Coral Island (album)

2021 studio album by The Coral

Coral Island

Studio album by

The Coral

Released| 30 April 2021
Recorded| 2019–2020
Studio|

* Parr Street, Liverpool
* Ian Murrary's house, Merseyside

Genre| Psychedelic folk
Length| 25:43 (Part 1)
28:21 (Part 2)
54:04 (total)
Label| Run On, Modern Sky UK
Producer| The Coral, Chris Taylor
The Coral chronology
| Move Through the Dawn
(2018)  | Coral Island
(2021)  | Sea of Mirrors
(2023)

|
|

Singles from  Coral Island

1. "Faceless Angel"
Released: 28 January 2021
2. "Lover Undiscovered"
Released: 18 March 2021
3. "Vacancy"
Released: 15 April 2021

Coral Island is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Coral. Run On Records and Modern Sky UK released it on 30 April 2021. During the cycle for their ninth studio album Move Through the Dawn (2018), the band began stockpiling song ideas; on the way home from Blackpool, the band had the idea of making a concept album about a fictional town. With the assistance of Edwin Burdis, the band began mapping out the album. The recording sessions were held at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, with the narration recorded at Ian Murrary's house in Merseyside; the band and Chris Taylor acted as producers. Described as a psychedelic album, it drew comparison to the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society (1968), while the narration was reminiscent of that heard on the Small Faces' Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968).

Coral Island received positive reviews from music critics, who praised the high-quality song writing. It reached number two in the UK, and charted in Germany, Scotland, and Switzerland. The album was preceded by the release of three singles: "Faceless Angel" in January 2021, "Lover Undiscovered" in March 2021, and "Vacancy" in April 2021. Coinciding with the album was the publication of a book by keyboardist Nick Power, which provided backstories for each of the characters mentioned on the album.

## Background and production

[edit]

The Coral released their ninth studio album Move Through the Dawn in August 2018.[1] Partway into touring to support it, the band began accumulating potential song ideas for their next album.[2] Frontman James Skelly said the band came up with the idea of a concept album while travelling home from Blackpool, that focused on a fictional coastal town. He added that Coral Island allowed the band's ideas to coalesce under a banner; "[t]he more we sat on it, the more we were like 'you know, we could make our [version of the Beatles'] White Album'".[3] The band brought in Edwin Burdis to aid in worldbuilding; as he worked in Cardiff, the band wrote characters based on different sections of the album.[4] Skelly became aware of Burdis through his brother, who met Burdis at an Arctic Monkeys show. Skelly and Burdis initially talked about making a music video until the topic of Coral Island came up.[5] Burdis built a model of the island, which inspired the band; Skelly attributed the model to "Ray Harryhausen [...] crossed with Llandudno".[5][6]

The band recorded Coral Island at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, which is owned and operated by Skelly; the band and Chris Taylor acted as producers while handling the recording.[7][8][9] Taylor and Richard Turvey, who had worked on the band's previous releases, recorded "Change Your Mind" and "Lover Undiscovered".[7] The acoustic performances and drum sections were recorded live-in-the-studio, and built from there; James and Ian Skelly did the majority of the backing tracks for each song.[2] Narration by the brothers' grandfather Ian Murrary was recorded at his house in Merseyside by Liam Power, keyboardist Nick Power's brother.[7][10] James Skelly said they added "a Space Echo so it sounded echoey and strange".[2] In contrast to previous albums, each member of the band arrived at the studio at different times and worked on material separately, sometimes playing different instruments than what they were familiar with.[11] The sessions lasted throughout most of 2019; the Coral and Taylor mixed the recordings, before Joe LaPorta mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.[7][12]

## Composition and lyrics

[edit]

### Overview

[edit]

