Coral Island (album)
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''Coral Island'' is the tenth studio album by English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
the Coral The Coral are an English rock band, formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. The band emerged during the early 2000s. Their 2002 debut album ''The Coral'', from which came the single " Dreaming of You", was nominated for ...
. 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 A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
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 Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...
; the band and Chris Taylor acted as producers. Described as a
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
album, it drew comparison to
the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
' '' Village Green Preservation Society'' (1968), while the narration was reminiscent of that heard on the
Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The band w ...
' ''
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake ''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'' is the third studio album, and only concept album by the English rock band Small Faces. Released on 24 May 1968, the LP peaked at number one on the UK Album Charts on 29 June, where it remained for a total of six we ...
'' (1968). ''Coral Island'' received positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, 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

The Coral released their ninth studio album '' Move Through the Dawn'' in August 2018. Partway into touring to support it, the band began accumulating potential song ideas for their next album. Frontman
James Skelly James Alexander Skelly (born August 1980) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. Best known as the frontman of The Coral, he embarked on a solo career when the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2012. The band regrouped in ...
said the band came up with the idea of a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
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; " e more we sat on it, the more we were like 'you know, we could make our ersion of the Beatles'">the_Beatles.html" ;"title="ersion of the Beatles">ersion of the Beatles'''The Beatles (album)">White Album White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
''". 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. 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. Burdis built a model of the island, which inspired the band; Skelly attributed the model to "
Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Might ...
..crossed with Llandudno". 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. Taylor and Richard Turvey, who had worked on the band's previous releases, recorded "Change Your Mind" and "Lover Undiscovered". 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. Narration by the brothers' grandfather Ian Murrary was recorded at his house in Merseyside by Liam Power, keyboardist Nick Power's brother. James Skelly said they added "a Space Echo so it sounded echoey and strange". 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. 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.


Composition and lyrics


Overview

Musically, ''Coral Island''s sound has been described as
psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. Chara ...
, with elements of
indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...
and pop, and compared to
the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
' '' Village Green Preservation Society'' (1968). The band suggested the island was located "somewhere between
Seacombe Seacombe () is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, Seacombe is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part o ...
Ferry and
Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...
". They added their childhoods and a documentary on '' The River'' (1980) by
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
inspired it. ''Coral Island'' was planned initially as two albums. These were eventually combined as a
double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
split into the ''Welcome to Coral Island'' and ''The Ghost of Coral Island'' discs. Skelly said they aimed to release two albums with a three-month gap in-between until
Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
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'." The first disc centres around the coastal town's carefree success, with faster tracks aiming to emulate the atmosphere of
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...
es and arcades. The second disc is focused on individual characters as the town is in seasonal decline. Skelly said many of the tracks were written two days prior to them being recorded. Throughout ''Coral Island'', Murrary is heard narrating under the guise of The Great Muriarty. Written by Power, the narration has been compared to the one heard in ''
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake ''Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake'' is the third studio album, and only concept album by the English rock band Small Faces. Released on 24 May 1968, the LP peaked at number one on the UK Album Charts on 29 June, where it remained for a total of six we ...
'' (1968) by the
Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The band w ...
. Skelly said it was directly influenced by ''Ogdens'' as that was "one of my favourite albums ever ..but e'vetaken ur narrationto another level", alongside poets such as
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...
,
Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...
and
Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...
. He suggested asking
spiritual medium Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spir ...
Derek Acorah Derek Francis Johnson (27 January 1950 – 4 January 2020), known professionally as Derek Acorah, was a British spiritual medium. He was best known for his television work on ''Most Haunted'', broadcast on Living TV (2002–2010). His career as ...
, actor
Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short and ...
, boxing champion
John Conteh John Anthony Conteh, (born 27 May 1951) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1971 to 1980. He held the WBC light-heavyweight title from 1974 to 1978, and regionally the European, British and Commonwealth titles between 1 ...
, or comedian Tom O'Connor to do it, until "Ian
kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...
was like, 'we should get grandad. 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". Films such as '' The Shining'' (1980), ''
The Wicker Man ''The Wicker Man'' is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 nov ...
'' (2006), and ''
Suspiria ''Suspiria'' () is a 1977 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, partially based on Thomas De Quincey's 1845 essay ''Suspiria de Profundis''. The film stars Jessica Harper as ...
'' (2018) influenced some of the album's darkest tracks. Several family members and long-time collaborators contributed to the recordings: Phil McKinnell played
slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...
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 The Stylophone is a miniature analog electronic keyboard musical instrument played with a stylus. Invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis, it entered production in 1968, manufactured by Dubreq. Some three million Stylophones were sold, mostly as chi ...
on "Watch You Disappear".


