The Invisible Invasion | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 23 May 2005 | |||
Studio | Monnow Valley, Elevator | |||
Genre | Psychedelia | |||
Length | 39:42 | |||
Label | Deltasonic | |||
Producer | Adrian Utley, Geoff Barrow | |||
The Coral chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Invisible Invasion | ||||
|
The Invisible Invasion is the fourth studio album by English rock band the Coral. It was released on 23 May 2005, through Deltasonic. Following on from the stop-gap release of the mini album Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker (2004), the band began recording their next album with Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley of Portishead as producers. Sessions were mainly held at Monnow Valley Studio, with additional recording being done at Elevator Studios. Described as a psychedelia album, it had more of a stripped-down sound compared to their past releases.
"In the Morning" was released as the lead single to The Invisible Invasion on 9 May 2005. The Coral supported with performances at the Glastonbury and T in the Park festivals, alongside a support slot for three Oasis gigs; guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones was absent due to a stress-related illness. The album's second single "Something Inside of Me" was released on 22 August 2005, which was followed by an appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. The band went on a tour of the United Kingdom in October 2005, and closed out the year with two more shows in that territory.
The Invisible Invasion received generally favourable reviews from music critics, with some highlighting its stripped-down nature. It peaked at number five in the UK, while also charting in France, Ireland, and Japan. The album would later be certified gold in the UK, while "In the Morning" was certified silver. Both of the album's singles charted in the UK, while "In the Morning" also charted in Ireland, and "Something Inside of Me" also charted in Scotland.
The Coral released their second studio album Magic and Medicine in July 2003. [1] Its four singles – "Don't Think You're the First", "Pass It On", "Secret Kiss", and "Bill McCai" – all reached the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart, with "Pass It On" peaking the highest at number five. [2] In January 2004, the band released Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker , a mini album that acted as a stop-gap release until they could begin work on their third studio album. [3] [4] The Invisible Invasion was produced by Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley of Portishead; the majority of it was recorded at Monnow Valley, with the exception of "A Warning to the Curious", which was recorded at Elevator Studios in Liverpool. [5]
Keyboardist Nick Power said the band were big fans of Portishead but did not approach them about any producing work, until "word got back to us that they were big fans of ours." [6] Additional recording for "She Sings the Mourning", "Cripples Crown", "So Long Ago", "Far from the Crowd", and "Arabian Sand" was done at Elevator, with assistance Matthew Edge. Utley served as engineer for all the recordings, with assistance from Steve Davis and Edge. [5] The band took a brief break from recording to play a one-off show in Bath. [7] Barrow, Utley and Craig Silvey mixed the recordings at Moles Studio in Bath, with mix engineer Nick Joplin, and assistance from Paul Corkett. The album was then mastered by Frank Arkwright at Whitfield Street Studios. [5]
Musically, the sound of The Invisible Invasion has been described as psychedelia. [8] [9] It had more of a stripped-down sound than their past releases. [10] Frontman James Skelly wrote the majority of the album, either by himself or co-writing with Power, guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones or guitarist Lee Southall; the band as a whole wrote "Arabian Sand". [5] The opening track, "She Sings the Mourning", featured bowed guitar and a shuffle beat, earning it a comparison to Can. [11] James Skelly said "Cripples Crown" referred to a "rock in Runcorn that me and Ian [Skelly] used to say Jesus threw the devil off." [12] The folk-pop song "So Long Ago" is a homage to the Wright brothers, and is followed by the new wave track "The Operator". [13] [14] [15]
"A Warning to the Curious" was compared to "My White Devil" (1983) by Echo & the Bunnymen. [16] "In the Morning" is a pop rock song about small town melancholy, reminiscent of the work of the Boo Radleys. [16] [17] "Something Inside of Me" recalled the work of Madness. [18] "Come Home" sees the narrator waiting for his partner to come home, which is continued into "Far from the Crowd"; the latter includes a tribal beat. [19] The folk-pop song "Leaving Today" was done in the vein of the Byrds, and is followed by "Arabian Sand", which was influenced by Mad Man in the Desert, a painting by artist Salvador Dalí. [11] [20] The album closes with the folk-pop ballad "Late Afternoon". [15] [21]
