aaamusic | On 11, Jan 2012

Graham Coxon returns to Parlophone for his new album titled A+E, which will be released on 2nd April. A+E is Coxon’s first release since the acclaimed, acoustic-driven The Spinning Top.

Aptly named not only for the sense of scratchy, frantic urgency that suffuses its 10 songs, A+E finds Graham continuing with his singular vision as a truly eclectic artist. Playing all the instruments and improvising in the studio, Coxon found himself preoccupied with lyrical themes around the effects of weekend hedonism in modern Britain, on which A+E shines an outsider’s light, albeit with a mordant, sharp wit.

Produced by Ben Hillier, A+E features Coxon’s distinctive, visceral garage-punk-pop and is inspired by the experimental genres of Krautrock and the black & white, post-punk era – bringing to mind artists such as Neu! (‘City Hall’), Can and Kraftwerk (‘What’ll It Take’), as well as Peter Hamill, Joy Division (‘Knife In The Cast’) and Monochrome Set – with hypnotic, driving grooves (‘The Truth’). This may be the closet Graham has ever come to making, in a skewed sense of the word, ‘dance’ music.

The full A+E track list is:

1. Advice
2. City Hall
3. What’ll It Take
4. Meet+Drink+Pollinate
5. he Truth
6. Seven Naked Valleys
7. Running For Your Life
8. Bah Singer
9. Knife In The Cast
10. Ohh, Yeh, Yeh

In keeping with the album’s themes, Graham will curate the bill on a special tour around the UK in April, where he’ll invite his fans to nominate local bands to support him – he will then select his favourite for each venue (please go to www.nme.com / www.grahamcoxon.co.uk for further information).

A+E Tour dates, April 2012:

13th O2 Oxford Academy
15th Gateshead Sage
16th Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
17th Glasgow Garage
19th Manchester Sound Control
20th Sheffield Leadmill
21st Nottingham Rescue Rooms
23rd Brighton Concorde
24th Cambridge Junction
25th London Forum
27th Gloucester Guildhall
28th Bristol Trinity
29th Exeter Phoenix
30th Falmouth Princess Pavilions