Search - Graham Coxon :: Happiness in Magazines

Decent Comeback

Hapworth | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | 02/18/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Where Graham Coxon, former Blur guitarist, returns to writing simple songs and learns that writing simple songs isn't so simple but kind of succeeds anyway. After three solo outings where Coxon chafed at the pop accessibility Blur perverted yet flaunted, Coxon decided it was time to return to basics, so he hired Blur producer Stephen Street to help out and penned a bunch of three-minute punk-pop ditties.



God bless Coxon! The world needs fewer six-minute dirges and more three-minute pop songs. Elvis knew this, the Beatles knew this, and the Ramones did, too. "Spectacular," with its Elastica-like rapid-fire guitar riff is a noisy straightforward rocker. "No Good Time" features catchy verses that target poseurs of all sorts. "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery," the first single, combines Velvet Underground rhythm guitar with a bubbly chorus. On "Freakin' Out," Coxon sounds a bit like Johnny Rotten as Greenday frontman. "All Over Me" and "Are You Ready?" are somber, string-laden, 60's-style pop ballads. Not every song flies, but most feature a strong hook or two or three.



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Coxon shows his true songwriting skill, makes a great album

T. Osborne | Boston, MA USA | 07/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Happiness In Magazines is without question Graham Coxon's best album yet, and shows him writing songs that sound similar to the work he did while in Blur. Trust me, every song is good on this album. "Spectacular" starts things off right as is a tight rocker with great catchy lyrics. "No Good Time" is a great tune as well, which bashes many different types of people. "Girl Done Gone" has a very bluesy sound, and some of Graham's best guitar playing on the album. "Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery" is an awsome song, with Graham singing with mixed feelings about a girl. "All Over Me" is a slow ballad, but still very good. "Freakin' Out" and "People Of The Earth" are aggressive songs with great guitar work. "Helpless Friend" is a very Blur-sounding tune, with great lyrics. "Are Your Ready?" is one of the most interesting songs of the album. It is a shadowy sounding ballad, with great lyrics and Middle-Eastern strings in the background. "Bottom Bunk" and "Don't Be A Stranger" are also very Blur-like, which is a good thing, and feature some great guitar playing. The final track "Ribbons And Leaves" is a powerful and haunting song with great piano playing and haunting lyrics. Happiness In Magazines is one of the best albums i've heard in a long time, and I can't wait to hear what Coxon does next."

It`s time this boy was back in blur

rambo | northern ireland | 01/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Inane lyrics, punked up guitars,crap singing......what more do you want? Coxons latest effort is british punk pop at its late 70`s zenith and is absolutely fantastic. The libertines need to give themselves a bit of a shake and get down to HMV for a copy of this little gem if they really do want a carrer in this business. Coxon is the english equivalent of the strokes and Damon could do with calling round for a friendly chat with his old mate. This album deserves to sit alongside Never Mind The Bollocks, Ace Of Spades and Definately Maybe and stamped made in Britain.

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