The Magic of The Coral :: Music Band Musical Essays

The Magic of The Coral The Coral fly under the radar of popular mainstream music in America little marketed than Australian rock band and Strokes-sound-a-likes Jet, The Coral are probably slightly less-known than The Shins, perhaps on the same level as British Sea Power. unless The Coral neednt worry. Those who know them like them, and want to spread the word (despite the good feeling of discovering a band that is a gem of a secret). I first discovered The Coral about a year agoI saw they had been on Late Night with Conan OBrien, and their CD was $10. It turned out to be a great CDand I then knew of a great British band that my father (in England) didnt become long-familiar with until about ten months later.The Coral are six young men from Liverpool, England brothers James (vocal and guitar) and Ian (drums) Skelly, Nick Power (piano, organ and vocals), Lee Southall (guitar and vocals), Paul Duffy (bass and vocals), and Bill Ryder-Jones (guitar and trumpet). Ian Skell y, Southall, Duffy and Ryder-Jones are all the tender age of 19, Power is 20, and older sibling James Skelly is the oldest at 22. For a band of younguns their sound is so well-developed and uniquepsychedelic folk-rock with a little Britpopand comes from the distinctive twang of Southalls guitar and singer Skellys distinguishing, strong vocals and lyrics that unfold like a story. With the release of their self-titled debut album, The Coral established themselves as a talented young band that would only get better with time. Their second CD, Magic and Medicine, confirms that. While their sound has matured, they havent lost both of the whimsy or frivolity that works so well for them. The first song, In The Forest, isnt as striking as the first CDs opener, Spanish Main. However, it picks up with more standard Coral-type numbers like Dont Think Youre The First, Talkin Gypsy Market Blues, and especially Bill McCai. Ive found The Coral are great storytellers some of their s ongs are about fictional events that develop over years, andin the case of Bill McCaithe undoing of a man unhappy in his tone. Bill McCai mirrors exactly the first CDs Simon Diamond, about a man who was so fed up with his life that he turned himself into a tree.