Graham Coxon
The End Of The F***ing World (Original Songs and Score)

"There were days when I completed three or four songs in a single day. It was crazy; I've never worked at such a pace before. But the creative process based on observation and subsequent interpretation has always been ideal for me. I find it very comforting to react to events and add my contribution. And this TV series fulfilled both my love for dark music and my very dark humor. It seems just made for me."

Graham Coxon couldn't have used better words to present his new endeavor, which this time takes shape as a soundtrack for the acclaimed British TV series "The End Of The F***ing World," a story of a journey of two young people who escape from unsatisfying lives for both. And who better than Coxon, with his particular sensitivity and his quirky yet effective style, could undertake such a task.

The album is a double, with a total of sixteen tracks, and surprises with its variety of styles and contents, almost deserving the title of best solo endeavor ever for the bespectacled Blur guitarist. If the promotional single "Walking All Day," in fact, hinted at an album composed exclusively of delicate and carefree acoustic sketches, the second track "Angry Me" violently surprises with barely two minutes of quintessential Blur-like "Coffee & TV."

Once the spell is broken, the palette suddenly broadens, and a Pandora's box of everything pops up: small sketches now noisy ("Flashback," the Stones-like "On The Prowl"), now quiet and relaxed (the Floydian "The Beach" and "Field," along with the somber closure "There's Something In The Way That You Cry" and "Saturday Night"), a nice tribute to the Smiths with the frantic "Bus Stop" (mostly instrumental), but above all, the sensational "The Snare," divinely arranged with exquisite Morricone-like flair.

"Lucifers Behind Me" is a ramshackle indie piece that could be the product of Pete Doherty's restless pen, "Roaming Star" the classic lo-fi slow tune that Graham now writes with his eyes closed, while with "Sleuth" we return to classically Blur territories.

Working in such an unusual way must have done Graham Coxon good, as he produces a varied, rich, and complete soundtrack, perfectly adherent to what the series presents on screen. The umpteenth change of pace after the previous (very experimental) "A+E," for an author who increasingly establishes himself (even in a solo version) as one of the best guitarists/composers in Britain.

Best track: The Snare