The Coral Album: “Skeleton Key [EP]”

If you have read any of my reviews in the past you will come to realize that I like artists that at times might be jumping genres and that the music seems to be all over the place.

Well Coral doesn't dissapoint. picking up where Syd Barret left off, these guys carry the psychedelic banner proudly. i can't wait to buy the full release

Call them the pirates of rock. This is music to listen to in the car on your way to "Pirates of the Caribbean" -- solid, gritty rock with a mishmash of older influences like Pink Floyd and Zappa. Somehow it's all woven together into a very satisfying whole in the EP "Skeleton Key."

"I am shipwrecked on the rocks!" shouts the rollicking "Skeleton Key," which then melts into a mix of eerie music and bellowing vocals. "The Oldest Path" is catchy and a bit more mournful. The EP then slips into quieter ground with the meditative "God Knows," horn-laden "Darkness," and steadier, slightly folky-sounding "Sheriff John Brown."

Those just getting acquainted with the Coral will find this a good display of their talents. While the band seems to excel in boisterous rock, "Skeleton Key" also shows that they can handle milder, quieter songs with a variety of tunes and lyrical styles. The vocals range from smooth to scratchy.

While "Skeleton Key" is a satisfying mini-album, it will probably leave listeners wanting to check out the Coral's self-titled album (which contains the title song). Recommended to fans of Britpop, roiling rock, and the high seas.

The Coral calmed down into a more traditional 1960's-style rock band so quickly that there's only a small body of evidence to suggest the truly manic and unpredictable band that they started out as. The Skeleton Key EP was the group's first release in the United States, and while it doesn't match the lunatic heights of their self-titled full-length debut, it's still a much wilder ride than later fans would probably expect from them.

The opening title track is an early Coral masterpiece, showcasing the energy and just-plain-weirdness that made them such a buzz band in England. Its panic-speed Middle Eastern riff and ragged gang vocals make it sound like a punk rock update of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. The following song, "The Oldest Path", is a keyboard and harmonica-led nautical-themed riff-rocker that again bears a weird resemblance to Captain Beefheart, largely thanks to singer James Skelly's charmingly rough vocals. After that, the rest of the EP is more subdued, showing off the group's more conventional 60's worship which would be more pronounced on later records. Still, the sleepy "God Knows" and the dreamy "Darkness" are terrifically catchy songs, in the same vein as fellow Liverpool natives the Zutons. And the final song on the disc, "Sheriff John Brown", brilliantly nicks the main riff to the Animals' "House of the Rising Sun" for a loping story-song that stays interesting, even at almost seven minutes in length.

In the end, this EP serves as a very accurate summation of the band's career, as it contains both their angular rock freakouts and their warmer British Invasion updating. Since the first full-length to follow this, THE CORAL, was more on the freakout side, it was probably just wishful thinking on my part that they'd stay in that direction the whole time. But really, both sides of the band's sound are equally enjoyable, so assuming you haven't heard the Coral yet, this is just about the best introduction you could get from them. Bonus: There's a video for the song "Skeleton Key" on the disc, and while it's nothing you can't find on YouTube, you couldn't back when the CD was released, so they meant well.

This is a 5-song EP originally released by this Liverpool quintet in 2002. I would describe their music as being innovative but not pompous as they sound like they're having a lot of fun. I think they think that they are really pirates masquerading as musicians. I would love to see these guys live. The influences that I pick up are all over the place...from Captain Beefheart, Madness, Frank Zappa, early Pink Floyd, The Beatles, XTC, and Camper Van Beethoven. But if you are interested in checking out this band you are better off with their full CD simply called The Coral.