Customer Reviews

Magic & Medicine

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Admittedly, I was about half and half on the first Coral record. But I must say with Magic and Medicine, I am a born again believer! This is an amazing second record.

Each track is complex yet simple in it's delivery. The songs mold wonderful melodies and unique arrangement effortlessly. The whole cd sometimes is a bit spooky, sometimes a bit fun, but always entertaining and catchy. There is a feeling of something really really great going on un-noticed here. Not sure if this is scheduled for a domestic release or not, but if not, well worth importing in your collection.

To describe this is pretty hard, but I like to think of The LA's or The Stone Roses playing a more blues based rock. Needless to say if you like Brit-rock or brit-pop, you'll love this.

The Coral reinvigorate much of what has been forgotten by past masters of British/American Music in recent years...Early Pink Floyd, The very, very early Please Please Me and late White Album Beatles Period, attach it to some west coast American Surrealism from the early 1970s aka The Doors and a light breezy cocktail of harmonies aka the Beach Boys. This is mixed with a tinge of an eighties Madness sound along with The Specials given some spice by slight 90s experimentation aka Radiohead. What occurs is that old sounds of organs and Morrisonesque lyrics and tunes are brought back to life sounding new and refreshing e.g. ALL OF OUR LOVE and IN THE FOREST whilst George Harrison's more interesting tunes and melodies find their way onto PASS IT ON and CARELESS HANDS. Meanwhile BILL MAKAI and LIZAH are Paul McCartney/Simon and Garfunkal tunes with the lyrical cynicism of Lennon. Of all the tunes DON'T THINK YOUR THE FIRST brings all the elements of their sound together in a simple tuneful melody that is too easy to come up with. It is not justifiable to state that this band is a bunch of imitators because their delicate and innovative tunes and talent as musicians gives them a unique quality which puts them as potential contenders to be placed in the Hall of Fame in which the aforementioned sit. Nightfreaks, already available over here recorded in one week shows the rate at which they are progressing, but to get easy access get this first. If they continue as they are they will make a masterpiece. This isn't it...therefore the four stars... but it's getting there .As long as they don't rise to high from the underground they should shall age like a fine wine.Thier lyrics are quickly improving and their good tunes will never go out of fashion . In short the Coral are bringing the mysticism back into popular music. Don't expect to like all of it after one listen. Replay it several times and you'll get my drift:-) Happy Listening!!

This cd is awsome. The coral mix in chill rock to brit pop to some catchy blues songs. The whole cd is worth listening to over and over again

One of T.S. Eliot's philosophies of poetry was that it is no crime to take elements of the past and make them new again, to contemporise. Furthermore, he believed, and time has proved, that it can make your work stronger. That being said, this album is a living, breathing time capsule, a true product of its environment in every sense of the phrase, which is a fairly rare commodity these days in light of the outrageous popularity of shallow acts like Avril Lavigne who have no concept of history or what they're a part. The Coral, however, are an honest testament to it. If more bands like this existed maybe more people would be able to interpret "The Waste Land" or at least remember who Robin Trower or the Fugs were.
They do a better job of capturing a niche of the sixties/seventies than the Black Crowes. Hopefully the Coral will progress more than they did. You'll have to check them out in two albums and see. This album's success lies in not borrowing too heavily on one influence as it sounds like an amalgam, a blending of memories [get a dictionary], from the mind of an aging flower child experiencing a really intense flashback, willed into reality out of sheer desire to exist. James Skelly's vocals sound like a test-tube creation of Paul Williams and Eric Burdon [The Animals] while Nick Power's organ echoes lovely creepiness like the bastard child of Ray Manzarek [The Doors] and Doug Ingle [Iron Butterfly]. The Band-ish, hoe down bass of Paul Duffy plays well off Bill Ryder-Jones' often Venturesy, Dick Dale-esque surfing guitar. The remaining elements combine to leave you with a strong Love It To Death era Alice Cooper vibe among others. Less harmonious but more foreboding and accomplished than the Monkees, the album is full of slow yet fairly impersonal feeling ballads mourning the loss of life and love with a few twangy, upbeat numbers that may get your head bobbing if you're not already sick to death of retro.
The downside of this is it's not overly original and the veteran music listener will have to try hard to be blown away. If this had come out in '68, the Coral would have been featured at Woodstock but if it came out in '74, it would've done poorly. As such I would have trouble telling all my friends to go out and buy this but they should give it a listen. It may grow on you...or dust a pawnshop somewhere. You decide.

