liveDaily Interview: The Coral

The Coral have only been around for a couple of years, but the U.K. band has already released four albums--and all of its members are still in their early-20s.

The Liverpool septet (yes folks, a 7-piece)--a group of neighborhood friends--began its musical voyage in 1996, when its members were in their early teens. Rather than turning to modern influences like Oasis and Blur, the lads turned to psychedelic arrangements reminiscent of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, while adding pop melodies like their mod, Merseyside compatriots.

Thanks to the buzz from high-energy shows and fun, neo-psychedelic pop singles, The Coral's self-titled debut album hit U.K. stores in early 2002. Soon after came 2003's "Magic and Medicine" and 2004's creepily titled "Nightfreak and The Sons of Becker."

Aug. 30 sees the release of "The Invisible Invasion," which presents a more mature sound, but keeps the group's basic formula intact.

Excited and eager on a short promotional U.S. tour, singer/guitarist James Skelly, organist Nick Power and drummer Ian Skelly spoke with liveDaily before their July appearance at Hollywood's Troubadour.

You've been releasing new albums at a pace of almost one per year. Are there songs still to be heard from earlier times, or are you consistently writing songs?
Nick Power: It's a bit of both really. There's a big backlog of songs, and we write new songs as well.
James Skelly: I think sometimes we've written too many tunes. We've chilled out a bit now, and [are] honing it in a bit. On tour, you can't really write, but when you come home, it's better, because you'll have a burst of creativity. You play less guitar on tour than when you're at home.

Are there any songs on 'The Invisible Invasion' that were written a while ago?
JS: [turns to Power] This album's all new. Yeah?
NP: Mostly, yeah. The oldest one's maybe a year old.
Ian Skelly: Most of the songs for this album were written for this album--all in the same style--but there's still gems there sitting and waiting to be used because it hasn't been the right time.

You recorded your first album as teenagers. How long were you writing before you recorded your debut?
JS: I wrote my first tune when I was 15 or 16, and it was possibly the worst tune of all time. I didn't write a good tune until I was 18, really.

It's been five years now since the debut album. Did you have any goals then that have changed since?
IS: I've got pubes now. [laughs]
JS: Everything's changed.
NP: We knew that you had to do about four or five good albums before you became a proper band. The surprise was the touring and the record company work.

How important is breaking into the U.S.? Would you prefer radio popularity or a popular live show?
JS: We just want people to hear our songs. I don't know about strategies or anything. If you have those and you're in a band, then you shouldn't be in a band, I think.
NP: To be honest, we came over here because the record company told us. We're not really sure why, but we're just here for a few gigs and that's about it, really. Maybe we'll get on the radio and sell 5 million albums, but I doubt it.

Your avant-garde sound seems more tuned for an older generation who's been weaned on Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, while listeners your age may be more accustomed to pop music.
NP: I like "Pop Idol" [the British predecessor to "American Idol"], actually. It has its place.
JS: I wouldn't say we're avant-garde.
NP: We just don't want to be lumped in with other band styles that are out there. I can actually listen to "Pop Idol," and not much to these new alternative bands.

People like to say you're from the Liverpool scene, even though you're from outside Hoylake, closer to Wales. Which scene would you say you're a part of?
JS: As the crow flies, the distance is about the same, but we'd say we're more from Liverpool.
NP: There's a great thread of music from there, from The Beatles to The Bunnymen to Shack. And then us.
JS: We took stuff from Super Furry Animals, The Gorky's and Dylan Thomas.
NP: Liverpool was where we made it in the clubs and stuff. It's also where we got our record deal and met our manager.
JS: I think we've come to get more of our own sound lately, and better. We've got more confidence in our own thing since we've moved away a bit. You can get caught up in a scene, sometimes.

The song "Cripple's Crown" stuck out when I first heard it. What is it exactly?
JS: Anything you want it to be really.
NP: It's a place, but it really could be any place. Depends on what you get from it in the song.
IS: Its almost David Lynch-like, or sci-fi imagery.

Another one, "The Operator," has a dark madness to it. What inspired that madness?
IS: [looks at James] His toothache.
JS: Yeah. Dentists. Toothaches. Punctured lungs. Films. [laughs]

The lyrics for the song "Something Inside of Me" contain the title of your album. What exactly is "The Invisible Invasion?
JS: Whatever you want it to be. Sounds good, doesn't it? It could be a comic book that doesn't exist.

It seems most of the songs convey either feelings of lunacy or love. Do you see them as the same thing?
JS: Yeah. If you rehearsed the album in the Lake District for a few weeks, I think you do go crazy because there's nobody around. You end up speaking to donkeys and horses, and then you write songs like that. Love is pretty much the same thing.
NP: I spoke to a lot of donkeys after I split up with my girlfriend.
JS: There's a bit of love in the madness of a donkey, yeah?

Has Liverpool become this new hotbed of music? Does its new moniker, "The City of Culture," fit?
IS: That's the official name it's been given so it can get money.
JS: Then those people can buy extra cocaine. That's it really.


Was there a different approach to recording this album than your debut?
NP: It's pretty much stayed the same, but we've just got a bit better at arranging songs.

Do you prefer stadium shows, like your upcoming Oasis opening slots, or club shows?
IS: It depends on what the day is like, really. I've had great gigs in little clubs and I've had the same for bigger, festival shows. For me, it depends on the sound and the crowd.
JS: Usually, if you've had a good day, the gig will be crap, and if you've had a crap day, the gig will be good.

How do you see yourselves alongside all these other British bands making waves over here, like Bloc Party and The Futureheads?
NP: I don't have MTV and don't really follow that stuff.
JS: Who was that you mentioned earlier, the Computerheads? Oh, The Futureheads. They're obviously too futuristic for me.

Taken from liveDaily