Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon has had a very busy year so far. If promoting a new album wasn’t enough, there was the relentless rehearsal schedule with Blur (how could I not mention them?) for those massive reunion shows too. I can’t comment on the success of every gig played, but I can confirm they absolutely smashed it at Hyde Park. Back to his day job now and normal solo duties are resumed with the third release off current album, The Spinning Top, a double A-side comprising of Dead Bees and Brave The Storm.
Dead Bees is a highlight on his new album and echoes the style of his earlier solo material, particularly that of The Sky Is Too High. It’s the heaviest track from the album and is driven by a crunching acoustic riff not too dissimilar to one heard in Status Quo’s Pictures Of Matchstick Men, but with added urgency and extra oomph. In typical Coxon fashion things get spectacularly peculiar toward the end of the song with a host of strange sounds thrown into the mix.
Brave The Storm is far more representative of the album’s theme and overall acoustic focused sound. It exposes Coxon’s softer side, with lyrics such as “There’s a world where we can disappear, into our own little stratosphere,” with female backing vocals adding another essential layer to this summery slice of folk.
This will not set the charts alight and probably won’t get played much on the radio as it doesn’t really pass the ‘would be suitable for playing in Asdas’ commercial viability check – thank God. In this current musical climate that’s what separates the men from the boys, the Coxon’s from the Blunt’s.
Matt Humphrey
Listen to The Spinning Top album for free:
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