Blur's guitarist and brit(pop/)rock icon Graham Coxon's 7th solo album gives a whole other out-look on his musical versatility as well as his personal interests concerning music, for the likings of Sonic Youth and The Jam. He's also a personal favorite of mine and I just love him to bits. So while Blur are rambling on with their on-off plans for a come-back, this album is a nice little treat in the middle of all the fuss and so far one of the best releases in 2012.
1. Advice: Impressively dynamic opener, probably the best off the album. Basically this is what Graham does best - simple, fuzzy guitar jams. This is downright catchy too! It's really vibrant and fresh, even if it has a strong 90's feel to it. A proper tune this one. LOVE it.
1. Advice: Impressively dynamic opener, probably the best off the album. Basically this is what Graham does best - simple, fuzzy guitar jams. This is downright catchy too! It's really vibrant and fresh, even if it has a strong 90's feel to it. A proper tune this one. LOVE it.
2. City Hall: This is a first introduction to more of the electronic direction he's taken on this album. It's driven by a stompy beat with shrieking guitars bringing some roughness in and it all just comes together real neatly.
3. What'll It Take: Here the electronics really kick in. Though the chorus gets a bit too repetive after a while, the guitar and synths really fuse into each other quite nicely and make you kinda wanna just jump around the room. There's something really exciting about this.
4. Meet and Drink and Pollinate: I'm really digging the vocals on this one, also the guitar work is yet again top notch. It's pretty raw, but all the while it's all about subtleties.
5. The Truth: Starts off pretty ominous, then turns out to be a full-on grunge tune. The guitar drones on this are just oh so good, not to mention the vocals. Graham's fascination with bands such as Dinosaur Jr. makes a clear stance here.This just owns, that's about it really.
6. Seven Naked Valleys: Clever guitar line here, can't help nodding my head to this.
7. Running for Your Life: . The chorus is just insanely fun and sparky. Really stands out cause of the sheer energy of it. I bet this is just immense live.
8. Bah Singer: Just a brilliant guitar-driven track. I'm really into the chorus here.
9. Knife in the Cast: This is a good toned down breather in the middle of all the guitar mayhem, not that it's easy or anything, it's quite bleak and dreary like wandering around on a lonesome, barely lit street at 2am and you'd rather just be home. This really made an impact on me.
10. Ooh, Yeh Yeah: The album goes out with a lovely, laid-back tune. The simple, but catchy chorus is easy on the ears. This song just makes me feel genuinely happy.
Verdict: Graham's music has always been somewhat naive and lovestruck. Though being in his early 40's, he's still got that essence of a reckless 20-year-old and it strongly reflects the sound of this album, but on the contrary this is probably Graham's darkest album yet, also to my mind his best. Big props for putting in an electronic twist, it's a bit out of his comfort zone, but it really works. All in all a fine album, with a lot of texture and energy.
Verdict: Graham's music has always been somewhat naive and lovestruck. Though being in his early 40's, he's still got that essence of a reckless 20-year-old and it strongly reflects the sound of this album, but on the contrary this is probably Graham's darkest album yet, also to my mind his best. Big props for putting in an electronic twist, it's a bit out of his comfort zone, but it really works. All in all a fine album, with a lot of texture and energy.
Rating: ♪♪♪/♪♪♪♪ Three Out Of Four Eighth Notes
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