graham coxonGraham Coxon is, of course, best known for his angular guitar work as part of 'Britpop' mainstays Blur. His playing frequently added a dash of American-influenced noise and dissonance to his band's music. Something which helped them to stand out from the parade of endless Kinks and The Jam retreads that most British bands thought was a great idea at the time. The Spinning Top is Coxon's seventh studio album. The last two, Happiness in Magazines and Love Travels at Illegal Speeds, reunited Coxon with his Blur-era producer Stephen Street and were collections of unpretentious punky pop-rock with just enough weirdness and noise to appeal to listeners raised on Mudhoney and Dinosaur jr. The Spinning Top is a change of direction. The predominant vibe here is British 60s folk-rock: Nick Drake, Pentangle and even a little bit of Donovan. Adding a little 60s-era authenticity, virtuoso Pentangle bassist Danny Thompson guests on the album. Coxon reserves his raucous electric playing for a few well-chosen spots of colour, but the core of this album features his cleanly-picked and beautifully-recorded acoustic playing. The resulting music combines rhythms and melodies that are recognizably Coxon's work, evoking sixties folk without attempting to recreate it. There is a dreamy easy-going vibe to many of the songs here, particularly the eight-minute 'In the Morning'. The recurring motif of modal guitar picking and the liberal use of drones add to the gently-spacey atmosphere. When Coxon's loud, distorted guitar turns up in 'If You Want Me' it is a welcome kick in the backside for anyone who thought things were getting a little bit too tame. Coxon describes The Spinning Top as a concept album charting a man's life fro cradle to grave. There is a feeling of structure and progression to the album, musically and lyrically. But any linking theme doesn't overwhelm the individual songs and it's easy for a listener to just enjoy them without spending too much time worrying about life's imponderables. The backing vocals on 'Braving the Storm' are an exquisite touch, matched in beauty by Coxon's piano-like guitar part and the next track 'Dead Bees' is a slice of oddly-funky rock with weird lyrics and plenty of strange noises, culminating in a fine demonstration of guitar mangling. There is plenty of variety here, musical textures and instrumental colours are employed with an ear that splits the difference between 60s pop and modern 'alternative'. There are plenty of melodic hooks to make these songs accessible, but also a good seasoning of odd little instrumental quirks to keep listeners' interest over repeated listens. The Spinning Top might just be Coxon's best work yet. -- nick ilott.
:: Graham Coxon/The Spinning Top - Transgressive Records/Rough Trade.
