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The Coral: The Coral

Devon Powers, PopMatters, 17 January 2003

IT TAKES BALLS to begin an album as pompously as The Coral begin their eponymous debut. The opening bars of country wrangle swagger into a jangly space-age march that, as soon as you get a grip on it, rushes out of reach. Mayhem ensues—but briefly. Next: what sounds like a ship-deck chorus, like the Pirates of Penzance fresh off a couple of pints, men singing and sloshing and swashbuckling, until they're gradually overtaken by the slop of before. Then suddenly, it ends. Just like that. I want to rip my eyelashes out.

Total word count of piece: 632

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