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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

The Coral

The Coral

2002

Buy At Rough Trade
The Coral
Album Summary

The Coral is the debut studio album by British rock band the Coral. It was released on 29 July 2002, through the Deltasonic record label. After finalising their line-up, the band had a residency at The Cavern Club, and were spotted and signed by Alan Willis of Deltasonic soon afterwards. Following the release of a single and an EP, and two UK tours, the band began recording their debut album. Sessions were held at Linford Manor Studios, Milton Keynes in early 2002, and were produced by the Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie and the Coral. Described as a neo-psychedelia and folk rock album, frontman James Skelly's voice was compared to Eric Burdon of the Animals and Jim Morrison of the Doors.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.01

Votes

12396

Genres

  • Pop
  • Rock

Reviews

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Apr 23 2021
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1

Jesus, the bar must have been set lower than I thought for what constitutes the top 1,001 albums of all time

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Mar 03 2021
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2

starting to dread hitting my submit button and seeing the random ass band I definitely do not need to hear before I die

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Apr 23 2021
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1

It's 2002. Rock is back again baby! Here comes another "The" band ready to ride the hype train with a fresh take on an aging genre. But what comes next is more than unexpected, it's sea shanties. It's polka, reggae, klezmer, and punk. It's not very good. It's The Coral. Their name evokes tropical seas. They are a pirates, sailing from foreign land to foreign land, stealing the unique musical riches of each country, pillaging the local harvest, and shitting it all onto a record. D Postscript: In my ever-increasing musical nationalism I'll point out that these dudes are British, talented, likely white, and possibly tone deaf to the fact they're "borrowing" music from the queen's former colonies

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Nov 17 2023
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1

Not even in the best 1001 albums of 2002.

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Apr 04 2021
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5

My first 5 from something I've never heard a lick about beforehand. Very enjoyable psych-influenced indie, with a little polka and ska for good measure.

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Apr 01 2021
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5

I had heard one song from this, and always liked it. Turns out the rest of the album is even better. I love this! It's an easy listen, fun, melodic, and rocks out. I wasn't expecting this to be so good. A very nice surprise.

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Aug 13 2021
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1

The algorithm is in a foul mood. The only explanation for this appearing on the list is for everyone to hear what a horrible album sounds like. It turns out this album WAS bumped off the list on the latest edition, a wrong that I hope this generator corrects as well. Perhaps this band got better with future albums, but I don't intend to test that possibility. There are parts of a lot of songs that sound great, only to suddenly veer off into an annoying direction. I'm going to want those 34 minutes and 32 seconds back before I die. What a snooze.

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Feb 12 2021
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4

I was really surprised that there was a band that was prolific, part of the early 2000's rock revival, and enjoyable to listen to that I had never heard of. These guys really felt unique amongst many of their peers, and I see why they made this list, even though either I am just ignorant of they didn't achieve nearly the fame of bands like The White Stripes or The Strokes. My Personal Enjoyment: 4/5 Did it belong on this list: 4.5/5

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Apr 07 2021
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2

Nothing great about this album . Not terrible but not memorable in the least

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May 20 2021
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4

This is a weird album, and I kind of love it. The opening track, "Spanish Main", is definitely my favorite: it's a psychedelic rock sea shanty, and I would listen to a whole album of songs like it. Unfortunately, this album is not that and the rest of it is more of a psychedelic folk rock album. Still, the highlights of this album more than make up for the lowlights and it's well worth checking out for anybody who wants to hear some stuff they've never heard before

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Apr 23 2021
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1

Wow, that was a real piece of shit. Why the fuck is this on the list? Are the Coral like the genreless Ween band of the UK? Good musicians who don’t have any taste. They mashed up tons of my least favorite, annoying experimental genre rock: Gogol Bordello, Ska, Arctic Monkeys and Nick Cave. There’s a couple of moments, moments, where there’s some very Oh Sees inflected guitar effects, maybe they were an influence. Maybe they deserve credit for that? I hated this album. Wish I could give it a Zero. All that after I was excited by the album cover. Yuck.

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Jun 13 2021
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5

I had heard one song from this, and always liked it. Turns out the rest of the album is even better. I love this! It's an easy listen, fun, melodic, and rocks out. I wasn't expecting this to be so good. A very nice surprise.