Musically, Coral Island's sound has been described as psychedelic folk, with elements of indie and pop,[13] and compared to the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society (1968).[14] The band suggested the island was located "somewhere between Seacombe Ferry and Llandudno".[15] They added their childhoods and a documentary on The River (1980) by Bruce Springsteen inspired it.[2] Coral Island was planned initially as two albums. These were eventually combined as a double album split into the Welcome to Coral Island and The Ghost of Coral Island discs.[4][16] Skelly said they aimed to release two albums with a three-month gap in-between until Noel Gallagher suggested otherwise: "I went to see Noel's studio and I was telling him about it. He said, 'Why don't you just put it out as one album? You're over-thinking it. Fuck streaming'."[17] The first disc centres around the coastal town's carefree success, with faster tracks aiming to emulate the atmosphere of jukeboxes and arcades.[4][14] The second disc is focused on individual characters as the town is in seasonal decline.[4][14] Skelly said many of the tracks were written two days prior to them being recorded.[2]

Throughout Coral Island, Murrary is heard narrating under the guise of The Great Muriarty.[18] Written by Power, the narration has been compared to the one heard in Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968) by the Small Faces.[3] Skelly said it was directly influenced by Ogdens as that was "one of my favourite albums ever [...] but [we've] taken [our narration] to another level", alongside poets such as Jack Kerouac, Rod McKuen and Dylan Thomas.[2][19] He suggested asking spiritual medium Derek Acorah, actor Cillian Murphy, boxing champion John Conteh, or comedian Tom O'Connor to do it, until "Ian [Skelly] was like, 'we should get grandad'".[3][10] James Skelly added that as Coral Island was "a world of end-of-the-pier day drinkers, kids who get where they shouldn't," and other characters, it "seemed to call for a tour guide of some kind".[10] Films such as The Shining (1980), The Wicker Man (2006), and Suspiria (2018) influenced some of the album's darkest tracks.[3] Several family members and long-time collaborators contributed to the recordings: Phil McKinnell played slide guitar on "Pavillions of the Mind" and "Take Me Back to the Summertime", and guitar on "The Ghost of Coral Island"; Jack Prince provided a shaker on "Lover Undiscovered"; Fiona Skelly and Niamh Rowe sang backing vocals on "Faceless Angel", "Watch You Disappear" and "Last Night at the Borders"; and Taylor added the stylophone on "Watch You Disappear".[7]

### Tracks

[edit]

The opening track of disc one, "Welcome to Coral Island", is a short, 54-second long spoken word song that informs the listener about Coral Island, complete with the sounds of crashing waves and seagulls.[20] "Lover Undiscovered" is a guitar pop track, with a soft rock atmosphere and touches of psychedelia.[3][21] The track talks about rediscovering something that one takes for granted; it was the first song written for the album and originally had different lyrics and a slower tempo.[2][21] The song's opening line "She wakes up" represents the island starting its day, which Skelly intended as "the beginning of something – a lover undiscovered".[22] The La's-esque guitarwork of "Change Your Mind" is reminiscent of the works of Teenage Fanclub.[16][23] It had existed for several years under the name "October's Song" and originally had a slower tempo.[24] "Mist on the River" is a ballad that recalls the sound of the band's second studio album Magic and Medicine (2003); the vocals have been compared to Crosby, Stills and Nash.[16][25][26] It was written and toyed with during soundchecks on the Move Through the Dawn tour.[27][28]

Bassist Paul Duffy wrote "Pavillions of the Mind" in the vein of Les Baxter, and features a theremin.[29] According to James Skelly, they added space echo to make the song "sound more broken".[30] "Vacancy" is a garage rock track with Kinks-lite Wurlitzer and bass parts.[16] It was recorded on a laserdisc that the band had discovered at a disused Mersey Tunnel entrance.[31] Lyrics for the verse were taken from a poem by Skelly, with chord patterns by Power; the lyrics for the bridge were influenced by The Swimmer (1964).[32] According to the band, "My Best Friend" talks about a friend who only talks to a specific person when they need something from them "[b]ut it's okay, you understand they're not in a good place, and anyway you might be in their position one day".[33] They said it echoed the tone of "For the Sake of the Song" (1968) by Townes Van Zandt, and compared the addition of the harpsichord to the work of the Left Banke.[34] "Arcade Hallucinations" is a psychedelic song; "The Game She Plays" was intended to have a Wrecking Crew atmosphere, with Glen Campbell-esque guitarwork.[35][36]

