The Coral

The Coral

Record Label: (Deltasonic)

The Coral have a lot to live up to in 2003. Their debut album last year brilliantly illustrated that, when it comes to pop, it takes a long haired lover from Liverpool to get the job done properly. Their eclectic blend of rough-at-the-edges rock'n'roll and bluegrass brilliance left few in doubt that The Coral could last for more than a single summer of love. But when critics start heaping that kind of pressure on, some bands start to feel the heat. Just ask Ian Brown and John Squire.
Thankfully, The Coral seem to thrive on the prospect, a point that's immediately evident from the first listen of Magic & Medicine. Gone is that ragged, loose-at-the-seams air of a young band finding their way, leaving a display of songwriting maturity normally found in bands twice their age. Yet there are still the qualities that made The Coral everyone's favourite oddball summer album last year.
Their already razor sharp instinct for melody and Jackanory has been beautifully honed and showcased on the first singles lifted, 'Don't Think You're The First' and the sublime 'Pass It On'. The band's darker, paranoid undertow is more apparent on tracks like 'All Of Our Love', but it never gets ugly. It's all classic Coral though - the hazy, sky gazing feel of tracks like 'Bill McCai' and the stomping boogie of 'Gypsy Market Blues' will get the Glastonbury goers rolling around in the mud. These BMX bandits are ready to take on the world