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Mar 13 2021
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4

If Syd Barret era Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones had a baby that was raised by the rest of the 60's, you would have this album.

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Sep 29 2024
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5

Seen the album cover but had never listened to one single song that I could remember. They were not big enough to reach my hone country. Although I lable it indie rock their style of old school rock and country and a hint reagge dub made me instantly love this album. It hooked me on the first song and has gotten better after that. Albums like this are the reason Im doing the 1001 album thing cause we cant know everything and we cant listen to all the music. This is a great example for me of an unknown band to instant playlist material.

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Aug 07 2024
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5

Part of what made me love this was maybe the surprise? But it was great and I'm definitely going to listen to it again. And the spotify radio station that played at the end was freaking bitching.

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Jun 23 2024
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5

Based on the Wikipedia article, my expectations going in weren't great, but this was a very pleasant surprise. I'm not even sure if I would call the psychedelic, since this is the rare case of psychedelia feeling whimsical rather than just weird (with varying degrees of uncomfortableness). But what really impressed me was the breadth of experimentation and yet, everything sounded organic and accomplished. The only track I was on the fence about was Skeleton Key, but even that one was still OK. A great album with simply good music, in an impressive amount of different shades of rock.

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Aug 04 2021
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5

Wow, fell in love during the first couple of songs

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Feb 04 2021
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5

Made me want to cry in bed. A+ original and interesting.

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Jan 25 2021
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5

Never heard of this band before but love their sound. Cant wait to listen to more of their music!

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Mar 31 2024
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4

Cover art: what is this? A high school project? I wouldn't be surprised if I find out this collage was made with scissors and a glue stick. Historically the weird covers have been British, but we'll see. British rock band again and it was another pretty good album. Just as I was getting in to the first track it ended abruptly, which as I checked the run time to confirm something didn't happen I thought 'was that meant to tease me and leave me wanting more?' either way it worked. Throughout the rest of the album I kept trying to place what it reminded me of, and the only specifics I could come up with was that it was an older style rock. Some influences even back to the 60s but with modern instruments and techniques. "goodbye" is an example of what I'm talking about. I don't think there was really a song I wanted to skip, pretty solid overall. Favorite track "I remember when" 4/5

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Feb 22 2021
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3

Never heard this - like Gomez and burning spear fronted by a rabbi

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Aug 26 2024
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2

I like beats like their beats. But it lacks the spark. Even their best song from this album lacks it. I think there are better albums. 2.5/5.

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Aug 10 2021
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2

Really surprised this is in the list

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Dec 10 2024
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5

Forward looking retro! Here's an album that builds on the past yet has its own distinct voice. Listened twice already. LOVE IT.

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Nov 08 2024
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5

10/10 scouse magic. Pure me. 10/10

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Oct 17 2024
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5

Loved it! A great combination of energy similar to other modern rock bands with an old timy sense of creativity. The singer sounds like a proper rock star, and the band always rocks, sometimes reminding me of the specials and then jumping to Arctic Monkeys and then Green Day and then the Doors.

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Sep 25 2024
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5

I barely listened to it but the vibes were good

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Jul 28 2024
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5

Aldrig hört förut men det här var en positiv överraskning. Plattan är ju jättebra.

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Jun 26 2024
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5

This is pretty good! Giving it a 5 because it's a pleasant surprise.

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Jun 05 2024
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5

Where do I start. OK. The Coral are from The Wirral, where I live. As kismet has it on the day I go t this album I actually went for a little walk along the Prom in their home town of Hoylake. It's a town by the sea. Not a seaside town. Most of The Wirral is like that. An urban area (nearly) surrounded by estuaries. It's probably me reading too much into it, but The Coral's music feels like home. Salt soaked, melancholic, a bit weird, borrowing lots of ideas from elsewhere, but very much it's own thing.

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May 17 2024
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5

Sort of a reverse Elvis Costello here (since this list has loved giving me Elvis Costello albums lately). Whereas Elvis Costello was very much ahead of his time, this is a throwback to a lot of sounds from the 70s. It's very much in the psychedelic rock world, but it also pulls in some really lovely folksy sounds as well as some strong indy rock influences. This is an absolutely lovely album. I'm not sure why Dreaming of You is the only real "hit" from this album, but it deserves far more love.

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Apr 02 2024
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5

A short sweet old favourite. It still holds up.

