Graham Coxon - A+E

Graham Coxon A+E
Graham Coxon was always the most credible member of Blur. Damon Albarn got all the plaudits and fame whilst Alex James was cooler, but Graham was the most believable. This is his solo album from 2012.

Advice is all stop-start, spiky post-punk guitars and robotic vocals. It is probably too stop-starty though as it struggles to gain any momentum. City Hall is more successful, built on an electronic, metronomic krautrock pulse. What'll It Take is lo-fi Hot Chip with one eye on the dancefloor whilst being firmly stuck in the bedroom. It does outstay its welcome slightly though as the last minute is far too repetitive. Meet And Drink And Pollinate is shambolic, shuffling indietronica reminiscent of the first Metronomy album. The Truth features some neat dark and heavy guitar work while the low slung Knife In The Cast is like 90s grunge/slacker's gloomiest moments (think Nirvana's 'Something In The Way' or maybe Pavement's 'Stop Breathin'').

Seven Naked Valleys is Blur meets Pavement. It's ponderous but possesses a certain charm. This sums up the album as a whole because for all of the missteps, it remains likeable. All the tracks have the shadow of Blur looming over them, mainly in the vocal lines and melodies. The occasional use of horns also gives the album a sometime X Ray Spex feel. Overall, not bad.