The Coral - 'Skeleton Key EP' (Deltasonic)
3/5
By: Toby L
The chances are that if you haven't yet 'got' The Coral by now, then 'Skeleton Key' is not going to help you much further in your pursuit to understanding or enjoying the band.
However, at least the lead-track is an effective indication of their relentless and simply captivating energy, for it certainly does wear you out hearing the roaring Scouse accents bellow 'Will I ever return, will I ever get back,' for two and a half minutes, at which point it fuses into a bizarre and badly edited disco-esque groove. The 'Crazy Horses'-guitar bends and twangs of 'Dressed Like A Cow' and country-tinged chorus hardly help matters in terms of categorisation, whilst the harmonica-driven 'Darkness' allows you to wonder if it's the same band you're still listening to or, indeed, if Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, the Welsh pioneers of tame-pop, have invaded your home-stereo. The closing 'Sheriff John Brown', with its waltzing organ and 'House Of The Rising Sun' guitar, is a highly fitting conclusion of oddness that fits the theme of the rest of the record - i.e. of being completely bloody barmy.
It was once said by this website that any coherent sign of what the band are really trying to do will be reserved to their debut-LP - and this still seems to be the case. This, though, EP Three, contains some very enthralling moments, but you can't help wondering how such an unconventional band have been tipped to become one of the world's leading bands this year. Well, whatever happens to this eclectic six-piece, you can bet it'll be a f**king great journey to observe.
Artists in this article: The Coral
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