A+E: Deluxe

I was a big fan of Blur's earlier stuff (I always thought Modern Life is Rubbish was their best album, mostly because of Coxon's guitar work) and moderately enjoyed some of his solo work, especially some of the songs on Happiness in Magazines and Love Travels at Illegal Speeds. I'd noticed he'd done some folksy stuff and his previous solo album didn't do much for me so I kind of lost interest over the years. I streamed this album on a lark, not expecting much. I was in for a pleasant surprise.This album starts out with a fairly standard Coxon rocker, Advice. So far so good, right up there with his best solo stuff. But then the album really kicks in with City Hall. I'm a big fan of quasi krautrock bands like Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo and was instantly hooked by City Hall and much of what followed. There's a lot of hypnotic beats and guitar driven melodies with some excellent quirky keyboards and even sax thrown in for good measure. I'd always thought Damon Albarn was the guy behind Blur's quirkier side but obviously Coxon has a great sense of humor that really shines through on this album. I can't help but smile every time I listen to Meet + Drink + Pollinate. Seven Naked Valleys is another huge standout.This album's got a kind of rough and scratchy hard edge that really sounds great combined with Coxon's quirky sense of humor and the neo-krautrock vibe. Very original sounding and catchy but maybe not for everyone but I've been playing it a lot more than any of his other solo stuff and loving it. Sad that it remains an import and there's not much of a market for music like this in the states.

I enjoy listening to this album very much. I like the angst vibe of "Advice" and the experimentation of some of the other tracks. This album also demonstrates Coxon's different abilities. He's brilliant as expected.

Once again Graham has managed to knock out another great album. I particularly like track 7, which I cannot stop listening to. Graham Coxon is a fabulous artist. I discovered his solo playing when he opened for the Kaiser Chiefs at Ally Pally a few years ago. I have been a follower ever since. I wish he would come play in the USA. Keep on producing the albums Graham!

Anything Graham Coxon is worth it's weight in vinyl.

I love Graham Coxon and out of all his solo records this is my favorite since "Happiness in Magazines".I only wish it had more then 10 songs.

Excellent album.

Finally, after a good folk-rock album and a polished power pop album, Graham has returned to distorted guitars, raw energy and an off-kilter sensibility. Overall the album sounds like the Graham Coxon and Paul Weller collaboration from 2007, Each New Morning, which I loved. It's sort of like the Golden D, except with some quasi-Krautrock beats and cheap keyboards added to the mix. While many of the songs are repetitive, it is still a great listen. A must have for fans of Graham Coxon's guitar work. One of the most underated guitarists that came out of the 90s.

This album will instantly become your favourite... So catchy - it grabs your attention.Can't believe 'A + E' went under the radar for so long. It's a travesty as Coxon is amazing. I'll defo look for more of his solo albums.Also, John at Leicester, provided TOP customer service. I'll order from Music Merchant again.

Graham Coxon is in a fairly unique position. He's the guitarist for one of the biggest bands of the last twenty years at the same time as being something of an indie-rock, cult hero. A situation not unlike one of Coxons heros, Syd Barrett. I'm a big fan of all of his solo albums and would reccommend any of them if you're new to his stuff (check out the 'Goldan D' for Coxon in full-on punk mode, 'Crow Sit on Blood Tree' for a mix of dark folk and the occational 100mph rock song and 'The Kiss of Morning' for some beautiful heartbreakers)....His last album, 'The Spinning Top' saw Graham dive head-first into his love of all things Nick Drake and John Martyn; this time couldn't be more different. The acoustic shades of 'The Spinning Top' have been replaced with Grahams trademark electric-guitar wizardry; some tracks definately cover new ground though. 'City Hall' embraces a krautrock influence and feeds it through Grahams punk-pop know-how while 'Running for your Life' is Coxon at his off-the-wall best. The dance-inducing 'What'll it Take' uses repitition to its advatage as Graham repeatedly asks, "what'll it take to make you people dance!?" while 'Knife in the Cast' could be a beautifully strange and lethargic Blur b-side cira the self-titled album. Most of the album is incredibly energetic though; just listen to the aforementioned 'Running for your Life'.Overall A+E is a noisy, exciting, ridiculous and throughly entertaining listen. His most popular album so far, 'Happiness in Magazines' while undeniably great at times sounded more like a Blur album than a Graham Coxon one but 'A + E' is pure Coxon; eccentric, awkward, kinda angry and kinda cheeky. And that's a very good thing indeed!The DVD extras are pretty sweet too, the live footage shows what an exciting performer he is and there's some explanations for some of the songs (seems a lot of these one's came from improv's).

2012 was a very good year for Blur. Performing the headline concert of the Olympics, releasing a wonderful single, Under The Westway, re-releasing all of their albums in a remastered and expanded form and generally being accepted as the legends of British music they are. 2012 also saw the release of Graham's latest album, A+E. As far as I'm concerned, it's far from the best album that Graham has ever released, but it has an experimental feel, a hard edge and a contemporary relevance to it without totally disregarding his talent for melody and creating irresistible hooks. "Seven Naked Valleys" could almost be early 70's Alice Cooper band, "Running For Your Life" has elements of Blur's spiky guitar mixed in with blues rock influenced artists such as Jack White or Band Of Skulls. Elsewhere on the album, there's electronica, punk, classic indie flavours and something to both thrill (and probably also dismay) everyone. It's far from a classic, but it's an adventurous, mature piece of work that the majority of people who have enjoyed Graham's work both solo and in Blur will hopefully enjoy. I certainly did.

It sounds trite but... I simply love this album!!! it is smooth, diverse and stylish; there are no (obvious) lingering doubts, remorse or poison-penned prose of times gone by.... this album is a delight from beginning to end and Coxon makes full use of his own abilities as a very skilful guitarist.Don't get me wrong, I love the dark ballads of "Crow Sit On Blood Tree", the "Sky Is Too High" and "The Kiss Of Morning", but A+E is just so dynamic, so vital and so much fun to listen to. It is a bizarre blend of styles and influences that makes every song unique, every song has it's own texture, it's own presence... Very similar in tempo to "Happiness In Magazines", this album is a very big deal indeed.Off to listen to it again!!!

I tried to like Graham's last album 'Spinning Top' but it was just too folky for my tastes. With this latest offering Graham is offering us the punkier guitar sound that came with 'Love Travels at Illegal Speeds' and 'Happiness in Magazine'. And although he is going back to a lo-fi sound this one is produced beuatifully and sounds a treat!