Tracks

The opening track of disc one, "Welcome to Coral Island", is a short, 54-second long
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
song that informs the listener about Coral Island, complete with the sounds of crashing waves and seagulls. "Lover Undiscovered" is a
guitar pop Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
track, with a
soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...
atmosphere and touches of psychedelia. 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. 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".
The La's The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single " There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badge ...
-esque guitarwork of "Change Your Mind" is reminiscent of the works of
Teenage Fanclub Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill near Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared ...
. It had existed for several years under the name "October's Song" and originally had a slower tempo. "Mist on the River" is a ballad that recalls the sound of the band's second studio album ''
Magic and Medicine ''Magic and Medicine'' is the second studio album by English rock band the Coral. It was released on 28 July 2003, through Deltasonic. Within three months of releasing their self-titled debut studio album, the band began recording material for t ...
'' (2003); the vocals have been compared to
Crosby, Stills and Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...
. It was written and toyed with during soundchecks on the ''Move Through the Dawn'' tour. Bassist Paul Duffy wrote "Pavillions of the Mind" in the vein of
Les Baxter Leslie Thompson "Les" Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was a best-selling American musician and composer. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica ...
, and features a
theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
. According to James Skelly, they added
space echo The Roland RE-201 Space Echo is an audio effects unit that produces delay and reverb effects. It was produced by Roland Corporation from 1974 to 1990. Roland produced several smaller versions in later years. Background A tape echo device reco ...
to make the song "sound more broken". "Vacancy" is a
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
track with Kinks-lite
Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
and bass parts. It was recorded on a
laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
that the band had discovered at a disused
Mersey Tunnel The Mersey Tunnels connect the city of Liverpool with Wirral, under the River Mersey. There are three tunnels: the Mersey Railway Tunnel (opened 1886), and two road tunnels, the Queensway Tunnel (opened 1934) and the Kingsway Tunnel (opened 1 ...
entrance. 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). According to the band, "My Best Friend" talks about a friend who only talks to a specific person when they need something from them " t it's okay, you understand they're not in a good place, and anyway you might be in their position one day". They said it echoed the tone of "
For the Sake of the Song ''For the Sake of the Song'' is the debut album by country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in 1968. The majority of the songs, including the title track, "Tecumseh Valley", "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria", "Waitin' Around to Die", ...
" (1968) by
Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.
, and compared the addition of the
harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
to the work of
the Left Banke The Left Banke was an American baroque pop band, formed in New York City in 1965. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina". The band often used what the music press referred to as "baroqu ...
. "Arcade Hallucinations" is a psychedelic song; "The Game She Plays" was intended to have a Wrecking Crew atmosphere, with
Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...
-esque guitarwork. "Autumn Has Come" foreshadows a time when the tourists would leave the town and features a
bağlama The ''bağlama'' or ''saz'' is a family of plucked string instruments, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Turkish Arabesque music, Azerbaijani music, Kurdish music, Armenian music and in parts of Syria, Iraq ...
solo by guitarist Paul Molloy. Disc one concludes with "The End of the Pier", which is an homage to
promenades An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
. "The Ghost of Coral Island" opens disc two, which sees the band reminiscing about the previous summer. The
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
-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 "Johnny Remember Me" is a song which became a 1961 UK Singles Chart #1 hit single for John Leyton, backed by The Outlaws. It was producer Joe Meek's first #1 production. Recounting the haunting – real or imagined – of a young man by his dead ...
" (1961) by
John Leyton John Dudley Leyton (born 17 February 1936) is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek), which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart ...
. The band said it was "a tribute to 50's death-ditties, teenage fatalism and the ghosts of
Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...
". "Strange Illusions" sees the band saying goodbye to ships riding the ocean current and showcases Power's keyboard skills. Similar to "Vacancy", the verses of "Strange Illusions" were taken from a poem by Skelly, matched to chords by Power. "Take Me Back to the Summertime" features
Beatlesque "Beatlesque" () or "Beatles-esque" describes a musical resemblance to the English rock band the Beatles. The term is loosely defined and has been applied inconsistently to a wide variety of disparate artists. Definitions To better explain what t ...
vocal harmonies, and talks about losing money while playing penny arcade machines. 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". 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. "Old Photographs" deals with the emotional feeling when gazing at photographs. "Watch You Disappear" evokes the sound of
Geoff Goddard Geoffrey Goddard (19 November 1937 – 15 May 2000) was an English songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. Working for Joe Meek in the early 1960s, he wrote songs for Heinz, Mike Berry, Gerry Temple, The Tornados, Kenny Hollywood, The Outlaws ...
and
Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...
; Skelly said they wanted a "pre-Beatles sound, a ghostly rock 'n' roll sound, and project the idea of a haunted pier". "Land of the Lost" is a
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
soaked in
reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...
, which the band saw as the "most old school Coral track" on the entire album. It was done one take, and played back through a 1950s echo machine. The
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
-like "The Calico Girl" sees Paul Molloy acting as an acoustic busker, with a piano accompaniment. Molloy based the song on the
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
track "
Willie the Weeper "Willie the Weeper" is a song about drug addiction. It is based on a standard vaudeville song, likely written in 1904. It is credited to Walter Melrose, Grant Rymal, Marty Bloom, who published it with Morris Edwin H & Co Inc in 1908. The first re ...
" (1904), and said the character was a vagabond "amongst the left behind carnies".


