Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker

by

The Coral

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Not knowing that Nightfreak was going to be part of the US version of Magic and Medicine, I bought the import.

As far as the album is concerned, it's nowhere near as produced as the Debut or Magic and Medicine. If it had been, though...

A lot of different styles of music, so you don't get bored there. The best songs of the album are(in no order):Grey Harpoon, Venom Cable, Migraine, Precious Eyes, and Lovers Paradise. Grey Harpoon is great now, but if slightly more produced, it would awesome. Some songs however, just don't make it for me.(i.e. I Forgot my Name, and Auntie's OPeration). Overall not too bad. Can't wait for the next album!

At least nobody can fault the Coral for lack of output. The Brit-rock band released "Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker" as a step between their last album and their new "Magic and Medicine." It lacks texture and dimension, but it's an entertaining little nugget of rough, raw rock.

A very blistery riff starts off the plodding "Precious Eyes." The rest of the album is predominantly very basic guitar rock like the catchy, raw "I Forgot My Name," the meandering "Sorrow or the Song," and the very ordinary "Keep Me Company." But there are also a few richer numbers like the slow, ominous "Song of the Corn," the spacey "Grey Harpoon," and the deliciously catchy "Venom Cable" with its reverberating organ.

Don't expect "The Coral" all over again, because that is not what you're going to get. "Nightfreak" is a lot less polished and musically deep, but it has a certain rough-hewn charm. More often than not, it's very basic guitar rock without a lot of complexity, augmented by little psychedelic flourishes like the zig-zag sound effects in "Grey Harpoon."

If the instrumentation is rough, at least it has some variety -- hollow drumming, psychedelic swashes, unpolished guitar riffs, with little additions like organs and surreal spoken interludes. The instrumentation is basically something that could be brilliant rock if it weren't lacking in dimension, needing more layers and more complexity.

The lyrics definitely leave something to be desired, with howls of "I can see THROUUUUGH YOOUUU!", and the poppy ditty: "Migraine - Doctor, doctor, tearing my hair out/Migraine - Doctor, doctor, what's it all about?" At least they sound like they are enjoying themselves -- the elated yowls and cheerfully muted vocals of "Lover's Parade" drip with barely-restrained enjoyment.

"Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker" has the recognizable Coral sound, but it sounds like the guys simply put it out rather than polishing it into their more typical sound. Entertaining, but not terribly good. (Small note: "Nightfreak" can be found as part of "Magic & Medicine" in the US)