Album Results
The Coral
Nightfreak And The Sons Of Becker
Genre:
ROCK/POP
Label:
Deltasonic Records 2002 Limited
Release date: 2003
Album Reviews
Released less than half a year after Magic and Medicine, Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker is another eclectic and accomplished patchwork of tantalizing neo-psychedelia from the prolific lads the Coral. For this go-around, they spent a week recording a jammy bunch of tunes and carousing through a myriad of musical inspirations with studio wiz Ian Broudie manning the knobs. While such a scenario seems like it might lead to a bunch of demo-quality throwaways, these 11 songs are mostly potent and exhilarating. The mood and mannerisms of Magic and Medicine again rule the day, which means another batch of timeless songs brimming with tambourines, vintage keyboards, singsong melodies, and rousing rock passages. If the album has a more experimental tone, it's because some of the songs seem to jump forward a number of decades in musical influence. Opener "Precious Eyes" has the undeniable feel of a Super Furry Animals song, with its wobbly guitars, cha-ching drums, and singalong chorus. "I Forgot My Name" owes a debt to the Fall, as shouty megaphone vocals and sonic distortion make for invigorating festivities. "Song of the Corn" blends old-school psychedelic flourishes with new-school Beta Band vibes. It's this mixing of old and new dynamics that makes Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker such a compelling listen. Coming from a band so enamored with and indebted to the 1960s, this is at least a small step into a more accessible sonic pool. This album was added to the U.S. release of Magic and Medicine as a bonus disc, which made for a stunning bargain. Also quite stunning is the quality that goes hand in hand with the quantity of the band's output. With three albums in under three years, the Coral gave a slap to the face of their more creatively passive peers. In an era when so many bands seemed to dread the studio and wait eons between full-length albums, the Coral stormed the studio, stuck to their creative muses, and released an impeccable trio of infectious albums. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide
Track Listing
| 1. Precious Eyes |
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| 2. Venom Cable |
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| 3. I Forgot My Name |
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| 4. Song Of The Corn |
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| 5. Sorrow Or The Song |
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| 6. Auntie's Operation |
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| 7. Why Does The Sun Come Up? |
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| 8. Grey Harpoon |
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| 9. Keep Me Company |
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| 10. Migraine |
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| 11. Lovers Paradise |
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| Featured Review | |
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Love Lockdown KanYe West |
| KanYe West keeps on challenging the limits of hip-hop: if "Graduation" was his pop album, the first single from "808s and Heartaches" sees the star going all soulful and expanding the most spiritual side of former highlights such as "Jesus Walk" or "Can't Tell me Nothing". Arguably the first interactive recording ever made, thanks to the KanYe's official blog; when the original mix was posted, many fans reacted sending an avalanche of negative feedback; maybe it was the use of popular pitch-altering software autotune, abused in recent times by everyone from Cher to T-Pain, that led the audience to revolt and ended up with the notorious perfectionist re-recording the vocals and adding some taiko drums to highlight its minimal beat, imitating a heart pounding; posting it again afterwards for general approval. Not happy with that, he later went the Radiohead way, making six different stems (vocals, drums, piano, etc.) available for fans to remix the song themselves. "Love Lockdown" can be seen as West upgrading himself from rapper to proper soul singer and is one of his more inspired and powerful moments to date. A mind-blowing closing performance at this year's VMAs ignited a chart frenzy all over the world and it looks set to last for a few months. | |
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