"In the Morning" was released as a single on 9 May 2005. [22] Two versions were released on CD in the UK: the first with "Leeslunchboxbyblueleadandthevelcrounderpants", while the second featured "Gina Jones", "The Image of Richard Burton as Crom", and the music video for "In the Morning". [23] [24] The Invisible Invasion was released on 23 May 2005, through Deltasonic; its title is taken from "Something Inside of Me". [13] [21] Some copies came with a bonus disc consisting of a live session recorded for BBC Radio 1's Lamacq Live . [5] The Japanese edition included "Gina Jones" and "Leeslunchboxbyblueleadandthevelcrounderpants" as extra tracks. [25] Following this, they appeared at Glastonbury Festival and T in the Park, and supported Oasis for three shows; Ryder-Jones was absent from these shows due to a stress-related illness. [26] [27] [28]
"Something Inside of Me" was released as a single on 22 August 2005. [29] Two versions were released on CD in the UK: the first with "The Conjurer", while the second included "The Case of Arthur Tannen", "The Box", and the music video for "Something Inside of Me". [30] [31] Following this, the band performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. [32] In October 2005, the band went on a tour of the UK. [26] In November 2005, it was revealed that Sony was distributing albums with Extended Copy Protection, a controversial feature that automatically installed rootkit software if played on any Microsoft Windows machine. Alongside being unable to copy CDs, the software reported the users' listening habits back to Sony and exposed the computer to malicious attacks via exploits. In spite of Sony refusing to release a list of the affected albums, the Electronic Frontier Foundation identified The Invisible Invasion as one of the discs with the software. [33] The band closed the year with two UK shows in December 2005. [34]
In the fall of 2005, The Invisible Invasion appeared on a list of the 52 CD releases from Sony BMG that were identified as having been shipped with the controversial Extended Copy Protection (XCP) computer software, [35] [36] which, in addition to preventing a copy of the disc from being made, was identified by many security software vendors as having also reported the users' listening habits back to Sony and also exposed any Microsoft Windows computer known to have the CD inserted to malicious attacks that exploited insecure features of the rootkit software. [37] Sony discontinued use of the technology on 11 November 2005, [38] and recalled this and other titles affected by XCP, and asked customers to submit copies affected by the software to the company so that it could replace them with copies that did not contain the software. [39]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 73/100 [40] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10 [21] |
The Guardian | [41] |
NME | 7/10 [16] |
Now | 3/5 [42] |
Pitchfork | 6/10 [20] |
PopMatters | 6/10 [19] |
Rolling Stone | [43] |
Slant Magazine | [44] |
Yahoo! Launch | [45] |
The Invisible Invasion was met with generally favourable from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 73, based on 21 reviews. [40]
AllMusic reviewer Tim Sendra said "[t]hings are pretty much as you would expect them to be", citing Skelly as "still channel[ing] the voice of Ian McCullough, the guitars [...] still sparkle and shine, and the band is still inventive and interesting." The major difference he found was the "stripped-down and focused sound", aided by Barrow and Utley. He called the tracks on the album "among the best they have written and are quite varied as well". [10] Dom Gourlay of Drowned in Sound wrote that it was "far from being a difficult third album, instead providing another shining example that the Grandsons of Invention have plenty more use for their test tubes and bunsen burners just yet.". [21] The Guardian 's Maddy Costa said the band "attempt[ed] to fuse both sides of their personality", the "[d]emented, fractious, febrile psychedelia" and "[j]aunty, impish, unaffected pop". She noted that while not "everything on the album is so compelling", if the listen felt their "attention drifting it gets snagged again by an impenetrably peculiar lyric [... it's] sounds only the Coral can produce." [41] NME writer Simon Hayes Budgen said that in spite of Barrow and Utley's production, the record was "still clearly a Coral album," with the "chirpy psychedelia" having been sedated "considerably and no longer dominates the speakers." He added that the band "get the chance to show that they can turn in proper, craft-standard pop when they need to." [16]
Jamie Gill of Yahoo! Launch said having Barrow and Utley produce the album made it come across as "reliably clean and gleaming". He added that listeners would "never be ashamed to own but wouldn’t necessarily feel the need to play all that often, either." [45] Now 's Elizabeth Bromstein noted that it had a "darker, more lonesome feel [...] but in a fun way, with plenty of whimsy." She considered the "whole 60s pop thing [...] tired", in spite of this, "instrumentally this is a great record." [42] In a review for Rolling Stone , Christian Hoard wrote that the band "sometimes sound small, especially when they up the tempo on self-consciously trippy cuts" like the opening track, "but on The Invisible Invasion they better themselves by refusing to try so damn hard." [43] Pitchfork contributor Adam Moerder wrote that the band "reverted to a subdued and almost jaded sound", with the album displaying "way too many wrinkles and stretch marks". [20] PopMatters reviewer Stephen Haag said if their debut album "didn't break them Stateside, then nothing will." He added that The Invisible Invasion name "may prove to be an unfortunately apt title in America", while it "doesn't have to, and shouldn't, be this way.". [19] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine found it to do "nothing to distinguish itself" from the band's peers; while it contained "enough of a paranoid streak to pass for thematic coherence", that "doesn’t automatically mean depth." [44]
