GRAHAM COXON
Castle Park (Transgressive)
Written and recorded alongside 2012 album A+E, Castle Park was postponed due to Graham Coxon’s revived activity in Blur. After a 14-year wait, we now have an album just as fresh, rewarding and creatively productive as one could expect from Coxon’s most prolific years.
Billy Says, the first single release and live-set fan-favourite, opens the album with a nostalgic sense of Coxon’s characteristically modish sound, its bass even reminiscent of some early Blur. Yet Coxon really flaunts his adept handling of genre on this album. Castle Park spans everything from eerie folk-inspired tracks (Isn’t It Funny and Dripping Soul), to intimate, romantic songs (Easy), to jangly duets (There’s A Little House), and even melodramatic instrumentals (Melodie Pour Christine) that lean into his cinematic sensibilities.
Despite its flexibility, Castle Park remains cohesive. Coxon skilfully expresses all the beautiful jealousies, insecurities, and hopelessness of romance, all while softening self-consciousness with impressive instrumentation and characterful vocals.
words MENNA WILSON
