Send "The Coral " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Back in 2003, when the Coral released its self-titled debut, leader James Skelly was the oldest member of the band at only 23. While that album displayed an impressive diversity of taste and influences for such a young outfit, the group clearly still had a lot of growing to do. Their frame of reference kept them anchored to the late 1960s, and as fine as its five albums might have been, they largely showcased a band running in place.They also showcased a band with an uncommonly good instinct for sympathetic producers, beginning with Ian Broudie, continuing through Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley, and here, on album number six, ending up with vet John Leckie. The latter's experience no doubt helped the group weather what was a reportedly tough transitional period, beginning with the departure of guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones and continuing through a two-year stretch of songwriting and woodshedding. That the results are as modest as Butterfly House is a disappointment, though all the skillful pieces remain in place. Skelly is a subtly soulful singer, and even minus Ryder-Jones, the guitars continue effortlessly to shimmer and glide, resplendent of all the best mildly psych 1960s folk-rock tropes, from frilly little filigrees to freak-out muscle. If the rhythm section remains only serviceable, that's defensible, as their pronounced presence would be out of place in the era from which the band draws: Despite a passing resemblance, their music has none of the past-to-present dance/rock fusion of the Stone Roses....full text |
| Bbc |
| How many acts put out a collection of their Greatest Hits before slowly fading away into the annals of music history? It's something of a rhetorical question, of course, because said release has traditionally marked the creative death knell for a band. In recent times Supergrass and Oasis spring most immediately to mind as pertinent examples of this phenomena. The Coral shared stages with them both, and when the Wirral quintet (née sextet) put out their fifth album – 2007's fairly pedestrian Roots and Echoes – and followed it with a Singles Collection the following year, you'd have got decidedly speculative odds on them being the last band standing in 2010. But you'd be quids in now: despite being a guitarist down (Bill Ryder-Jones departed after Roots and Echoes), they've regrouped admirably and made a comeback record that strives for, and indeed almost reaches, the dizzying heights of 2002's self-titled debut. With John Leckie (Radiohead, The Stone Roses) behind the desk, Butterfly House displays a focus and clarity that they've struggled to rediscover ever since their breakthrough. Crucially, too, it also sounds like they're enjoying themselves again. Bookended by ominous Morricone-esque opener More Than a Lover (a track the band say was a watershed moment during recording) and ending on expansive, freak-out finale North Parade (After the Fair) (is that ringing opening chord a nod to A Hard Day's Night?), The Coral's sixth album doesn't look to reinvent their 60s-influenced sound as such, but it does harbour some of their better recorded moments – of which those are certainly two....full text |
| Soundblab |
| Famous really for the chirpy pop of previous singles 'Pass it On' and 'In the Morning', Liverpool's The Coral return with their fifth full-length album. Having overcome the usually career-swansong of a greatest hits collection, Butterfly House sees them brimming with Beatles nostalgia - minus the chirp. After losing a guitarist in Bill Ryder-Jones who departed after 2007's poorly received Roots and Echoes, the band have decided that less is more and created a guitar-based sound which, when it works, is a pure joy. With John Leckie, the famous producer behind Radiohead's The Bends, in tow the Wirral five-piece certainly have enough pedigree to suggest a strong comeback. Things intrigue from the off. Opener 'More Than a Lover' sounds like The Divine Comedy having a downbeat day while the jangly guitar pop of 'Roving Jewel' gives a strong reminder of what early REM fans are pining for. Awash with mandolin and melancholy chord changes, it's one of the strongest tracks on show. Thankfully, things take a more upbeat turn on 'Walking in the Winter' with its obvious Beatles and Bunnymen influences. "It's so hard to make living, when the world is so unkind," lead singer James Skelly muses over a country-tinged acoustic backing. 'Sandhills' also impresses with its cheerful harmonies, even if it peters out repetitively....full text |
The Coral lyrics
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