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THE REVIEW
To understand "The Golden D", the second album by the bespectacled English guitarist, a listen to the splendid "Lake" would suffice, an instrumental that in its almost 8-minute duration transitions from emotional and lysergic guitar arpeggios to lacerating, psychedelic, noise distortions; stuff to lose your mind over, seriously.
It's Coxon just after coming out of "13" by Blur, perhaps the most ambitious album from the four of Colchester.
The atmosphere here is dark, depressed, violent, desperately angry, well expressed in the exhilarating and exhilarating hardcore-punk of "Jamie Thomas" and "Fags And Failure", in the punk-metal of "My Idea Of Hell", in the acoustic desolation of "Keep Hope Alive", in the crazy rock-electronic experimentation of "Satan I Gatan", in the obsessive paranoia of "The Fear" and "Leave Me Alone"; there is also room for 2 covers of Mission of Burma ("Fame And Fortune" and "That's When I Reach For My Revolver"), passionate and inspired.
Amidst such darkness, Our Man inserts a fun and playful mocking ("Oochy Woochy" nursery rhyme with winds and funny rhythms) that releases the tension before sinking into the final nightmare of "Don't Think About Always", a sort of gloomy psychedelic stoner rock with an acoustic introduction, apparently calm, like the "calm before the storm", in short.
All played, of course, in a masterful manner. And visceral.
The beautiful and hallucinatory cover (it's one of his paintings, like all the others present in the booklet, instead of lyrics to represent each song on the album, like all the covers of his solo works, the aforementioned "13" and some Blur EPs) perfectly expresses what you will find on the record: a journey into the depths of a confused mind in search of a way out.
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Summary by Bot
The Golden D by Graham Coxon is a dark and emotionally charged album blending punk, psychedelic, and experimental rock. Featuring standout tracks like 'Lake' and inspired covers of Mission of Burma, Coxon delivers visceral and masterful performances. The album's atmosphere is intense, mixing despair, paranoia, and chaotic energy, offset briefly by playful moments. The accompanying hallucinatory artwork enhances the album’s journey through the depths of a troubled mind.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon is an English musician best known as the guitarist of Blur and for an extensive solo career spanning lo-fi songwriting, punk/noise energy, power-pop craft, and soundtrack work.15 Reviews
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By principles
The Golden D is over!
Lake is the masterpiece of the album and is the most beautiful instrumental song Graham has ever done.
