Graham Coxon

Finally taking the time to showcase his songwriting skills in addition to his clanging, sharp guitar chops, Graham Coxon makes the record he could never make when he was with Blur. Smart punk tunes coincide with jangling power pop gems and dreamy epic fragments. "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery" is top notch.

Since he left Blur, guitarist Coxon -- the guy who brought an art-rock edge to Blur's
greatest records -- has had a serious Guided by Voices jones. This solo album isn't
dramatically less low-fi than his last four, but it does incorporate legible, likable tunes into
his ragged guitar rave-ups, channeling both rock dreams and Brit-pop charm.