Working once again with producer
Doviak
for 2018's
Call the Comet
,
Johnny Marr
adheres to the meticulously sculpted soundscapes he patented on his 2013 solo debut,
The Messenger
, but the guitarist's perspective has shifted. Faced with the political tumult of the late 2010s,
Marr
concentrates on essential humanist traits, crafting songs that aren't so much protests as wishes for a better, kinder world. Empathy is the engine of
and the characteristic that separates the album from its two predecessors,
and
Playland
. Take away these open-hearted pleas and
is virtually identical to its cousins, a gleaming collection of old-fashioned college rock that fuses the skyscraping six-string theatrics of
the Smiths
with the cool, stylish affectations of
Electronic
.
doesn't disguise the skill fueling his craft, so
is more accomplished than compelling, but there is pleasure in hearing how all the parts fit together so tidily. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine