Taking a break from scaring Blur fans with his detuned guitars, Graham Coxon has gone and made a solo album filled with sensitive folk ballads that wears its rice-paper heart on its sleeve. Go figure.
"Where'd You Go?" is so frail it almost doesn't make it out of the speakers -- though a good pair of headphones reveals a lovely piece of trad English folk. The next seven tracks are slightly beefier, but mostly stick to the formula of intensely personal lyrics and spare acoustic accompaniment.
While the acoustic numbers reveal a quietly gifted songwriter, it's refreshing to plunge out of their repose and into the the blunderbuss punk rock of "Who The F*ck?" and the deranged blues scratchings of "Mornin Blues." Along with "I Wish" and "That's All I Wanna Do," they serve as a reminder of how stormy Graham's relationship with the guitar really is.
"A Day Is Far Too Long" and "R U Lonely?" may be the album's best tracks, exploring the harsh realities of loneliness and sobriety with refreshing candor. Both also feature Graham harmonizing with himself, which he does beautifully. His harmonies are so rich, in fact, they make you wish he were a slightly more accomplished lead vocalist. But this is clearly a personal trip for Graham, and is all the more engaging for its foibles.
If you like Graham Coxon, check out:
Nick Drake Pink Moon
Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking
Blur Blur
Sonic Youth Daydream Nation