The Invisible Invasion peaked at number five in the UK. [46] It also reached number 16 in Ireland, [47] number 53 in Japan, [48] and number 104 in France. [49] "In the Morning" charted at number six in the UK, and number 28 in Ireland. [2] [50] "Something Inside of Me" peaked at number 42 in the UK, and number 83 in Scotland. [2] [51] The Invisible Invasion was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), while "In the Morning" went silver. [52] [53]
Writing credits per booklet. [5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "She Sings the Mourning" |
| 3:08 |
2. | "Cripples Crown" |
| 3:38 |
3. | "So Long Ago" |
| 2:42 |
4. | "The Operator" | J. Skelly | 2:20 |
5. | "A Warning to the Curious" |
| 3:56 |
6. | "In the Morning" | J. Skelly | 2:33 |
7. | "Something Inside of Me" | J. Skelly | 2:26 |
8. | "Come Home" |
| 4:14 |
9. | "Far from the Crowd" | J. Skelly | 3:39 |
10. | "Leaving Today" |
| 3:08 |
11. | "Arabian Sand" | The Coral | 4:02 |
12. | "Late Afternoon" | J. Skelly | 3:56 |
Total length: | 39:42 |
Personnel per booklet. [5]
The Coral
| Production and design
|
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
---|---|
French Albums (SNEP) [49] | 104 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [47] | 16 |
Japan (Oricon) [48] | 53 |
UK Albums (OCC) [46] | 3 |
The Coral are an English rock band, formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. The band emerged during the early 2000s. Their 2002 debut album The Coral, from which came the single "Dreaming of You", was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and listed as the fourth best album of the year by NME. Their second album, Magic and Medicine (2003), produced four UK Top 20 singles, including "Pass It On". In 2008, after guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones left the band, they continued as a five-piece.
Meltdown is the fourth studio album to be recorded by the Northern Irish rock band Ash. The album was released on 17 May 2004 through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Following the success of their third studio album Free All Angels (2001), Ash debuted several new songs while touring throughout 2003. By October that year, they had travelled to Los Angeles, California, to record a follow-up album, which was co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz and the band. Recording sessions were held at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and at Chalice Studios, Hollywood. Meltdown, which is described as a hard rock album, drew comparisons to the work of The Smashing Pumpkins and critics said the guitar work resembles that of Black Sabbath and Metallica.
The Zutons are an English indie rock band, formed in 2001 in Liverpool. The band are currently composed of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Dave McCabe, drummer Sean Payne, and saxophonist Abi Harding.
Welcome to the North is the second studio album by British rock band the Music. It was released on 20 September 2004 through Virgin Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut studio album (2002), the band toured the United States in early 2003. By June 2003, they had begun writing for its follow-up; they took a break at the end of the year. Two months of sessions at Soundworks in Leeds occurred in early 2004. The band then travelled to Atlanta, Georgia in the US to record with producer Brendan O'Brien at Southern Tracks Recording. Welcome to the North is a post-grunge and space rock album, taking influence from the works of Jane's Addiction, Led Zeppelin and the Stone Roses.
Love Is Here is the debut studio album by rock band Starsailor, released on 8 October 2001 by Chrysalis Records. After finalising their line-up, a positive review from NME started a bidding war between record labels that eventually saw the band sign to EMI. Following the making of some demos, "Fever" and "Good Souls" were released as singles on 4 February 2001 and 23 April 2001, respectively. The band recorded their debut album at Rockfield Studios with producer Steve Osborne over the course of six weeks. Love Is Here features acoustic guitars accompanied by gentle piano chords, earning it comparisons to the albums Parachutes (2000) by Coldplay, and The Invisible Band (2001) by Travis.
The Coral is the debut studio album by British rock band the Coral. It was released on 29 July 2002, through the Deltasonic record label. After finalising their line-up, the band had a residency at The Cavern Club, and were spotted and signed by Alan Willis of Deltasonic soon afterwards. Following the release of a single and an EP, and two UK tours, the band began recording their debut album. Sessions were held at Linford Manor Studios, Milton Keynes in early 2002, and were produced by the Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie and the Coral. Described as a neo-psychedelia and folk rock album, frontman James Skelly's voice was compared to Eric Burdon of the Animals and Jim Morrison of the Doors.