"Autumn Has Come" foreshadows a time when the tourists would leave the town and features a bağlama solo by guitarist Paul Molloy.[23][37] Disc one concludes with "The End of the Pier", which is an homage to promenades.[25] "The Ghost of Coral Island" opens disc two, which sees the band reminiscing about the previous summer.[25] The country-indebted "Golden Age" is driven by Power's organ, and is followed by "Faceless Angel", which is seen as a darker iteration of "Johnny Remember Me" (1961) by John Leyton.[3][13][25] The band said it was "a tribute to 50's death-ditties, teenage fatalism and the ghosts of Merseybeat".[38] "Strange Illusions" sees the band saying goodbye to ships riding the ocean current and showcases Power's keyboard skills.[26][39] Similar to "Vacancy", the verses of "Strange Illusions" were taken from a poem by Skelly, matched to chords by Power.[40] "Take Me Back to the Summertime" features Beatlesque vocal harmonies, and talks about losing money while playing penny arcade machines.[20][39] It was recorded during the final session at Parr Street, which the band said gave the song a "little bit of joy it needs to balance out the darkness".[41]

According to James Skelly, "Telepathic Waltz" was made in an hour; Ian Skelly played drums and an organ, with James playing a guitar part; a Roger Mayer tape emulator distorted the track.[42] "Old Photographs" deals with the emotional feeling when gazing at photographs. "Watch You Disappear" evokes the sound of Geoff Goddard and Del Shannon; Skelly said they wanted a "pre-Beatles sound, a ghostly rock 'n' roll sound, and project the idea of a haunted pier".[4] "Land of the Lost" is a waltz soaked in reverb, which the band saw as the "most old school Coral track" on the entire album.[43][44] It was done one take, and played back through a 1950s echo machine.[45] The soul-like "The Calico Girl" sees Paul Molloy acting as an acoustic busker, with a piano accompaniment.[25][20] Molloy based the song on the jazz track "Willie the Weeper" (1904), and said the character was a vagabond "amongst the left behind carnies".[46]

## Release

[edit]

The Coral supported the Courteeners for a one-off show in November 2019, and Supergrass on their UK tour in March 2020.[47][48] The band had finished working on Coral Island prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns and had postponed the release because of it; Power theorised that it would have come out around September 2020 had the pandemic not happened.[2][49] In the interim, Ian Skelly released the solo album Drifter's Skyline in June 2020, while Molloy released his album The Fifth Dandelion a few months later.[50][51] That same year, the band released Lockdown Sessions, an album of acoustic music that had been recorded at home during the lockdowns.[52] Some outtakes from the Coral Island sessions were released on Lockdown Sessions as they did not fit the album's theme.[2] During the lockdowns, James Skelly spent his time producing albums for acts such as the Blossoms and the Lathums.[2] "Faceless Angel" was released as the lead single on 28 January 2021.[53] Burdis directed the song's music video, which features a fairground. Coinciding with this, Coral Island was announced for release in three months' time.[8]

