Invisible Invasion [Import]

Invisible Invasion [Import]

Track Listings

1. She Sings the Mourning
2. Cripples Crown
3. So Long Ago
4. Operator
5. Warning to the Curious
6. In the Morning
7. Something Inside of Me
8. Come Home
9. Far from the Crowd
10. Leaving Today
11. Arabian Sand
12. Late Afternoon

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Work on the Coral's The Invisible Invasion began back at the start of 2004. It's produced by Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow(Portishead). The band hired a house in the Lake District for two weeks and rehearsed the 18 possible songs for the album, tweaking and developing them there, before they were ready to set them to acetate. The first single to be taken from the album is entitled 'In The Morning'. Sony. 2005

Invisible Invasion,Coral,Sony/Bmg,Rock,Rock/Pop


Invisible Invasion [Import]

The Invisible Invasion
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Coral Improves On Success
  • They sing the mourning
The Invisible Invasion
The Coral
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Neo-PsychedeliaNeo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
BritainBritain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Magic and Medicine
  2. The Coral
  3. Skeleton Key
  4. Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker
  5. Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker

ASIN: B000CMNJEK
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Tracks:

  1. She Sings The Mourning
  2. Cripples Crown
  3. So Long Ago
  4. The Operator
  5. A Warning To The Curious
  6. In The Morning
  7. Something Inside Of Me
  8. Come Home
  9. Far From The Crowd
  10. Leaving Today
  11. Arabian Sand
  12. Late Afternoon

Amazon.com

On their fourth outing, the Coral are anything but obvious or heavy-handed. On the contrary, delicacy and understatement define the British septet's latest. The 1960s shake hands with the 1980s in their wistful pop, yet they never--or very rarely, at any rate--come across as a retro act. At their best, they sound like Madness circa "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" (must be that organ) or Echo & the Bunnymen circa "Lips Like Sugar" (James Skelly could be Ian McCulloch's little brother). With its chugging, train-like rhythm and haunting chorus, "She Sings the Mourning" sounds like the theme to a lost Tom Courtenay film, while the enchanting "So Long Ago" evokes Sondre Lerche's gentle folk-pop. Then there are others, like the perfectly pleasant "Leaving Today" and "Come Home," where the Coral almost cross that fine line dividing tasteful from dull, but there are no real duds on The Invisible Invasion. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Coral Improves On Success.......2006-05-27

Invisible Invasion has the immediacy of the Coral's first album with the maturing song writing of Magic And Medicine.

The music is a hybrid of 60's/80's psychedelic rock and present day art rock. Each song has a sharpness and character to it that makes it fun to listen to more and more.

I don't know how this band hasn't taken off more in the US.

The Operator? That song is as crunchy as anything that the Queens of Stoneage have done. Just about all the songs are awesome- but that song grabs me the most.

I agree with another reviewer that Egyptian Sand isn't up to par with the rest of the album- mainly because it sounds exactly like a mix of songs Syd Barrett wrote on Pink Floyds first album.

Also I like how this album mixes a good amount of pop tunes with more aggressive/progressive songs. That was one thing that disappointed me about my initial listenings to Magic And Medicine; it felt pastoral and slightly poppy. Were as the debut album was nothing but emotional highs and fun wacky tunes. It would have been dissapointing in the long run if they would have made a part ii to their debut. They were what, 19 when they made that album? I like that they keep extending themselves.

Invisible Invasion shows a band that is refining their expression of sound.

ps
The e.p., Nightfreak & The Sons Of Becker, was a sign of the transition the Coral was making towards this album, but Medicine Magic already felt transitional- so it seemed mostly like a set of b-sides. Although Grey Harpoon is a personal favorite.

4 out of 5 stars They sing the mourning.......2006-03-30

Nobody can accuse the Coral of not evolving. With every release, the Merseyside band has revamped their sound and made it all seem new, whether it's rough B-sides, rollicking pirate rock or pastoral pop-rock. So what have they gotten up to now?

In their fourth album in as many years -- if you count the halfway-album "Nightfreak and the Songs of Becker" -- they change it yet again. This time, there's no pirate rock or bizarro pop songs. Instead, "The Invisible Invasion" relies on dark art-rock with a twisted psychedelica vibe, with hints of what they have done before, but never with deja vu.