Magic and Medicine is the second studio album by English rock band the Coral. It was released on 28 July 2003, through Deltasonic. Within three months of releasing their self-titled debut studio album, the band began recording material for their next album in October 2002. Sessions were produced by the Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie, with co-production from the Coral; recording continued in-between tours of the United States and Europe, finishing in April 2003. Described as a pop rock and psychedelic pop release, Magic and Medicine was compared to the work of the Animals, with frontman James Skelly's vocals recalling that band's frontman Eric Burdon.
Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker is a mini album and third studio album by English rock band the Coral, released on 26 January 2004 by Deltasonic. The Coral began writing the record less than a month after releasing their second studio album, Magic and Medicine (2003). Recording for the album took place over 12 days at Bryn Derwen Studios in Wales with producer Ian Broudie, frontman for the Lightning Seeds; the Coral served as co-producers. Described as a lo-fi neo-psychedelia release, Nightfreak is a concept album about German tennis player Boris Becker.
"Obsessions" is the second single from English rock band Suede's fifth studio album, A New Morning (2002). It was released on 18 November 2002 through Epic Records, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart and number 19 in Spain.
Who Killed...... The Zutons? is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Zutons, released via Deltasonic on 19 April 2004. The album's last known sales are that of 581,088 as of July 2006.
The Back Room is the debut studio album of British rock band Editors; it was released on 25 July 2005 through Kitchenware Records. The Editors formed while attending university and later moved to Birmingham, where they played club shows and made demos. After signing to Kitchenware in late 2004, the band recorded their debut album at studios in Lincolnshire, London and Wolverhampton. Jim Abbiss produced all but one of the tracks; the exception was produced by Gavin Monaghan. The Back Room is a post-punk revival, gothic rock and indie pop album that has been compared to the works of Echo & the Bunnymen, Elbow and Interpol.
"I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)" is the debut single of Scottish singer-songwriter Sandi Thom, released in October 2005. The song was written by Thom and Tom Gilbert. Following a re-release in 2006, the song topped the singles charts of Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. However, critical reaction to the song was largely negative, especially regarding the lyrics.
Mary Mary is the third studio album by American duo Mary Mary. It was released by Columbia Records on July 19, 2005 in the United States, selling 57,000 copies in its first week. In 2006, the album won a Dove Award for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year at the 37th GMA Dove Awards.
Roots & Echoes is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Coral. It was released on 6 August 2007, through Deltasonic. During the promotional cycle for their third studio album The Invisible Invasion (2005), guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones left and subsequently re-joined the band. Recording for their next album occurred between August 2006 and February 2007 at three different studios, Wheeler End, Konk, and RAK. Craig Silvey and the band co-produced the majority of the material, aside from two songs that were produced by Ian Broudie. Described as a psychedelic rock and pop album, Roots & Echoes took influences from doo wop and R&B.
"Goodbye" is a song by English indie rock band The Coral taken from their debut album The Coral (2002). Released in July 2002, it was the second single taken from the album and charted at #21.
"In the Morning" is a song by English indie rock band the Coral. It was released on 9 May 2005 as the lead single from their third studio album The Invisible Invasion (2005). The single reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. It was the second-most-played song on UK radio in 2005.
Third is the third studio album by the English band Portishead. It was released on 28 April 2008 in the United Kingdom by Island Records and a day later in the United States by Mercury Records. Portishead's first studio album in eleven years, Third moved away from the trip hop style they had popularised, incorporating influences such as krautrock, surf rock, doo wop and the film soundtracks of John Carpenter.
Butterfly House is the sixth full-length studio album by English indie rock band The Coral. The album was produced by John Leckie, whose previous collaborators include The Stone Roses and Radiohead. and was recorded at RAK studios in London as well as Rockfield in South Wales. It was released on 12 July 2010 to great critical acclaim. The album was recorded through a two-year span where the band road-tested the material. This is The Coral's first album without Bill Ryder-Jones, who departed in 2008. It peaked at #16 in the UK Album Charts but has since been a consistent seller for Deltasonic Records. The single, "1000 Years", reached #188 on the UK Singles Chart.
Distance Inbetween is the eighth studio album by the English indie rock band The Coral. It's their first album after a five-year hiatus, their first without guitarist Lee Southall and also the first with Southall's replacement, Paul Molloy. The album was released on 4 March 2016. The first single, "Chasing the Tail of a Dream", was released on 26 December 2015.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)