"Lover Undiscovered" was released as the second single on 18 March 2021; Burdis also directed this song's music video.[54][55] Skelly said it had "a lot of psychedelic colors, which are meant to represent spring and summer".[2] "Vacancy" was released as the third single on 15 April 2021; a lyric video was released with it.[56][57] Run On Records and Modern Sky UK released Coral Island on 30 April 2021.[39] The band had planned to do a photo shoot at a real coral island, but could not because of a COVID lockdown.[58] Power wrote a book to help guide the listener through the album, which he worked on during the end of the touring cycle for Move Through the Dawn.[5][25] Power explained it featured short stories about each of the characters mentioned throughout the album; he considered it "a mixture between old Coney Island stuff mixed with [film] Brighton Rock, British seaside literature, comic books, in that classic tradition but with more of a modern take on it".[5][6] A music video was released for "Change Your Mind" on 30 June 2021, directed by John Eaton.[59]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
AnyDecentMusic?| 8.1/10[60]
Metacritic| 85/100[61]
Review scores
Source| Rating
The Arts Desk| [16]
Clash| 9/10[35]
Classic Rock| [43]
Gigwise| [20]
Louder Than War| [25]
Mojo| [62]
NME| [39]
Record Collector| [14]
The Telegraph| [63]
Uncut| 7/10[64]

Coral Island was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 10 reviews.[61] AnyDecentMusic? gave it a score of 8.1, based on 11 reviews.[60]

Louder Than War reviewer Nathan Whittle called the album a "triumph, from start to finish", with the band having made "what could well be their opus". Across the 24 songs, Whittle singled out 15 of them that were "amongst some of their best work".[25] Clash writer Robin Murray saw it as an "extraordinary piece of world building [... that] never once wavers in quality", with a "natural flow, one that holds your attention even at the record's most sonically obtuse moments".[35] Rhys Buchanan of NME wrote that it was a "bold move" for the Coral to release "something so intricate at this stage of their career", though if the listener immersed themselves in the album, they would be "rewarded with a nostalgic trip that showcases some of their most adventurous writing to date".[39] In his review for The Telegraph, journalist Neil McCormick said the band seemed to be "having fun, and it shows in a carnivalesque cornucopia of strange delights – even if it never quite escapes its contrivances".[63]

Gigwise's Kieran Macadie compared Coral Island to the Beatles' White Album in that "[b]oth records are an expansive, epic collection of tracks crammed with fresh ideas and astonishing heights of creativity". Macadie commented that the spoken word tracks affect the album's tempo, causing it to be "slower paced than it probably should be".[20] The Arts Desk journalist Nick Hasted wrote that, "Merseyside rock's taste for glowing lysergic locales defines" the album; "[w]hat gives blood and muscle to the conceit" is the band's "abiding pop craft".[16] Jim Wirth of Uncut said that the album "splatters familiar components over a broad canvas," and while an "occasional change of pace might be welcome," the "craftsmanship is beyond reproach".[64] Record Collector reviewer Shaun Curran said that there were moments where the band "overstretch – the tail-end of Part One drifts like fish and chip wrapper in the breeze – but a visit to Coral Island elicits the intangible pull of a place in time etched forever in the mind".[14] Stefan Mertlik for laut.de saw it as a "such a mammoth project" that is "convincing because it sounds ambitious, but also accessible".[13]

Coral Island reached number two in the UK,[65] number three in Scotland,[66] number 52 in Germany,[67] and number 60 in Switzerland.[68] Mojo included the album at number seven on their list of the best 75 albums of the year.[69]

## Track listing

[edit]

Writing credits per booklet.[7]

Disc one – Welcome to Coral IslandNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Welcome to Coral Island"|

* James Skelly
* Nick Power

| 0:54
2.| "Lover Undiscovered"| J. Skelly| 3:29
3.| "Change Your Mind"|

* J. Skelly
* Rich Turvey

| 3:07
4.| "Mist on the River"| J. Skelly| 3:35
5.| "Pavillions of the Mind"|

* Power
* Paul Duffy

| 1:21
6.| "Vacancy"|

* J. Skelly
* Power

| 2:43
7.| "My Best Friend"|

* J. Skelly
* Power

| 2:33
8.| "Arcade Hallucinations"| Power| 0:32
9.| "The Game She Plays"| J. Skelly| 3:22
10.| "Autumn Has Come"| J. Skelly| 3:00
11.| "The End of the Pier"| Power| 1:07
Total length:| 25:43