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Mar 17 2024
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5

This blew me away. Instant favorite

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Feb 28 2024
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5

10/10 everything I could ever want and more perfect rock revival album

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Feb 12 2024
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5

4.5, super fun music, really needed it today

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Jan 26 2024
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5

Loved it. Weird, quirky, jazz/ska/indie mix. Didnt realise I knew them until -the- song came on.

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Jan 19 2024
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5

Sehr spannendes Album - mal erinnert es an die Beatsteaks ("I remember when", eins meiner Lieblingslieder auf diesem Album), dann taucht plötzlich russische Folklore auf (immer noch "I remember when") und überall schwingt 60er/70er Psychedelic mit. Kaum zu glauben, dass das Album erst so "jung" ist, aber mir macht es Lust auf mehr. Definitiv eine Entdeckung, auf die ich selbst nicht gekommen wäre 😊

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Jan 06 2024
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5

I bought this when it first came out and knew it would be a classic. How anyone can give this anything other than 5* is beyond me

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Jan 04 2024
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5

Outstanding. Can't wait to listen to more of their catalog. Right up my alley.

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Dec 29 2023
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5

Dreaming of you is een zalig hitje met nostalgische waarde. De rest van het album is ook erg opzwepend en tof

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Dec 21 2023
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5

Wow this was a total new discovery for for me and I loved the album Simon Diamond and Skeleton Key are great but it a really retro sounds with a twist - its a ride for sure listen to the whole thing please

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Nov 15 2023
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5

I’d never heard of The Coral before, but every song on this album rocks.

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Oct 30 2023
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5

Grew on me after the first listen

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Oct 19 2023
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5

Great actually was not expecting this.

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Sep 24 2023
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5

Very good, but very short. Possibly the most Scouse thing ever to exist, which is a good thing! A band I loved when this came out, and will always think of fondly

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Aug 13 2021
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5

Love it Beatles-esque. Very mod and jangly.

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Jun 16 2021
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5

One of my favorite albums in high school.

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Mar 09 2021
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5

No los conocía. Están entretenidos.

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Apr 04 2021
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5

Dope Psychedelia. Would probably be a 9/10, but a lot of the early songs squarely place this in a 5.

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Dec 11 2024
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4

That was a really unique album with the mix of hard rock, folk, and a touch of reggae in some songs. Was a nice switch up from the norm on this list. Some of the guitar work was really cool and the singer has a pretty interesting voice which worked well. Dreaming of You I think was in Scrubs if my memory was unlocked correctly.

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Dec 11 2024
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4

Never heard of these guys, but that was some pretty sweet psychedelic alternative folk-y shit. Noticed a lot of songs had some really solid harmonies too. Skeleton Key is wildly different than the others. This was just a strange album that was super interesting to me. Felt like it had a bunch of different genres and worked well. Creative af.

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Dec 11 2024
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4

10 seconds in I realized this was a Very Serious Rock Album and had to return to it later when I had time to actually listen. Was great. will return to it, unlike almost every other album from this that I wasn't already familiar with

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Dec 10 2024
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4

Floating between a 3 and a 4. Its rough around the edges, but its like an updated version of The Kinks or something which this list loves, so I'm moving it to a 4 with a "this is how it sits in context" mindset.

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Dec 04 2024
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4

Never heard of The Coral, but seems like they’re good enough that maybe I should have. A lot of severe tempo transitions in the middle of their songs and lead vocals make them sound very much like The Doors. Liked all songs except Skeleton Key. The Coral comes in at (4.2*s)

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Nov 24 2024
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4

Great debut... Obviously has the mighty Dreaming Of You but the whole record bristles with a sense of daring and taking risks. Nothing sounded like it at the time and it only really sounds like The Coral.

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Nov 17 2024
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4

Whoa. A UK rock album that I actively liked, that's rare on this list. This album was all over the place and it was fun. The lyrics and feel of the songs was often silly and lighthearted, I thought. I would listen to this album again, I hope I don't forget that it exists.

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Nov 14 2024
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4

This is cool and hits the right spot with me. Spanish Main is a strong opener.

