JOHNNY MARR レコード& CD

Review: Johnny Marr's solo debut of 2013, The Messenger showed him channelling his love for classic guitar rock through post-punk dynamics and a sense of urgency apparently abetted by his time spent in Modest Mouse and The Cribs. Keen to establish himself as an artist in his own right rather than a sideman, Payland builds on that album's impact, delivering an impressive salvo of sparky intensity; 'Easy Money' may well be the catchiest and most immediate thing he's committed to wax for decades, whilst elsewhere he brings a chilly frissante to proceedings, seemingly inherited from the like of Wire and Gary Numan. After thirty years of wrenching new inspiration from six strings, it can be a powerful tonic to know that this curiously youthful figurehead is still as restless and driven as ever.