Disc two – The Ghost of Coral IslandNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "The Ghost of Coral Island"|

* Power
* Ian Skelly
* Duffy
* Phil McKinnell

| 1:04
2.| "Golden Age"|

* J. Skelly
* I. Skelly

| 2:41
3.| "Faceless Angel"| J. Skelly| 3:26
4.| "The Great Lafayette"| Power| 1:09
5.| "Strange Illusions"|

* J. Skelly
* Power

| 3:06
6.| "Take Me Back to the Summertime"|

* J. Skelly
* I. Skelly

| 3:10
7.| "Telepathic Waltz"|

* Power
* I. Skelly

| 0:53
8.| "Old Photographs"|

* J. Skelly
* Power

| 2:21
9.| "Watch You Disappear"| J. Skelly| 2:38
10.| "Late Night at the Borders"| Power| 0:30
11.| "Land of the Lost"| J. Skelly| 3:52
12.| "The Calico Girl"| Paul Molloy| 2:42
13.| "The Last Entertainer"| Power| 0:49
Total length:| 28:21

## Personnel

[edit]

Personnel per booklet.[7]

The Coral

* James Skelly – lead vocals, guitar
* Paul Duffy – bass
* Paul Molloy – guitar, piano
* Nick Power – keyboards
* Ian Skelly – drums

Additional musicians

* Ian Murrary – narration
* Phil McKinnell – slide guitar ("Pavillions of the Mind" and "Take Me Back to the Summertime"), guitar ("The Ghost of Coral Island")
* Jack Prince – shaker ("Lover Undiscovered")
* Fiona Skelly – backing vocals ("Faceless Angel", "Watch You Disappear" and "Last Night at the Borders")
* Niamh Rowe – backing vocals ("Faceless Angel", "Watch You Disappear" and "Last Night at the Borders")
* Chris Taylor – stylophone ("Watch You Disappear")

Production and design

* The Coral – producer, recording (all except "Change Your Mind" and "Lover Underdiscovered"), mixing
* Chris Taylor – producer, recording, mixing
* Richard Turvey – recording ("Change Your Mind" and "Lover Underdiscovered")
* Liam Power – narration recording
* Joe LaPorta – mastering
* Edwin Burdis – artwork
* Gabriella Jackson – photography
* Simon Cardwell – band photo
* Mark El-khatib – design

|

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for Coral Island Chart (2021)  | Peak
position

|

German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[67] | 52
Irish Albums (IRMA)[70] | 62
Scottish Albums (OCC)[66] | 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[68] | 60
UK Albums (OCC)[65] | 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[71] | 1

## References

[edit]

