Graham Coxon – The Sky Is Too High Review

Debuting a solo effort only a year after laying it all on the line with a seismic shift in your band is a bold move. Graham Coxon has often provided bold moves, though, and The Sky Is Too High is a remarkable burst of energy. He splits off from Blur to provide noisy and rapid-fire charms from a broken down and rounded life. The Sky Is Too High still sounds as strained and nervous as Coxon at the time. Putting all this out there, laying it all as plain and open as it can be provides those heartbreaking tones of longing. But paired with it is a fantastic swerve of instrumental enlightenment, a crashing series of tools making this a noise rock-like experience. 

His fuzz and feedback on That’s All I Wanna Do has the grey clouds forming, the rain starting to flow as hopes are washed out by reality. It is honest stuff, open-hearted material which takes a swipe at the troubles and toils of life at the time. The Sky Is Too High remains a heartbreaker of a listen. Those brash notes float into an acoustic tenderness expected of Coxon. He brought out those tones so well with preceding Blur songs it makes sense for the likes of Where’d You Go? to make up the best moments of this debut solo effort. In a Salty Sea is a reminder of how powerful a man and acoustic guitar can be. Sharp wordplay which would find better musical space with the later project The Waeve, Coxon holds his own and interprets his experience with flowery wordplay and wonderful instrumental focus.  

A slower style to the acoustics gives it the lo-fi appeal Coxon is searching for. In turn, he utilises this simpler sound with a chance to breach through with edged lyrical points, and poignant interpretations of his highs and lows. The mixture makes for a constantly whirring, difficult-to-pin presentation of his shortcomings and achievements. Macabre in spots like A Day is Far Too Long but such beauty from the words forms the spirited, layered effects of a mean holding his conscience to a high standard. Flower killer Coxon sets about with the heartbreaking tones on R U Lonely?. Obvious assertions are made but it is the conviction of which we hear them that strikes most of all. I Wish would have you asking if your headphones are broken but has the coy Coxon charm later on, the “flipping mad” man with a guitar afraid of scaring others.  

But his intimate fuzz and blur of sound are as fearsome as they come. The Sky is Too High presents some remarkable work which stands Coxon out as a guitarist and as a lyricist. Give it time and Coxon shall freak you out. Who the Fuck? remains a remarkable piece, one of the very best songs the great guitarist has put out there. The Sky Is Too High is full of those monumental qualities which Coxon holds onto for projects like The Waeve and a Blur reunion. Chilling work from one of the best to do it, Coxon is in fine form for his debut and continued this wave of reassured quality for decades to come. Should we expect anything less? Not at all, but he throws a fantastic curveball towards the end with the crackling blues joy of Mornin’ Blues.