The Golden D

by

Graham Coxon

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I had been warned off of Graham Coxon's solo works, told that they were a little too emotionally off-kilter, a little too overly sincere... but I'm glad I actually tracked down this fantastic album and listened for myself. I'm a huge fan of Blur, and particularly Graham's way of addressing his instrument - he doesn't play guitar the way that most rock leads do; his solos are generally minimal, and he saves his most beautiful and extraordinary licks for tucking behind the verses. "The Golden D" is Graham both working out his inner demons and neuroses without being compromised by Damon Albarn's songwriting, and the result is a dense, intensely personal inner landscape. "Jamie Thomas" is a metal-punk explosion on the subject of Graham's skateboarding idol, "Fags and Failure", "Leave Me Alone" and "My Idea of Hell" are very much what they say they are. But just when you've given up Graham as a tortured soul with horrifically bad self-esteem, he brings out my favourite track on the album, "Oochy Woochy" - an absurdly funny and light-hearted romp with a drunken off-kilter saxophone riff that will get stuck in your head for hours. I think Graham Coxon is an amazing talent, with or without Blur - for someone who, even in the studio, has to hide when he sings because he's so shy about his voice, he has no such self-consciousness when working on his own material. This is an album I will treasure for years.

I really enjoyed this record for its restlessness. It sure doesn't sound like Graham's settling down any. Some of the cuts just completely rock with no abandon. The more experimental stuff is interesting, as well. Lake is quite beautiful in its ragged rhythms and building sonic textures. I was quite impressed that he played all the instruments on the whole album. I see this, his solo career, as a continuing vent/experiment for Graham. This album didn't blow me away, but considering that the whole thing was supposedly made in 2 weeks, it's not bad at all. The next one will surely be even better.

I wouldn't really be able to recommend it casually to just anyone, but if you like Graham's work, then give it a whirl.