Citations

1. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Move Through the Dawn - The Coral - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Gourlay, Dom (22 March 2021). "The Coral - James Skelly on Their New Album 'Coral Island'". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
3. ^ a b c d e f MacMillan, Jamie (21 April 2021). "Treasure Island: The Coral on nostalgia, Gothicism + the seaside on their newest album". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
4. ^ a b c d e Hansen, Susan (23 April 2021). "'It's All In There, You've Just Got To Figure It Out!' The Coral Interviewed". Clash. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
5. ^ a b c d Jones, Damian (28 January 2021). "The Coral on new single 'Faceless Angel' and double album 'Coral Island". NME. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
6. ^ a b Ryan, Gary (6 May 2021). "The Coral on their epic new album: '"Coral Island" is the world on our own terms'". NME. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.'"Coral+Island"+is+the+world+on+our+own+terms'&rft.date=2021-05-06&rft.au=Ryan,+Gary&rft_id=https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/the-coral-new-album-coral-island-arctic-monkeys-blossoms-2933844&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Coral+Island+(album)" class="Z3988">
7. ^ a b c d e f g Coral Island (booklet). The Coral. Run On Records/Modern Sky UK. 2021. RO-001-CD.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. ^ a b Merserau, Steve (29 January 2021). "'Faceless Angel' is the lead single for The Coral's forthcoming double album Coral Island". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
9. ^ Murray, Robin (19 September 2017). "No, The North Doesn't Just Listen To Landfill Indie". Clash. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
10. ^ a b c Carey, Wayne (25 February 2021). "The Coral get down with 85 year old grandad on 10th studio album!". Louder Than War. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
11. ^ Millar 2021, event occurs at 8:48–58
12. ^ Monger, Timothy. "The Coral - Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
13. ^ a b c Mertlik, Stefan. "Coral Island" (in German). laut.de. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
14. ^ a b c d e Curran, Shaun (12 April 2021). "The Coral | Coral Island". Record Collector. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
15. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'Although Coral Island lies somewhere between Seacombe...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
16. ^ a b c d e f Hasted, Nick (24 April 2021). "Album: The Coral - Coral Island". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
17. ^ Walker, Gary (29 April 2021). ""We'll do the opposite of what we should do": The Coral's James Skelly on why they made a double-album in the age of streaming". Guitar. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
18. ^ Jones, Damian (25 February 2021). "The Coral recruit James and Ian Skelly's grandad for new album 'Coral Island'". NME. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
19. ^ Jopling 2021, event occurs at 8:44–50
20. ^ a b c d e Macadie, Kieran (28 April 2021). "Album Review: The Coral - Coral Island". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
21. ^ a b Murray, Robin (18 March 2021). "The Coral's 'Lover Undiscovered' Is A Real Jewel". Clash. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
22. ^ Trendell, Andrew (18 March 2021). "Listen to The Coral's dreamy new single 'Lover Undiscovered'". NME. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
23. ^ a b Murphy, John (30 April 2021). "The Coral – Coral Island | Album Review". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
24. ^ Skelly, Ian (5 May 2021). "Ian Skelly on Twitter: 'We had this song knocking around for years it used to be call...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
25. ^ a b c d e f g h Whittle, Nathan (21 April 2021). "The Coral: Coral Island - album review". Louder Than War. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
26. ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "Coral Island - The Coral - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
27. ^ Skelly, Ian (5 May 2021). "Ian Skelly on Twitter: 'We were playing this song in sound checks On the...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
28. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'Mist On The River- Three part harmony arranged by...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
29. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'Duffy wrote this Les Baxter-style instrumental...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
30. ^ Skelly, James (5 May 2021). "James Skelly on Twitter: 'Duffy,Ian and Phil Mckinnell recorded this in the rehearsal room we...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
31. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'Vacancy. This was recorded in the afterlife onto...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
32. ^ Skelly, James (5 May 2021). "James Skelly on Twitter: '.@Nickpower82 had the chords and the chorus lyrics I had a poem...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
33. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'My Best Friend- This is about the type of friend...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
34. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'A bit like the sentiment in Townes Van Zandts...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
35. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (26 April 2021). "The Coral - Coral Island". Clash. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
36. ^ Molloy, Paul (5 May 2021). "Paul Molloy on Twitter: 'I really enjoyed singing 3 part harmony on this...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
37. ^ Molloy, Paul (5 May 2021). "Paul Molloy on Twitter: 'The Turkish Baglama I bought worked out great for this...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
38. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'Faceless Angel- the hitchhiker song. This is the beating...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
39. ^ a b c d e Buchanan, Rhys (26 April 2021). "The Coral - 'Coral Island' review: a romantic and reflective seaside waltz". NME. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
40. ^ Skelly, James (5 May 2021). "James Skelly on Twitter: 'This was another one like vacancy where @Nickpower82 had the...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
41. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'Take Me Back to the Summertime- "Here we go Merry-we-go-round...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
42. ^ Skelly, James (5 May 2021). "James Skelly on Twitter: 'We put a mic in the middle of the room and @IanSkelly1 played...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
43. ^ a b Moody, Paul (June 2021). "Reviews". Classic Rock (330). Future: 81. ISSN 1464-7834.
44. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'Probably the most old school Coral track on the album. James...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
45. ^ The Coral (5 May 2021). "The Coral on Twitter: 'It was recorded in one take, and fed back through a 50s...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
46. ^ Molloy, Paul (5 May 2021). "Paul Molloy on Twitter: 'wrote this based on a vaudeville tale/jazz song...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
47. ^ Neale, Matthew (14 October 2019). "Courteeners announce 'very special guests' for London and Manchester dates". NME. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
48. ^ "The Coral discuss their new beer 'Dreaming Of Brew' in association with Goose Island". NME. 5 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
49. ^ Millar 2021, event occurs at 5:27–9
50. ^ Chappelhow, Elli (11 June 2020). "The Coral's Ian Skelly shares 'Captain Caveman'". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
51. ^ Murray, Robin (12 August 2020). "Paul Molloy's 'My Madonna' Is A Pop Sike Dream". Clash. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
52. ^ Cragg, Michael (7 August 2020). "From Charli XCX to Taylor Swift: 10 of the best albums made in lockdown". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
53. ^ "Faceless Angel - Single by The Coral". iTunes. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
54. ^ The Coral (18 March 2021). The Coral - Lover Undiscovered (Official Video). Retrieved 29 April 2021 - via YouTube.
55. ^ Greer, Vicky (18 March 2021). "The Coral release second single from fairground-themed Coral Island". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
56. ^ "Vacancy - Single by The Coral". iTunes. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
57. ^ Clarke, Patrick (15 April 2021). "The Coral share hypnotic new psych-pop single 'Vacancy'". NME. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
58. ^ Cardwell, Simon (5 May 2021). "Simon Cardwell on Twitter: 'We had planned a photo shoot at the real life Coral...'". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
59. ^ The Coral (30 June 2021). The Coral - Change Your Mind (Official Video). Retrieved 30 June 2021 - via YouTube.
60. ^ a b "Coral Island by The Coral reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
61. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Coral Island". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
62. ^ Eccleston, Danny (May 2021). "Fair play". Mojo (330). Bauer Media Group: 81. ISSN 1351-0193.
63. ^ a b McCormick, Neil (29 April 2021). "The Coral's new Coral Island is a Beatles-steeped fairground of delights". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
64. ^ a b Wirth, Jim (May 2021). "New Albums". Uncut. BandLab Technologies: 24. ISSN 1368-0722.
65. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
66. ^ a b "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
67. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – The Coral – Coral Island" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
68. ^ a b "Swisscharts.com – The Coral – Coral Island". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
69. ^ Mulvay ed. 2021, p. 58
70. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 7 May 2021". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
71. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2021.