It opens with a wonderfully sinister, twangy opener, which quickly falls into the dark, catchy rock of "She Sings the Mourning" and "Cripples Crown." James Skelly intones eerily over the music, "Blood red love knot, temptress eyes/cuts right through the family times," which add a strangely supernatural edge to the music. These two are probably the strongest and most polished songs on here.

There's a brief and ill-advised foray into folk-rock, which the Coral quickly veers away from. Good thing, too -- it's too cheery and sunny for this record, as are one or two other catchy little songs. So then it's back to undulating keyboard, crunchy riffs and hammering drums. Not to mention those ghostly "woo woo" synths that pop up every few minutes.

"Invisible Invasion" is very catchy. Not in a bad way -- instead, it sounds like a cheery pop singer in a haunted house, who is about to be overcome by the ghosts. It borders on kitsch in places; having Skelly moaning "cooooome hooooommme" over a twisting riff sounds silly. But with Skelly's pleasantly smooth voice, the Coral actually makes it sound sinister.

And the Coral stretches further into experimentation with "Arabian Sand," a Pink-Floydian song that is only four minutes long, but feels at least three times as long. It's rough, ragged and brims over with sound. And at the end of it, I'm still not sure whether it's a disaster or pure brilliance. One thing is sure: It'll get your heart rate up as it accelerates to a climax.

How do you judge an album by a band that does nothing twice? Just take it for what it is -- and in "Invisible Invasion's" case, it's a rough, ghostly, distorted mass of catchy rock'n'roll.
Rimsky-Korsakov: Suites
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Little known but wonderful
  • Rare Rimsky-Korsakov well done.
  • A great collection for Rimsky fans. (And if you're not a fan, you will be.)
  • As complete and good a collection as you're likely to find.
  • Excellent compilation
Rimsky-Korsakov: Suites

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

SuitesSuites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
RomanticRomantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
RussianRussian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Grieg: Complete Music with Orchestra
  2. A. Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8
  3. The Essential Borodin
  4. Debussy, Ravel: Orchestral Works
  5. Strauss: Orchestral Works

ASIN: B000000ACB
Release Date: 1992-04-03

Tracks:

  1. May Night - Overture
  2. The Snow Maiden: Beautiful Spring
  3. The Snow Maiden: Dance Of The Birds
  4. The Snow Maiden: The Procession Of Tsar Berendey
  5. The Snow Maiden: Dance Of The Tumblers
  6. Christmas Eve: Christmas Night - Ballet Of The Stars - Witches' Sabbath And Ride On The Devil's Back - Polonaise - Vakula And The Slippers

Tracks:

  1. Mlada: Introduction
  2. Mlada: Redowa: A Bohemian Dance
  3. Mlada: Lithuanian Dance
  4. Mlada: Indian Dance
  5. Mlada: Procession Of The Nobles
  6. The Invisible City of Kitezh: Prelude: A Hymn To Nature
  7. The Invisible City of Kitezh: Wedding Procession
  8. The Invisible City of Kitezh: Tartar Invasion And Battle Of Kerzhenets
  9. The Invisible City of Kitezh: Death Of Fevroniya And Apotheosis Of The Invisible City

Tracks:

  1. The Golden Cockerel: Introduction And Dodon's Sleep
  2. The Golden Cockerel: King Dodon On The Battlefield
  3. The Golden Cockerel: Queen Of Shemakha's Dance; King Dodon's Dance
  4. The Golden Cockerel: Wedding Feast; Death Of King Dodon; Finale
  5. The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: Tsar's Departure And Farewell
  6. The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: Tsarina Adrift At Sea In A Barrel
  7. The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: The Three Wonders
  8. The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: The Flight Of The Bumble Bee

Amazon.com

Rimsky-Korsakov's operatic suites used to be standard repertoire, but like so much attractive and colorful music, it seems that recording has absolved orchestras of the need to play them live! It's a rare day that you will find such lovely works as the Christmas Eve or Snow Maiden suite in the concert hall, so by all means invest in this comprehensive collection and enjoy them at home. This was the first project in Neeme Järvi's epic collaboration with the Scottish National Orchestra, and as is so often the case in such instances, everyone really plays their collective hearts out. Even Chandos outdoes itself in providing sound of speaker-shattering impact. A great set. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Little known but wonderful.......2007-06-03

When was the last time you sat down and listened to Sheherazade? Have you ever heard it at good volume on good equipment? I thought not. So that's one thing to do. And now even better news: Rimsky-Korsakov wrote much great music in operas which have remained unknown to Western audiences. Here is a little of it in orchestral suites - good performances and sound and at a reasonable price. May it be the beginning of a delightful new journey into Russian opera!

