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MagnetNov 5, 2014A gorgeous, seductive album. [No. 114, p.56]
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Oct 6, 2014All this means that Playland is superficially more pop with all its style and flair, but 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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Alternative PressOct 6, 2014More like sophomore triumph. [Nov 2014, p.94]
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Oct 6, 2014If ‘The Messenger’ was everything anyone could want a Johnny Marr solo record to be, Playland is pretty much all anyone could hope for as a follow-up.
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Q MagazineOct 3, 2014Playland is better than its predecessor in pretty much every respect. The songs are better, the palette broader and there's a genuine sense of Marr hitting his stride as a solo artist. [Nov 2014, p.103]
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Oct 3, 2014Marr’s mastery of ambiance and sonic texture is still unrivaled, and while there are noticeable nods to the mighty Smiths, they don’t sound the least bit tired or worn.
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Oct 17, 2014Playland then is an enjoyable rock record with occasional dips into complacency that are sometimes matched by its moments of bravado and energy.
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Oct 16, 2014Playland, whose songs were written roughly around the same time as The Messenger’s, can therefore be viewed as a companion piece. But it is an improvement too.
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UncutOct 2, 2014Playland is pretty much "The Messenger Part 2." [Nov 2014, p.77]
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MojoNov 6, 2014He may not be a born singer, or particularly vocally charismatic, but he sounds like he means it, and that's more than enough. [Nov 2014, p.94]
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Oct 3, 2014In 2014 this just seems like the kind of better-than-average album that befalls way too many British musicians past their prime.
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Oct 2, 2014If 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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Oct 15, 2014Marr’s singing is nice enough (check ''The Trap''). His most compelling voice, inevitably, remains his guitar.
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Oct 8, 2014What’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 will.
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Oct 2, 2014Playland breaks no new ground. [Sep/Oct 2014, p.77]
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Oct 7, 2014It’s been fussed over so much that any spark that may have spurred it has been smothered.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 15
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Mixed: 1 out of 15
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Negative: 2 out of 15
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Dec 27, 2017
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Oct 24, 2014
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Oct 7, 2014