The band members themselves claim “there hasn’t been a band like us for ages”. It almost comes as natural that they come from the Liverpool area, and the claim isn’t that far from the truth.
There really hasn’t been such a band, at least since The La’s. Covering a frighteningly wide scope of influences, they take the “la’st” concept even further, coming up with what might’ve been Maver’s second step. Still, here you’ll find a dose of originality that will make you doubt the fact that it could be done by anyone else than this exact band.
Another thing that widens the soundscape, is the instrumentation spectre, where Coral uses everything from the usual guitar/bass/organ/drum to some “things they don’t even know the names of”. Intriguingly enough, it all starts with an early Floydish intro that leads you into the kinda Zappatterned sailor-chant Spanish Main, following the way through “the doors” of I Remember When, which is repeated with an addition of some Russian folk ambience in Calendars And Clocks.
More Russian folk can be heard in the vocal arrangement of the band’s debut single Shadows Fall which starts with a surfy introduction that unexpectedly goes into the rootsy reggae arrangement, even combining it with a drop of (American) Charlatan-like psych-ragtime, and remember, you’re still in the same song!?
The spiritual presence of Lee Mavers is obvious, though in a yet unheard way, in Dreaming Of You, mixing it with the Motown/Mano Negra crossover (?!), Goodbye, sounding like The La’s playing the Beck-era Yardbirds, complete with an instrumental rave-up, Waiting For The Heartaches, which, funnily enough, reminds me of one of the rare Hermits’ originals For Love with a bit more eclecticism, there’s also Wildfire, showing Lee’s possible post-debut direction and the hidden track, Time Travel, will make you do exactly that, with another Syd-inspired opening followed with more reggaeneration.
The Britsounding vocal harmonies and the psych-surf backing of Simon Diamond are an excellent extension of it’s Britsyke title, while Skeleton Key brings back Beck, to back Don Van Vilet on some Safe As Milk outtake, and the “captain” can also be heard behind the Bad Man title.
To get back to the mentioned Coral members’ claim, even if there were bands as good as this one, and even better ones, there definitely wasn’t one like this.
You can’t allow yourself to miss it!
[Released by Deltasonic 2002]
Be the first to comment