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Graham Coxon - Happiness In Magazines
Reviewed
by
NME,
2004
 No
more Mr No-Try. With his account revoked at the bank of
Blur, Coxie has realised that a solo career don't come
for free and he'd best turn his scratchy, skewed little
hobby records into more than just the source of his spare
plectrum budget. And-waddayaknow! - one dunk into the
tune barrel later and he comes up with a record way more
bankable than Blur's latest limbo down Ethnic Avenue and
at least as brilliant.
As though thumbing his nose at Damon and his
Bailian intestine flutes, 'Happiness In Magazines' - for
all its relationship doomsaying, schizoid mood-swings and
testimonials to Coxon's psychiatrist-is an almighty
celebration of the guitar in all its feral fabness.
Drawing evenly from 'Blur', 'Elephant', 'Never Mind The
Bollocks' and 'A Hard Day's Night', it's the record Blur
would've made instead of '13' if Graham had owned a gun.
At its core - stylistically and, um,
tracklistingly - sits 'Freakin' Out', stomping into the
current garage rock party like Stephen Hawking turning up
at a Dagenham pub quiz, and its fizzing 'Teenage Kicks'
ferocity infects every genre Coxo visits here. 'Girl Done
Gone' raucously rehabilitates the blues in a manner that
would have Jack White weeping into his vintage Wibbly
Orange Peel LPs while 'Are You Ready' takes cool
Tarantino surf and shoves a fuzzbox up its jacksie.
Let's not forget, however, that
'Happiness...' also stands as one of 2004's most
accomplished pop records: 'Spectacular', 'No Good Time',
'Hopeless Friend' and 'Don't Be A Stranger' ("to
your...SHRINK!") could all whup the ass of 'End Of A
Century', whereas for Graham to say that
"Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery' doesn't sound
anything like the fuzzy melody-fest of 'Coffee + TV"
is a bit like saying The Cheeky Girls have unique
individual 'looks'.
Game's up, Von Bondies: just as 'Sgt
Pepper...' perfected psychedelia out of existence in '67,
'Happiness...' is the stone-cold modern classic that'll
kill garage rock like a Rickenbacker to the back of the
skull. Freakin' A.
8/10 Mark
Beaumont
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