5 out of 5 stars Rare Rimsky-Korsakov well done........2006-07-19

Actually I was already familiar with some of the selections--most notably "Procession of the Nobles" from "Mlada" and "Dance of the Tumblers" from "The Snow Maiden". Thus I had a standard of quality from which I could compare the unfamiliar music.

Every piece sparkles. Rimsky-Korsakov's music is, generally, a study in elegance. Every note of these suites proves it. Frequently, when you hear music that is seldom performed, you discover WHY it isn't done. That does not apply here. I think it is a shame that I have not heard most of this music before.

Neeme Jarvi and the Scottish National Orchestra do a wonderful job performing all these suites. I whole-heartedly recommend this recording.

5 out of 5 stars A great collection for Rimsky fans. (And if you're not a fan, you will be.).......2005-08-19

I have fond feelings for this collection. It was my introduction to the Chandos label and to conductor Neemi Jarvi, and I was bowled over. Since that time, recording just about every piece of music written by Western composers has apparently reduced some of Jarvi's enthusiasm, because his later recordings are often not as just-right as his Rimsky performances herein. But these performances are everything they should be. Jarvi and his Scottish orchestra stress the sparkling colors and the near-classical leanness of Rimsky's orchestrations. No Wagnerian bloat, no Brahmsian bottom-heaviness here. Rimsky seems to return to Berlioz as his orchestral paradigm, I always think.

I was immediately attracted to the Christmas Eve Suite, which I hadn't heard before; it builds to a wonderful climax in the tempo of a polonaise. Move over, Piotr I. Tchaikovsky--this music is a great change from chestnuts out of the Nutcracker (a pretty lame pun, but I'll let it stand).

However, Christmas Eve is not the only pleasure these discs provide. Jarvi offers first-rate performances of the lovely May Night, Rimsky's finest overture, as well as suites from the Golden Cockerel, the Snow Maiden, and Mlada, which contain some of Rimsky's most memorable music: the Dance of the Tumblers, the Procession of the Nobles, the Wedding Feast and Death of King Dodon. Great stuff.

And then there's Chandos' recording: incredibly clean and wide-ranging, with just the right sense of hall sound. I'm still impressed every time I listen.

5 out of 5 stars As complete and good a collection as you're likely to find........2003-08-02

Over a 35-year period, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote fifteen operas, all but a handful of them still in the active Russian repertoire. A few of them have even gained something of a foothold recently in the U.S., with Valery Gergiev and his Kirov Opera company performing them on tour. For those seeking orchestral works of Rimsky-Korsakov beyond Sheherazade, the Great Russian Easter Festival Overture, and, perhaps, Capriccio Espagnol and the 2nd ("Antar") Symphony, a logical place to start is with the orchestral suites he fashioned from several of his better-known operas (covering nearly half of his operatic output).

For those so interested, my first - and highest - recommendation goes to this Chandos boxed set, with Neemi Järvi conducting the Scottish National Orchestra (as it was known in 1984, when this recording was made; it is now the Royal Scottish National Orchestra). With the possible exception of some incidental music from Sadko and The Tsar's Bride, this set contains virtually all of the most popular orchestral music from Rimsky-Korsakov's better-known operas.

Over the years, Järvi has developed somewhat of a reputation for "recording everything in sight," not always with the most effective of results. But here, in what the editorial reviewer identifies as his first recording session with the SNO, he has done a splendid job all around, bringing out the often gorgeous coloristic effects of the music, with an orchestra that fully does justice to the performance requirements, and with stunning sound captured by the Chandos engineers.

