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The Coral

The Coral

Nightfreak And The Sons Of Becker

(Deltasonic)

Psychedelic rockers The Coral have hardly had chance to draw breath since their last album, Magic And Medicine, was released six months ago, so it's surprising to find another 11-track disc already in the shops. This limited-edition mini-album comes with a guarantee of no singles and no promotional fanfare, hoping to spread The Coral's message by 'word of mouth' (though the record company did mail us a review copy).

The prolific Merseyside sextet must have just too many tunes to keep in their heads until their next album proper, so they hit a studio in north Wales late last year and recorded them in just seven days, mostly in one take. There are plenty of familiar traits; surreal organ swirls, jangly guitars and a healthy dose of scally humour missing among many of their peers.

But the very throwaway nature of this album - and it's name, a reference to tennis star Boris' antics in the cloakroom of Nobu - tells you that it's not meant to be taken seriously. It's more a chance for them to lark about and experiment. How else would you explain the closer, Lovers Paradise, a mock barber shop tune?

That excepted, it's another worthwhile release which at times confirms the suspicion that The Coral are Doors clones (Precious Eyes), then confounds you with Kinks-style pop songs (Auntie's Operation) to Snoop-style G-funk (Grey Harpoon). There'd be no better way to spend a wet week in Wales than lark around with The Coral, but this musical postcard is souvenir enough.

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