A+E

Coxon's penchant for riding out grooves until he exhausts all ideas for leads and textures to lay over them prevents the rest of A+E from being as flat-out gripping its leadoff track, but the need to trim excess time off doesn't undermine the cores of the scruffy rockers he has put together-they're still pretty damn catchy, and should have listeners up on their feet with little effort.

A&E is a record that has the propensity to entice fans old and new across the genre spectrum.

The combination of precisely crafted pop and fiercely imaginative arrangements results in a thrilling listen.

You're left wishing the album drew a little more blood.

It is a hugely exciting album that forges new ground for its maker to stride forth over.

A+E is Coxon's most thrilling and noisy album since 2000's The Golden D.

Coxon's most accomplished solo album to date.

Sophisticated it's not but, by and large, it's thrilling, the guitarist's zest for life evident throughout.

These are songs that flinch as much as they fight, that veer wildly into strange territories but never overindulge and that, essentially, draw all of the best bits from Coxon's weird and wonderful arsenal into one inimitable package.

The raw indie-punk grinds and krautrock pulses have a brutish drive and determination, though lingering this long among a cast of "wasted people in a wasted world" leaves a grim aftertaste.

What really propels these songs is Coxon's ineffable talent for pop melody.

What one quickly realises is that this is an accomplished record.

Spectacularly creative pop.

When he's on this sort of excitable form, no one, Albarn included can keep up. [May 2012, p.108]

It's lots of fun, a whirlwind romp through grubby rock landmarks. [May 2012, p.84]