Particularly noteworthy are the suite from Mlada (with its dramatic "Procession of the Nobles" march), the atmspheric and magical music from The Invisible City of Kitezh, and the better-known suite from The Golden Cockerel. In all of these suites - and in the balance of the boxed set as well - Järvi and the SNO capture the orchestrational genius of Rimsky-Korsakov with perfection: brilliant brass, shimmering strings, nicely-detailed woodwind playing, as is seldom heard from all too many Russian orchestras.

This was clearly an auspicious debut album for Järvi and the SNO, an orchestra that he would direct in many recordings over the following decade or so. And, though not inexpensive, it is the single finest (and most complete) album of Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral suites from his operas that I have had the pleasure of hearing.

Recommended without reservation.

Bob Zeidler

5 out of 5 stars Excellent compilation.......2000-09-07

I concur that this is an excellent set, performed exquisitely by Jarvi and the Scottish National Orchestra. The comprehensive liner notes refer to the Procession of the Nobles from the Mlada Suite as "splendid." Indeed it is, a tour de force of orchestration that has few peers. The panache with which it is performed here is a touchstone for the quality of the entire set.

This should be a must-have for fans of Rimsky-Korsakov. It certainly assembles much of his best work, some of which is not very easy to find. The one quibble, albeit a big one, is the price. At first glance, you may think that the price isn't too bad, given that you get 3 CDs. But these CDs each contain only 50 minutes or so of music. A technical justification is that a 2 CD package would have required one of the suites to straddle 2 discs. I'm sure that most listeners, however, would have preferred such a cut if the pricing were more realistic. Tough call. Maybe drop a big hint to a friend that you want this as a gift.
The Invisible Invasion
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • a wonderful invasion!
  • Great stuff
  • They sing the mourning
  • Growing Pains- CORAL -Getting Better
  • Hmmmmm...
The Invisible Invasion
The Coral
Manufacturer: Sony International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Neo-PsychedeliaNeo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
BritainBritain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. The Coral
  2. Magic and Medicine
  3. Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker
  4. Takk...
  5. You Could Have It So Much Better

ASIN: B000808YY6
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Tracks:

  1. She Sings the Mourning
  2. Cripples Crown
  3. So Long Ago
  4. Operator
  5. Warning to the Curious
  6. In the Morning
  7. Something Inside of Me
  8. Come Home
  9. Far from the Crowd
  10. Leaving Today
  11. Arabian Sand
  12. Late Afternoon

Album Description

Work on the Coral's The Invisible Invasion began back at the start of 2004. It's produced by Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow(Portishead). The band hired a house in the Lake District for two weeks and rehearsed the 18 possible songs for the album, tweaking and developing them there, before they were ready to set them to acetate. The first single to be taken from the album is entitled 'In The Morning'. Sony. 2005

Album Details

The Fourth Full Length Album from the Neo-rock Pop Band was Produced by Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Recorded at Mono Valley Studios, Monmouth, Wales; Elevator Studios Liverpool and Geoff Barrow's State of Art Studio in Bristol. Mixed at Bath Moles. "This Record is all the Best Bits of all Our Previous Albums Rolled Into One... It's a Lot Warmer-sounding, We Wanted the First Few Records to Sound the Way They Did, with More Treble, but this Time We Wanted to Explore Something New... --guitarist/Vocalist James Skelly

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars a wonderful invasion!.......2005-09-29

this cd is truly amazing !!! it really GROWS on you! the songs stick. and the whole thing just jells in your mind like warm honey. i need to play it OFTEN. it gets better each time i hear it! this is a very ambitious and spirited album. there is a lot of variety here, creative and magical direction, and just...FEEEEEELLLLS GOOOOOD! A VERY SPECIAL CD that makes us wonderful again!

5 out of 5 stars Great stuff.......2005-07-30

The Coral have been the band that have always been at the center of the new Liverpool music explosion. If they didn't pave the path maybe things would not have been so easy for like-minded bands such as The Zutons. They have always had an eclectic mix of British psychedelic and modern folk music. This album is another great chapter in the musical life of The Coral. They are a young band (all under 24) and they show their development of this, their fourth or fifth release. This album doesn't really have a few singles and a few songs to fill up the rest. It is a steady journey. It is a full picture. I find myself dipping in here and there. It's mood music for any time of the day. It's mellow in part. It rocks out at other times. It is a very mod record.