Release

The Coral supported
the Courteeners Courteeners are an English band formed in Middleton in 2006 by Liam Fray (lead guitar/vocals), Michael Campbell (drums/backing vocals), Daniel "Conan" Moores (rhythm guitar) and Mark Cuppello (bass); the latter was replaced by the band's produc ...
for a one-off show in November 2019, and
Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
on their UK tour in March 2020. The band had finished working on ''Coral Island'' prior to the
COVID-19 lockdowns Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...
and had postponed the release because of it; Power theorised that it would have come out around September 2020 had the
pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
not happened. 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. That same year, the band released ''Lockdown Sessions'', an album of acoustic music that had been recorded at home during the lockdowns. Some outtakes from the ''Coral Island'' sessions were released on ''Lockdown Sessions'' as they did not fit the album's theme. During the lockdowns, James Skelly spent his time producing albums for acts such as the
Blossoms In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...
and
the Lathums The Lathums are an English indie rock band from Wigan, Greater Manchester. They are formed of singer/songwriter and guitarist Alex Moore, lead guitarist Scott Concepcion, bassist Matty Murphy and drummer Ryan Durrans, and are managed by Alfie Sk ...
. "Faceless Angel" was released as the lead single on 28 January 2021. Burdis directed the song's music video, which features a fairground. Coinciding with this, ''Coral Island'' was announced for release in three months' time. "Lover Undiscovered" was released as the second single on 18 March 2021; Burdis also directed this song's music video. Skelly said it had "a lot of psychedelic colors, which are meant to represent spring and summer". "Vacancy" was released as the third single on 15 April 2021; a lyric video was released with it. Run On Records and Modern Sky UK released ''Coral Island'' on 30 April 2021. The band had planned to do a photo shoot at a real
coral island A coral island is a type of island formed from coral detritus and associated organic material. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas, typically as part of a coral reef which has grown to cover a far larger area under the sea. Ecosystem ...
, but could not because of a COVID lockdown. 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''. 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
ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to: Acronyms * Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product * ''I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1 * Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets * Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion pic ...
'' Brighton Rock'', British seaside literature, comic books, in that classic tradition but with more of a modern take on it". A music video was released for "Change Your Mind" on 30 June 2021, directed by John Eaton.


Reception

''Coral Island'' was met with universal acclaim from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 85, based on 10 reviews.
AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...
gave it a score of 8.1, based on 11 reviews. ''
Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
'' 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". '' Clash'' writer Robin Murray saw it as an "extraordinary piece of world building .. thatnever once wavers in quality", with a "natural flow, one that holds your attention even at the record's most sonically obtuse moments". Rhys Buchanan of ''
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'' 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". In his review for ''
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'', journalist
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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". ''
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'' Kieran Macadie compared ''Coral Island'' to the Beatles' ''White Album'' in that " th 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". ''
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'' journalist Nick Hasted wrote that, "Merseyside rock's taste for glowing lysergic locales defines" the album; " at gives blood and muscle to the conceit" is the band's "abiding pop craft". Jim Wirth of ''
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'' 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". ''
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'' 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". Stefan Mertlik for
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saw it as a "such a mammoth project" that is "convincing because it sounds ambitious, but also accessible". ''Coral Island'' reached number two in the UK, number three in Scotland, number 52 in Germany, and number 60 in Switzerland. ''Mojo'' included the album at number seven on their list of the best 75 albums of the year.Mulvay ed. 2021, p. 58


Track listing

Writing credits per booklet.


Personnel

Personnel per booklet. The Coral *
James Skelly James Alexander Skelly (born August 1980) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. Best known as the frontman of The Coral, he embarked on a solo career when the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2012. The band regrouped in ...
– 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 The Stylophone is a miniature analog electronic keyboard musical instrument played with a stylus. Invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis, it entered production in 1968, manufactured by Dubreq. Some three million Stylophones were sold, mostly as chi ...
("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


References

Citations Sources * * *


External links


''Coral Island''
at
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(streamed copy where licensed)
Interview with James Skelly
at '' Far Out''
Interview with Nick Power
at Buzz {{The Coral 2021 albums The Coral albums