The Coral - Roots and Echoes

It's hard to reconcile the image of the Coral of yesteryear – a troupe of fresh-faced, sea-shanty spouting and Captain Beefheart venerating upstarts – with a bunch of battle-weary veterans. However, time has taken a very real toll on the Liverpudlians, Roots and Echoes coming hot on the heels of a period of uncertainty and upheaval that saw lead guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones quit through stress-related exhaustion. Though Ryder-Jones is now back on board, the new album's veneer of surface assurance belies some timid steps back into the breach. The opening few salvos give the appearance of energy but are let down by clunky lyrical couplets and so-so melodies. Just when you are about to consign it to damp squid status however, Roots and Echoes miraculously ups its game – a five song burst running from the vibes driven torch song Not So Lonely to the epic eeriness of Music At Night signalling something of a rebirth for these put-upon minstrels. [Duncan Forgan]