4 out of 5 stars They sing the mourning.......2005-07-24

Nobody can accuse the Coral of not evolving. With every release, the Merseyside band has revamped their sound and made it all seem new, whether it's rough B-sides, rollicking pirate rock or pastoral pop-rock. So what have they gotten up to now?

In their fourth album in as many years -- if you count the halfway-album "Nightfreak and the Songs of Becker" -- they change it yet again. This time, there's no pirate rock or bizarro pop songs. Instead, "The Invisible Invasion" relies on dark art-rock with a twisted psychedelica vibe, with hints of what they have done before, but never with deja vu.

It opens with a wonderfully sinister, twangy opener, which quickly falls into the dark, catchy rock of "She Sings the Mourning" and "Cripples Crown." James Skelly intones eerily over the music, "Blood red love knot, temptress eyes/cuts right through the family times," which add a strangely supernatural edge to the music. These two are probably the strongest and most polished songs on here.

There's a brief and ill-advised foray into folk-rock, which the Coral quickly veers away from. Good thing, too -- it's too cheery and sunny for this record, as are one or two other catchy little songs. So then it's back to undulating keyboard, crunchy riffs and hammering drums. Not to mention those ghostly "woo woo" synths that pop up every few minutes.

"Invisible Invasion" is very catchy. Not in a bad way -- instead, it sounds like a cheery pop singer in a haunted house, who is about to be overcome by the ghosts. It borders on kitsch in places; having Skelly moaning "cooooome hooooommme" over a twisting riff sounds silly. But with Skelly's pleasantly smooth voice, the Coral actually makes it sound sinister.

And the Coral stretches further into experimentation with "Arabian Sand," a Pink-Floydian song that is only four minutes long, but feels at least three times as long. It's rough, ragged and brims over with sound. And at the end of it, I'm still not sure whether it's a disaster or pure brilliance. One thing is sure: It'll get your heart rate up as it accelerates to a climax.

How do you judge an album by a band that does nothing twice? Just take it for what it is -- and in "Invisible Invasion's" case, it's a rough, ghostly, distorted mass of catchy rock'n'roll.

5 out of 5 stars Growing Pains- CORAL -Getting Better.......2005-07-02

Invisible Invasion has the immediacy of the Coral's first album with the maturing song writing of Magic And Medicine.

The music is a hybrid of 60's/80's psychedelic rock and present day art rock. Each song has a sharpness and character to it that makes it fun to listen to more and more.

I don't know how this band hasn't taken off more in the US.

The Operator? That song is as crunchy as anything that the Queens of Stoneage have done. Just about all the songs are awesome- but that song grabs me the most.

I agree with another reviewer that Egyptian Sand isn't up to par with the rest of the album- mainly because it sounds exactly like a mix of songs Syd Barrett wrote on Pink Floyds first album.

Also I like how this album mixes a good amount of pop tunes with more aggressive/progressive songs. That was one thing that disappointed me about my initial listenings to Magic And Medicine; it felt pastoral and slightly poppy. Were as the debut album was nothing but emotional highs and fun wacky tunes. It would have been dissapointing in the long run if they would have made a part ii to their debut. They were what, 19 when they made that album? I like that they keep extending themselves.

Invisible Invasion shows a band that is refining their expression of sound.

ps
The e.p., Nightfreak & The Sons Of Becker, was a sign of the transition the Coral was making towards this album, but Medicine Magic already felt transitional- so it seemed mostly like a set of b-sides. Although Grey Harpoon is a personal favorite.

