Graham Coxon
The Golden D
(Transcopic/Astralwerks)

     Anyone familiar with the avant-garde explorations of British rock luminaries Blur is fully cognizant of guitarist Graham Coxon’s  unique and highly innovative style.  However, to Anglo-aficionados unfamiliar with his private penchant for American hardcore, hearing him trade his trademarked trills and staccato rhythms for unchained metal riffs will come as quite a shock.
     Akin to his previous release, 1998’s The Sky Is Too High, Coxon does not rely on outside musicians to bring his frenzied visions to life, opting instead to play each instrument himself, and quite impressively, too.  However, the predominantly simple and subdued (yet still extremely dark) tone that permeated his debut has been almost completely eschewed on The Golden D, which convincingly impersonates a full band.
     Coxon also dabbles in modern technology, another departure from his previous sound.  The sample-laden “Oochy Woochy” and “Jamie Thomas” suggest that when William Orbit was producing Blur’s 13, Graham was paying attention.
     Aside from these tracks and the hopeless “Keep Hope Alive,” The Golden D is rife with brutally punishing guitars and volatile beats.  Coxon pays tribute to punk-mavens Mission of Burma with two covers, but they end up sounding absolutely tame when compared to demonically heavy numbers like “Leave Me Alone” and the aptly named “My Idea of Hell.”
     Verily, this record is a relieving respite from the generic buzzing of the radio, but take heed:  The Golden D is not for delicate ears.

By Casey Lombardo
Long Beach Union

Originally printed 10.2.00

Back