Sources

* Jopling, Keith (26 June 2021). "Episode 7: The Coral, with James Skelly" (Podcast). The Art of Longevity - via Buzzsprout.
* Millar, Mark (20 April 2021). "#36. The Coral's Nick Power on their first ever double-album 'Coral Island'" (Podcast). Xs Noize Music Podcast.
* Mulvay, John, ed. (January 2022). "The 75 Best Albums of 2021". Mojo (338). ISSN 1351-0193.

## External links

[edit]

* Coral Island at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
* Interview with James Skelly at Far Out
* Interview with Nick Power at Buzz

* v
* t
* e

The Coral

* James Skelly
* Nick Power
* Paul Duffy
* Ian Skelly
* Paul Molloy

* Bill Ryder-Jones
* Lee Southall

Studio albums|

* The Coral
* Magic and Medicine
* Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker
* The Invisible Invasion
* Roots & Echoes
* Butterfly House
* The Curse of Love
* Distance Inbetween
* Move Through the Dawn
* Coral Island
* Sea of Mirrors

Compilations|

* Singles Collection

Singles|

* "Shadows Fall"
* "Goodbye"
* "Dreaming of You"
* "In the Morning"

Related articles|

* Alan Wills
* Discography
* List of songs
* Deltasonic
* Love Undercover

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template