4 out of 5 stars Hmmmmm..........2005-06-23

I like it better than Magic and Medicine but not as much as the self-titled debut. It's the mix of the first two (self-titled and M&M) that Nightfreaks wasn't. Much better production this time around. The standouts (to me) are: She Sings the Mourning Cripples Crown,and A Warning to the Curious. These have that distinct Coral sound to them. Cripples and Warning have the extra polish due to the better production. That's not to mention those two are pretty catchy to begin with.
Caveat emptor! There are two versions of this album. One is just the studio cuts. The second limited edition version has a bonus CD from the BBC radio concert from the Lamacq live show from April, 2005. The bonus disk is a mix of half old and half new songs.
I only gave it 4 because it still has the same feel, and sound of the first two. After two years with two more albums and a few tours, I would have thought that their sound would have changed more than this. They still play safe on this one, while the Curious George in me, wants something...more. It does not change the fact that I still enjoy it.
Invisible Invasion
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Invisible Invasion
    Coral
    Manufacturer: Sony/Epic
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Neo-PsychedeliaNeo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    BritainBritain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
    ASIN: B000BNM7Z2
    Release Date: 2005-11-23

    Tracks:

    1. She Sings The Mourning
    2. Cripples Crown
    3. So Long Ago
    4. Operator
    5. A Warning To The Curious
    6. In The Morning
    7. Something Inside Of Me
    8. Come Home
    9. Far From The Crowd
    10. Leaving Today
    11. Arabian Sand
    12. Late Afternoon
    13. Gina Jones (Bonus Track For Japan)
    14. Leeslunchboxbyblueleadandthevelcrounderpants (Bonus Track For Japan)
    15. Pass It On
    16. Shadows Fall
    17. Don't Think You're The First
    18. Dreaming Of You
    19. A Warning To The Curious
    20. She Sings To The Mourning
    21. Something Inside Of Me
    22. Arabian Sand
    23. In The Morning (Bonus Track For Japan)

    Album Description

    This limited edition Japanese pressing includes a bonus CD that contains 8 tracks. Things are pretty much as you would expect on the Coral's 4th album as all the usual pieces are in place: vocalist James Skelly still channels the voice of Ian McCullough, the guitars of Skelly and Bill Ryder-Jones still sparkle and shine, and the band is still inventive and interesting. What is different about The Invisible Invasion is the stripped-down and focused sound courtesy of producers Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley (of Portishead). The songs here are among the best they have written and are quite varied as well, ranging from the bouncily acoustic 'So Long Ago' to the moody (with a great chorus) 'Cripples Crown', the insistent 'The Operator' to the musically lovely, lyrically melancholy 'In the Morning'. More depth, better production, stellar songs performed with high levels of vigor & commitment all add up to the group's best album to date. Epic. 2005.

    Album Details

    Limited Double CD Edition of the UK Band's 2005 Album. Disc1 Includes Bonus Tracks "Gina Jones" and "Leeslunchboxbyblueleadandthevelcrounderpants". Disc2 Will Feature Eight Live-recorded Tracks and Bonus Track(S).
    The Invisible Invasion [SONY XCP CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
    Average customer rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    • A great album spoilt by Malicious Software
    • DRM + EULA = Don't Buy!
    • Boycott - This CD installs virus on your computer that makes other viruses attack
    • DRM = Dangerous Rootkit Malware
    • CD contains DRM software that opens your system to viruses
    The Invisible Invasion [SONY XCP CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
    The Coral
    Manufacturer: Sony
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Neo-PsychedeliaNeo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    BritainBritain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. You Could Have It So Much Better
    2. A Bigger Bang
    3. Z
    4. The Magic Numbers
    5. Ahead of the Lions

    ASIN: B000A1JS7U
    Release Date: 2005-08-30

    Tracks:

    1. She Sings the Mourning
    2. Cripples Crown
    3. So Long Ago
    4. Operator
    5. Warning to the Curious
    6. In the Morning
    7. Something Inside of Me
    8. Come Home
    9. Far from the Crowd
    10. Leaving Today
    11. Arabian Sand
    12. Late Afternoon

    Amazon.com

    On their fourth outing, the Coral are anything but obvious or heavy-handed. On the contrary, delicacy and understatement define the British septet's latest. The 1960s shake hands with the 1980s in their wistful pop, yet they never--or very rarely, at any rate--come across as a retro act. At their best, they sound like Madness circa "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" (must be that organ) or Echo & the Bunnymen circa "Lips Like Sugar" (James Skelly could be Ian McCulloch's little brother). With its chugging, train-like rhythm and haunting chorus, "She Sings the Mourning" sounds like the theme to a lost Tom Courtenay film, while the enchanting "So Long Ago" evokes Sondre Lerche's gentle folk-pop. Then there are others, like the perfectly pleasant "Leaving Today" and "Come Home," where the Coral almost cross that fine line dividing tasteful from dull, but there are no real duds on The Invisible Invasion. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars A great album spoilt by Malicious Software.......2005-11-17

    Let me first say that this album and the Coral are great and this items would have received 4/5 had it not been for SonyBMG using the underdeveloped and highly dangerous "First 4 Internet XCP DRM" software.