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Nov 12 2024
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4

This won’t be for everyone but I like it

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Nov 08 2024
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4

A bit surprising, his voice was actually quite good or pleasant to listen to and the other various instruments certainly spiced things up a bit with interesting lyrics as well

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Nov 06 2024
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4

En 2002 sort le premier album de The Coral qui est un incroyable album fourmillant d'idées et de créativité. Album jeune et plein de fougue grâce à son mélange de mariachis mexicains, de psychédélisme californien, de dub jamaïcain, de groove drogué de Madchester, de pop scintillante de Liverpool, de rock extrême. Cet album lors de sa sortie fut une véritable bouffée d'air pur. Un premier album à découvrir et un gros 4/5

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Nov 04 2024
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4

How did they hoover up so many influences whilst still so young?. This is a punchy debut. It bounces along with a Scally psych feel. The lyrics are clever, the songs are tight. Ian Broudie polishes up the rough edges without too much Mr Sheen. Songs for window cleaners to hum.

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Oct 30 2024
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4

Despite me singing Dreaming Of You around the house on a regular basis, I somehow never knew that The Coral are from a town basically ten minutes down the road from me. I hadn’t heard anything else on the album before today, and it was a lot more varied than I’ve come to expect from UK indie bands. Interestingly, there were tracks that reminded me a little of Gogol Bordello, which was definitely a pleasant surprise. Outside of the super bigwigs of UK indie rock/pop (Blur and Oasis), this album might be up there are one of my favourites.

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Oct 24 2024
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4

Great album that I'd not given much thought to before

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Oct 23 2024
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4

This honestly took me a long time to figure out what kind of album this was. It was musically a little all over the place. I enjoyed it though even though it seemed scattered.

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Oct 15 2024
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4

"I remember when" aggiunta alla playlist : )

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Oct 07 2024
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4

Not particularly original,but we'll done. Surprisingly I'd missed this band until now.

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Sep 27 2024
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4

Listened to it this morning and can recall that it rocked but . . . that's it.

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Sep 25 2024
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4

Reminds me of Captain Beefheart with these stompy eccentric ditties. Bounces around a number of styles in a short period, which feels like a perfunctory tour, but also creates a wacky kaleidoscope that I kind of dig. Definitely grew on me with each listen, and I always enjoy a good sleeper.

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Sep 22 2024
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4

Rock with vocal harmonies and organ and some reggae rhythm. I Remember When Dreaming of You Wildfire

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Sep 18 2024
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4

The first time an album caught me by surprise with a so g I know but didn't know it was from this artist. There are some good tunes on here, but nothing groundbreaking. There is a lot worse rock on this list so I'll give it a pass.

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Sep 12 2024
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4

Kompakti, viihdyttävä, laulussa tunnetta ja hyvät soitot. Piti kuunnella useempi kerta

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Sep 11 2024
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4

What was commonplace forty-fifty years ago has become the rarest of musical acts; a band - as opposed to an individual and a computer holed up in a bedroom - with the ability to write melodic hooks actually exploring the sonic boundaries of 20th century rock/pop.

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Sep 08 2024
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4

Not a bad album at all but it's a weak debut album. Favourite Songs: I Remember When, Dreaming of You, Waiting for the Heartaches. Least Favourite Songs: Simon Diamond, Goodbye.

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Sep 03 2024
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4

This sounds as if The Doors were a 2000s garage rock revival band. Surprisingly, that works really well. I especially liked the layered oddball melodies. It did not make the jump from the UK to America, so it was all brand new to me. It’s interesting that this Oasis-adjacent Brit album would be released the Monday after Oasis announced a reunion tour. The algorithm has a hold of me!

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Sep 02 2024
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4

This album was fun! Nothing genre breaking in early ‘00’s rock, but a fun album. 4/5!

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Sep 01 2024
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4

The corals self titled album is great with a mix of barber shop quartets and rocky pink Floyd esc music was very good. gonna give it a 8/10

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Sep 01 2024
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4

Lots of styles are mixed here, and somehow rhe result is still coherent. It was an etertaining listening experience.

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Aug 23 2024
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4

Liked it a lot. Adventurous and whimsical, I liked how the songs followed themes. Really good for baking.

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Aug 21 2024
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4

Es como un poco country - rock. Está bien.

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Aug 18 2024
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4

A pleasant surprise from a band u had never heard of. Super listenable, if not exactly the most innovative. But they do have their own definitive that I enjoy. Nice, pleaseing, generic rock that doesn't suck.

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Aug 12 2024
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4

I had a good time, but I do not think it belongs on the list.

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