I love the Coral. Don't get me wrong. I think they are one of the most brilliant bands that are currently making their presence. Their self-titled album is definately one of my favorites in my CD collection. But this album just couldn't live up to the self-titled. I don't know if the self-titled was just such an amazing album that nothing could live up to it, or what, but when I listened to this album, I have to say I was really disappointed. I mean, Magic & Medicine is still one of the better albums that has come out so far this year, but it is a disappointing follow up.

once again, they have created an incredible, fresh LP that helps us escape today's mainstream. They have looked to other influences this time though. while their skeleton key EP and self titled LP looked to late 60's california psychedelic, Magic and Medicine looks towards california surf and 60's country music. This record sounds a lot like it could have been a Gram Parsons era Byrds record. The songs work best when heard in context to the rest of the album. otherwise, "pass it on" (the current single) seems and is the best shot for a solid single from this album. I would recommend getting the UK version on double orange vinyl. it is a great buy. also, pick up the lim. edition numbered vinyl of "pass it on" with an acoustic version of "shadows fall" as the b-side.

To be fair The bands second release should be thought of as an independant effort rather than the sucessor to their first album. The music here is enjoyable and the band is good at creating an atmosphere to the songs that is the strong point of their efforts (for me). Yet in terms of the lyrics that accompany the songs is the main problem I have with this effort. Their lyrics are just so awkward sounding, often having heavy end rhyme which is just as unenjoyable in song as in poetry. It often makes the songs sound simple and heavy end rhyme tends to draw attention to the end of the line. Maybe this is the feel the band intended to create kinda of like a childhood sinister sing song.

Yet lyrics that follow,
"DOn't think you're the first
in the whole universe
to follow your heart
or gaze at the stars"... etc.

tend to put me off.

So cliche's and rhyming couplets aside, this isn't a bad CD, just for me I can't enjoy it as fully as I could if the lyrics were perhaps a little less along the lines of middle school poetry.

and the first song with I..... you ... What is that!

The most sophisticated album I have ever listened to. These guys are the most talented group of young (or old) people recording now or ever at that matter. I am older and listen to the likes of Neil Young and that era of music. This album and their first have captured what I have waited on for years in a cd. Sort of like when REM 1st came out. The melodies will stay in your head day and night and haunt and satisfy. Put it in and let it enrich your life. The instruments are played amazingly. When they finally get air time in the US, watch out....

an absolutly mind blowing album, lots of feeling, warmth but i felt it lacked some heart even though it made it up prominently lyrically and on its feel good factor. Theres a lot of reference in this album mixing styles like Dylan, Waits, some Echo and The Bunnymen and experimenting with 60's rythyms and beats and also a southern country feel to the album in which i enjoyed.I dont care what anyone says but this album is got to be one of the contenders for best albums of 2003.

Just bought the new Coral album and after hearing it, I have to say I'm impressed once again by the youngsters. Even though the album has no immediate hit singles in it (like Dreaming of You), the sound and quality of songs is more consistent that their debut album. There's less variety around but the organ and guitar sounds are still around, as well as the Chilton-esque vocals. They also left out the distortion effects which took away some of the shine of their previous album (Skeleton Key and Goodbye suffered from it). Once again, Kudos for these guys to do something different than the recent music scene is doing. Forget all the punk-ish rehashing done by The Strokes and others and get this one to remind you how rock music should sound.