The Coral - 'Magic & Medicine' (Deltasonic)
4/5
By: Toby L
Now the ball's rolling - let's face facts: The Coral could release a tribute-record to the 'Teletubbies' and still crack the top-five. Makes it a relief then, the fact that their stripped-down, refined and deeply satisfying, second LP to date - the aptly-titled 'Magic & Medicine' - is really quite so exquisite.
Lest it be known, however... fans of the band's really quite sterling, debut eponymous album are in store for a hearty bombshell; gone are the sea-shanties, Beefheart-eccentricities, playful theatrics and killer-choruses. Instead, an intriguing, mysterious and heavily lo-fi batch of recordings garnered to reflect the band's more ambient side. After repetitious plays, it's a feat in sound. Upon initial exposure, it's an abomination, a complete reversal to the joys and naοve brilliance that coated their first record in such oblique peculiarity.
Though, once again - that's initial exposure. Taking heed from trad-folk, jazz and general, 60's stonerisms of the States, James Skelly and band have formed a dozen, puzzling odes to the wonder and glory of the external world around us and the intimacy of human-relationships. Mid-point 'Milkwood Blues' is the cracking-point - a hotchpotch of all genres of the previous, and a mish-mash of influences so indecipherably quashed together that The Coral continue to prove the most uniquely standout of their peers.
A Doors-y 'In The Forest' sets the opening tone simply enough, following which is the top-ten shuffle of 'Don't Think You're The First', the strongest and nearest to classic the band have approached to date, an ensuing 'Liezah' simultaneously endearing and innocently tragic (sample-quote: 'Although she tore me apart/There's still a place for that girl in my heart'). Most beautiful is 'Careless Hands', with its lilting guitar and choral harmonies; most weird is a trumpet-parping 'Eskimo Lament'; and most noteworthy - alongside intimately rousing, recent top-five hit, 'Pass It On' - is the hushed exuberance of 'All Of Our Love' and the brass-doused 'Confessions of ADDD', whilst explodes into a righteous cacophony of bleeping, burping, surreal synths and instrumental desperation.
Minimalist in as rich and diverse a fashion possible, The Coral haven't taken the obvious route to continued success by crafting 'The Coral, Part Two'. For songsmiths this adventurous, that'd have been the easy way out. Now, Merseyside's essential sextet have placed themselves in a far admirable, dynamic league - that of conjuring deeply memorable tales of the unexpected, in as obscure a context imaginable. To their ever-bulging credit.
Artists in this article: The Coral
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