While former bandmate Damon Albarn has his sights set on all things novel and modern, Graham Coxon's love affair with the past - namely Seventies punk rock - continues to deepen on this sixth solo LP. Produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur), Love Travels At Illegal Speeds was described by Coxon in the months leading to its release as "sentimental, despondent, whiny, stingy, horrible" - the words of an extremely harsh self-critic.

Almost all of these songs are about love in one way or another, whether lamenting a broken relationship and bemoaning unrequited affection or expressing lust, insecurity and fondness. Never do matters become over-polished or cloying, though - Coxon knows a thing or two about keeping his work buoyant with unfussy production and candid lyricism. The album's most gentle tracks - closer See A Better Day and Flights To The Sea, a wistful folk number which boasts a flute accompaniment - are heartfelt without succumbing to balladic excess. On the other side of the coin, punky numbers like The Sex Pistols-styled I Can't Look At Your Skin and potential second single Tell It Like It Is rock out without obscuring the genuine emotion that drives them.

Our only complaint is that it's hard to shake the feeling that we've heard all this before. Coxon's retrogressive tendencies are fairly symptomatic of the indie music scene right now, so this is an argument not worth getting too bogged down in. Suffice to say, Coxon's delivery stands out for its flair and candour, two qualities which make this album worth your attention.