Invisible Invasion, The - Coral (The)

This band can't stop churning out albums can they? This is their 4th in less than 3 years! If you read my 'Nightfreak & Sons of Becker' review then you'll get an idea of who The Coral are etc.

Another track by tracker for you all to enjoy:

She Sings The Mourning: Poor spelling, or a play on words? Who knows? Either way it gets the album off to a fine start. Lots of odd noises and lyrics that I don't have a clue as to ...
...it and you should. It's a top tune. In what seems like a mini solo the song goes completely mental with god knows what going on, typical Coral! My only problem with is that it sounds like it can be bigger and better but perhaps that is saved for live shows. 8/10.

Cripples Crown: This is a bit of a laidback song, with guitars clipping inbetween lyrics, quite haunting at times. If there is such a thing, this is a bit of an angry song ... more

This band can't stop churning out albums can they? This is their 4th in less than 3 years! If you read my 'Nightfreak & Sons of Becker' review then you'll get an idea of who The Coral are etc.

Another track by tracker for you all to enjoy:

She Sings The Mourning: Poor spelling, or a play on words? Who knows? Either way it gets the album off to a fine start. Lots of odd noises and lyrics that I don't have a clue as to what they mean but you want to sing along to it and you should. It's a top tune. In what seems like a mini solo the song goes completely mental with god knows what going on, typical Coral! My only problem with is that it sounds like it can be bigger and better but perhaps that is saved for live shows. 8/10.

Cripples Crown: This is a bit of a laidback song, with guitars clipping inbetween lyrics, quite haunting at times. If there is such a thing, this is a bit of an angry song by our lovely Scousers. I don't mean to overhype the boys in any way here but it really does sound like a track left off a Beatles album, psychedelic guitars, lyrics you just don't get, but nonetheless love. It's an acquired taste and I likes it I do! 8/10

So Long Ago: Easily the best song so far on the album. It's just plain silly!! It just has that 60s pop tune feel to it which fits perfectely with the lyrics. "I said it's heads, or tails, bicycles for sale..." Stupidly genius. It measures in at 2 minutes 42 seconds and it's 162 seconds of foot tapping madness. If you were ever to be carried away on a breeze you would want this song playing over and over and over and over again. It's the 4th shortest track on the album, that doesn't matter. It's great. 9/10

The Operator: A much more rock song than any of the other three songs that have gone before this on the album. The percussion shuffles along at the same speed throughout, a very quick speed. The song doesn't let up during it's near 2 and a half minute existence (the shortest song on the album) and it's one you wouldn't hear at clubs or anything unless it was Fight Club. It's brill. 8.5/10.

In The Morning: The big hit off the album. It did so well it scored the Scouse lads a top 5 hit. It's worthy of a place on a Beatles album. It's just brilliant, fantastic, unbeatable. It's poptastic and they know it. We now know why the charts don't mean anything anymore. Because this was not a number 1. The keyboard has you trying to mime "do do do do dee dee dee dee". It's probably the best song on the album by a country mile. If the sun is shining and you want 153 seconds of brilliant. Stick this on. 10/10.

Something Inside Of Me: A bit of a downturn in mood compared to 'In The Morning'. "Something inside of me, feels like I've been wanting you forever..." This song brings you down from the euphoria that was 'In The Morning'. It's a song to listen to if you yearn for a loved one perhaps... Nice little filler on the album, unsure if it should have been a single though. 7/10.

Come Home: "You've been gone too long" The longest song on the album and it's only just over 4 minutes!! I don't think it was such a wise idea to put a song of this length smack bang in the middle of the album as the listener has probably adjusted to the 2-3 minute burst of a song so it does feel like it drags on but for other bands this would be seen as a relatively short song e.g. Oasis. It isn't a bad song as such it's just that it tries to put itself forward as an album finisher but we still have a few more songs to go through yet! There is a rather good mental last minute which is basically, play the instruments as quick and as hard as you can. At the very end of the song it even sounds like they have just finished a gig! 7/10.

Far From The Crowd: This actually begun in the last few seconds of 'Come Home', nice linkage there. Another one to sit back in your seat and read a paper or a book. Rather than being something like 'Cripples Crown' or 'The Operator' it is a bit of a sigh rather than a battle cry. It does still include a classic, quirky, Coral lyric "Like Miranda said, life's not for the dead..." Despite the the general tone of the song, that lyric does nothing apart from put a smile upon your face. Nowadays people like their music up tempo and no matter what the song is about, they want it to sound happy. Something this song doesn't really do so it isn't really a suitable song for today's generation. Nevermind that, still a half decent songg, if not the worst on the album. 6.5/10.

Leaving Today: This sort of follows on from 'Far From The Crowd' but it just sounds a bit more cheerful and it's a lot more up tempo. A head nodder if anything. There is some very nice guitar work throughout the song. The problem here is that the song just doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. That makes it even more difficult to find a decent outro and for it not to give the impression that the band have just randomnly just pressed the 'stop' button. Instead it just fades out rather quickly. Fair enough. Another average offering. 6.5/10.

Arabian Sand: Aha, a worthy competitor to 'In The Morning'! It's got some lovely guitar work throughout and it's just one that is brilliant at a gig. It's 10 times better live actually! Unlike 'Far From The Crowd' or 'Leaving Today' you can't believe that it's already halfway through the song when the guitar solo cuts in, which, may I add, is fantastic!! The song just works so well, it gives an alternative offering to Kaiser Chiefs who do riotous songs about, well, riots! Here we have a song that talks about nothing in specific but still manages to make you lose control of yourself and go mental at this genius song. The last 30 seconds offer a great outro, live they offer a much more extended and brilliant outro to it. Superb!! 9/10

Late Afternoon: Shame that Arabian Sand couldn't finish the album but we have a bit of a laidback song, a Sunday song that you have just got free in The Observer along with 'She Sings The Mourning', 'Something Inside Of Me' and 'In The Morning'. Would make a good b-side but just feels like the lads have just thought, "We don't want to stick another song on but we may as well just for the hell of it..." This just isn't vintage Coral in my opinion, a limp offering. 6.5/10.

So there is album number four. If there had been one or two more up tempo songs on there replacing thet more relaxed efforts such as 'Late Afternoon' or 'Far From The Crowd' then it would be one of the best albums of 2005 but alas it isn't. There is no denying that you'll listen to this over and over again just for 'So Long Ago', 'In The Morning' and 'Arabian Sand'. If you're after a decent alternative to the bands like 'Kaiser Chiefs' and the like then look here, it's psychedelic in places, it's pure pop in a lot of places. It's pure genius in some places. They've done better songs but this ranks probably 2nd best in their albums, behind their self titled album. 8/10 

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