Diverse, Wild, and Unpredictible: The Coral's Acclaimed Debut
Written: Aug 11 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Skelly's voice, very creative, often very entertaining...
Cons: Sometimes repetitive/boring, will not appeal to most listeners...
The Bottom Line: The Coral impress me on their debut even if the quality wanes toward the end. Definitely one of the more interesting bands of the era.
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| lambchops's Full Review: The Coral by The Coral |
A dark, dusty used record store was the setting. My fingers lightly grazed each disc in the hope of stumbling across something new and surprising. Flipping through to the “c” section I saw something miraculous. It was a band I’d heard of in passing, but still had yet to actually make contact with. With zero hesitation I added The Coral’s Magic and Medicine to my growing pile of purchases.
The Coral took a while to grow on me. At first, their sound didn’t sit right. I couldn’t even listen through the first song without hitting stop. Once I got over that hurdle it became clear that this was an interesting band. Their cool indie rock style was augmented by a big helping of psychedelia. This combination was unique even during this era when all things “indie” and “rock” are fashionable. From the band’s second album I turned to their first. Released in 2002, The Coral’s eponymous debut revved up the hype machine (as do all things “new” and “cool” in England). But would it live up to the promises?
James Skelly (vocals, guitar), Lee Southall (guitar, vocals), Paul Duffy (Bass, sax), Billy Ryder-Jones (guitar, trumpet), Nick Power (organ) and Ian Skelly (drums) are six lads hailing from the western coast of their native England. Despite coming together as The Coral in 1996, it took until the six matured into young adulthood to earn the support of a major label (Sony Music UK) and music press. Like so many other new bands in the UK, this one was dubbed “the best new band in England” by NME. That grand title was bestowed for no other reason than debut single Shadows Fall. Based on that premature summation, I could only assume that The Coral wasn’t as good as NME suggested.
I was of course right, but with that said I don’t want folks to get the wrong idea. As far as music goes, The Coral does a fine enough job. I appreciate that they don’t look to the same influences as most other contemporaries. Their influences are more along the lines of The Doors and Pink Floyd rather than Pixies and Joy Division. This unexpected splash of dramatic, druggy haze is refreshing. If you crave rock n’ roll with organs, horns, and guttural wailing then this band could be just what the doctor ordered. Weird and whimsical I like what The Coral has done to music, but there is no way that the end product will appeal to all or even most listeners. I personally love the ca-chunking arrangements and unusual harmonies but fans of more straight-ahead rock will be none too impressed.
In any case, as with the band’s second album I’m put off by the first track. Spanish Main is fortunately brief and acts as more of an intro than anything, but still I can’t enjoy the thick guitars and repetitive lyrics. From that point forward I’m genuinely impressed with this album. I Remember When is a chunky, energetic, and exciting song. I adore James Skelly’s throaty voice mixed with the heavy percussion. It is an excellent song. First single, Shadows Fall is another fabulous song. It blends in old vaudeville, psychedelia, and theatrical emotion. The band sounds very much like a modern day Doors. I can’t help but love
These songs are not intended to be thought provoking and introspective. The Coral is incredibly entertaining. Mid-album they do hit their stride. Dreaming of You and Goodbye are easily my favorite tracks. The former is anything but serious. Skelly’s voice is incredible and goes perfectly with the cheesy percussion and organ. Joyous, rich, and effervescent it’s not easy to ignore. Goodbye is for whatever reason the only song I recognized prior to hearing this album. As with the rest of the album it is rooted in influences straight out of the sixties. Folky and whimsical, druggy and weird the mid-tempo retro rocker is impossible to forget.
Waiting for the Heartaches harbors both the most boring verses and most exciting choruses of this entire disc. In the end, I’m frustrated by the lack of consistency. Next is the completely bizarre Skeleton Key. Frank Zappa may be the best comparison considering the band’s apparent fixation on the Middle East and guitars. This is an abrasive song that definitely won’t appeal to most folks.
As The Coral wraps up their first album it loses momentum. I’m disappointed by the underwhelming trio of final songs. Wildfire, Bad Man, and Calendars and Clocks wouldn’t have been so troubling had the rest of the album not been so outstanding. They aren’t unpalatable, rather they lack the bubbly pop joy of Shadows Fall, Goodbye, and I Remember When. If you like what you’ve read thus far about this band, may I just suggest cutting short your listening experience after Skeleton Key? It’s definitely a good album, but there is too much forgettable stuff toward the end to recommend it unconditionally. Plus, like I said in the beginning The Coral doesn’t make the kind of music everybody will love. Oh yes…stay around for the hidden treasures after the eleventh track.
Considering the amount of creativity that went into this nifty album, it shouldn’t come as a shock that it was shortlisted in 2002 for the coveted Mercury Music Prize (later claimed by Ms. Dynamite). What does come as a surprise though is that more people don’t know about The Coral stateside. They are apparently relatively well known in the UK, but here they aren’t known at all. Stimulating, animated, and generally cool The Coral is worth checking out…especially if you stumble on the band like I did at the local used record shop.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Spanish Main
02. I Remember When
03. Shadows Fall
04. Dreaming of You
05. Simon Diamond
06. Goodbye
07. Waiting for the Heartaches
08. Skeleton Key
09. Wildfire
10. Bad Man
11. Calendars and Clocks
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Related Review:
Magic and Medicine (2003)
http://www.epinions.com/content_161253985924
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lambchops
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Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
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