A quick flick through the track listing for ‘Love Travels at Illegal Speeds’ and you get a pretty good idea of what’s bugging Graham these days, and it’s not his acrimonious departure from Blur in case your wondering…well not entirely - this one’s all about confusion and sexual longing.
It’s a bit of an intriguing compromise to hear a 36 year old single male homing in on adolescent lust and despite his renowned capability for self destruction, it bears few hallmarks of a mid life crisis. It also doesn’t sound half as bad as you’d expect and is testament to Graham Coxon fast dispelling the shadow of his past and emerging as a solo artist of some merit.
This his 6th studio album, highlights a distinct evolution from the barren ditties of his early e.p’s and a mature progression from ‘Happiness in Magazines’ as ‘Love Travels at Illegal Speeds’ is an album rife with an indignant punk snarl. Amidst the superficial negativity of the song titles; ‘I don’t wanna go out’ ‘You always let me down’ and ‘don’t believe anything I say’, there also lie some immediately defiant statements – the veiled I told you so of ‘Standing on My Own Again’ the best example. Beginning with the kind of bedroom mirror air instrumentation usually reserved for a 15 year old, it’s easily on par with the neurotically energetic ‘Freaking Out’ in the immediacy stakes even if it does highlight some inadequacies as a vocalist - not that he was ever known to have the voice of an angel.
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It’s delivered with such a ferocious punk rock spirit and it’s easy to glaze over any shortcomings as ‘I don’t wanna go out’ an indignant little tantrum of a track with stamping drums and Graham’s barked vocals convey some convincing teenage angst. ‘I Cant Look at Your Skin’ has the immediate scuzzy energy of The Buzzcocks whilst the bounding sing along of ‘You & I’ sees the album take an upbeat turn before the snotty, spittle flecked 3 chord caterwaul of ‘Gimme Some Love’ wrestles any notion of clarity to the ground.
It’s Graham Coxon showing glimpses of his best. Back to making the kind of punchy pop numbers that made his name in the first place it’s an album quick to remind you of the awkward personality but confirms it’s still charmingly endearing for it. With significant kudos to Parklife producer Stephen Street, it’s seen Coxon renew his pop sensibilities and return with an album
that’s uncomplicated, uncluttered and in flashes, unmissable. A welcome progression from the guitar genius we almost forgot.
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