missed what passed for a post-punk revival by about fifteen years, he’s exhausted his own ability to channel it into something worthwhile
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