The Coral - Coral Island

Mainstays of British alternative music for nearly twenty years, The Coral purposely walk out of step with whatever is regarded as cool that week.

They’ve always offered glimpses of their unique viewpoint, whether it be of hickory docks or of gypsy market blues, but it has only ever been allowed to be witnessed from afar, a netherworld of mischief. No more.

On Coral Island we are specifically and cordially invited into their world across 24 tracks. For those intimidated by the time required to commit to such an undertaking, fear not; nine of the said tracks are interludes, narrated by the grandfather of the Skelly brothers. As we navigate the funfair of the island, the album clocks in at under an hour.

The narrator, Ian Murray (otherwise known as The Great Muriarty), has a voice which both evokes his years of experience but also has a sprightly, impish quality which suggests it’s a family trait, but he’s a teller of tales rather than a ringmaster, as whimsically befuddled as the rest of us.

On opener ‘Welcome To Coral Island’ (also the title of Part One of this double album), he tells us that, ‘you become an impression of yourself, whatever that means,’ a clear sign that we should leave logic in the harbour.

https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/04/review-the-coral-island/