Hoylake heroes the Coral have taken things one step further with this lo-fi limited edition, Nightfreak And The Sons Of Becker, having already honed and toned down their exuberant eclecticism on their last album. Planned as a stop-gap before their third album proper, there is nothing improper about this splendid stripped-down offering. Recorded live in only a week in North Wales with Ian Broudie at the production helm, it thrills with a raw energy, humour and scratchy punk-fuelled psychedelia.

Stand-out moments include the mellifluous acoustic-led groove "Sorrow or the Song", dub-inflected ode to gloom "Grey Harpoon" and the Cramps-style camp of "Migraine", which finds James Skelly repeatedly hollering "My Brain... I think I'm infected with a social decease". With an edgy sense of urgency this unrefined offering is mighty fine indeed, exposing the raw talent that makes the Merseyside sextet one of the most prolific and important UK acts of the moment. --Christopher Barrett

fantastic, at least i think so.
somewhere between psychdelia and punk but done in a coral style
its very short no doubt but its good enough for this to still not be a problem and any longer may of been too much, as it is this eclectic mixture feels right

This album has largely been overlooked by the music press (possbily due to the fact it is a miny), and seem to be dismissing the Coral as slightly silly, kind-of-retro scousers who because of their tongue-in-cheek attitude in the studio as well as onstage will never sell as well as the Zutons. This is a stupid attitude to have. Unlike, say, Oasis, the Coral do not just nick stuff from the 60s. Instead, they take 60s music (especially psychedelic music) as an INFLUENCE, which they then EXPAND UPON. And boy they sure do expand on it effectively.

This album is similar to their previous efforts, but manages to outclass them on several fronts. For one thing, it is less influenced by the Beatles (their debut was very Beatles-tinged), or Dylan (Magic and Medicine) (note these are not the only influences on their previous albums, just examples), but instead takes much more from Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, and, in my opinion, at least matches it in terms of deranged genius.

God knows what they're going on about in the sleeve notes, and at only 28 minutes long you could get the impression that it is needlessly short. But it isn't. All the songs are exactly the right length, and the album has exactly the right number of them. This is punk psychedelia. The Coral have, on purpose or just by accident, managed to balance perfectly the whimsical brilliance of Syd Barrett and the schizophrenic madness of the Pixies (yeah, I know, not psychedelic, but I'm not trying to pigeonhole them here, just explain their sound), whilst maintaining a genuine and wholly earnest streak of individuality, both in terms of music and in terms of style- the Coral are not just another NME, eighties-revivalist sort-of-rock band. The Coral are the real deal. If this wasn't a miny album I'm sure it would be hailed as one of the best of the year, if not all time, but instead we have to content ourselves with Scissor Sisters, Keane and the Streets.

Buy this album now. Everyone should own a copy of it. You'll know what I'm going on about when you hear it. Every song is a cosmic slice of... well I don't even know what, man. It's just great. This is the best album of 2004, and if this is just a miny then I can't wait to hear what the Coral are going to produce given a full forty minutes or whatever.

The Coral have shown the same approach to writing and touring that was common place 20-30 years ago, in a time before bands would be expected to produce massive, critically accepted million sellers. Few bands like the Coral exist these days that develop into something amazing over a few years, few record companies have the patience to allow a band to mature over several albums. This is what is happening here, however rather than become over-produced the band are sounding more raw and immediate. That is not to say that they are inept musically. These are a talented bunch of lads who can mix melodies very well.
Of all the tracks here, Migraine is a more edgey step from the earlier more whimsical sea shanty feel of the first album. As stated in the other reviews, this album does not ease you into the world of the Coral easily, look for the other 2 albums before this one.

As the only material I've heard by the Coral (so far) I can't judge this against previous albums but on it's own it absolutly amazed me! This album is absolutly brilliant! It contains a few different styles and some crazy photos in the insert! Overall an excellent cd and a definate must buy for anyone.

Frankly, I love the coral... Many of their songs seem melodic and smooth and then jump to a crazy guitar fest before finishing... Some start as insane as they end... This mini album is really what youd expect - it sounds quite rushed, not quite perfected. The songs all have the same twist that was found in the first two albums, but here it is all together too unsubtle, and quite a bit less enjoyable...

I keep wanting to go back to listen to magic and medicine and the coral (the album), but i just dont get that with this really... it lacks the songs that just stick in your head... the insanity of 'simon diamond' and 'in the forest' are a couple of supurb songs, the quality of which is simply not matched here unfortunately... but then it is what it is - its not really a full album, and i strongly beleive that the corals next release will be as supurb as there first.

if you have neither of the first two albums, then i suggest you buy one first, as they are far better put together... if you already own both BUY THIS... although it lacks the brilliance present in the others, it is still a good (not great)album in its own right, and gives you 'more of that infectious sound' (as a fellow reviewer so wisely put it)...