    Once it is installed, it "Hides" itself from detection in the same way a virus would, and it has now been shown to create a legitimate threat to consumers PC's running certain Windows OS. It has been shown that malicious software such as viruses and ad-ware could use this programs "Hide" capability to become almost untraceable. Unfortunately XCP DRM is very difficult to remove without damaging the reliability of your computer system.

    SonyBMG have accepted little responsibility, have been very slow to act and have made it difficult for consumers to protect themselves. Although they have created a "upgrade" for the software it has been advised that users should not do this as the "upgrade" actually makes matters worse.

    If you like the Coral and you are not going to play this on a PC then go ahead and buy it. If you are going to use it on a computer however, I'd advise trying to pick up an Import or Unprotected copy.

    If you have already bought this product and have installed the "malware" XCP DRM, do yourselves a favour and don't download the "upgrade". Microsoft, Symantec and many others are working on a "proper" fix.

    If you have already installed the "upgrade" from the Sony site then unfortunately you're in limbo... you might be able to take legal action if something happens but the EULA provided with the "malware" pretty much negates any legal rights you may have had. You can thank congress for that...

    1 out of 5 stars DRM + EULA = Don't Buy!.......2005-11-15

    As many other reviewers note, these CDs install MALICIOUS software WIHTOUT REQUIRING CONSENT from the user.

    This is not the only problem, howerver. Sony's End User License Agreement requires the following things of all consumers who purchase this "content protected" music:

    1. If your house gets burgled, you have to delete all your music from your laptop when you get home. That's because the EULA says that your rights to any copies terminate as soon as you no longer possess the original CD.

    2. You can't keep your music on any computers at work. The EULA only gives you the right to put copies on a "personal home computer system owned by you."

    3. If you move out of the country, you have to delete all your music. The EULA specifically forbids "export" outside the country where you reside.

    4. You must install any and all updates, or else lose the music on your computer. The EULA immediately terminates if you fail to install any update. No more holding out on those hobble-ware downgrades masquerading as updates.

    5. Sony-BMG can install and use backdoors in the copy protection software or media player to "enforce their rights" against you, at any time, without notice. And Sony-BMG disclaims any liability if this "self help" crashes your computer, exposes you to security risks, or any other harm.

    6. The EULA says Sony-BMG will never be liable to you for more than $5.00. That's right, no matter what happens, you can't even get back what you paid for the CD.

    7. If you file for bankruptcy, you have to delete all the music on your computer. Seriously.

    8. You have no right to transfer the music on your computer, even along with the original CD.

    9. Forget about using the music as a soundtrack for your latest family photo slideshow, or mash-ups, or sampling. The EULA forbids changing, altering, or make derivative works from the music on your computer.

    Refer to the following for details:

    1 out of 5 stars Boycott - This CD installs virus on your computer that makes other viruses attack.......2005-11-14

    If this screws up your machine do you think Sony will pay to fix it?

    1 out of 5 stars DRM = Dangerous Rootkit Malware.......2005-11-13

    Sony should be ashamed for infecting PCs in which this CD is played.

    Amazon should stop selling this CD immediately given the known damage that is causes to computers.

    1 out of 5 stars CD contains DRM software that opens your system to viruses.......2005-11-13

    As many people may know by now, Sony was recently caught with egg on their face when a security specialist found out that a recently purchased CD (Van Zant: Get Right With The Man) from Sony music not only installed DRM software (digital rights management, to limit and outright prevent copying music to certain devices), but it did so in such a sneaky way that it hid itself entirely from Windows, and opened the system up to security issues such as viruses.

    This CD has the same copyright protection, called XCP. When installed, Sony hijacks your computer and installs custom software which:

    1) Hides itself entirely from Windows by installing as a rootkit
    2) Hides itself in such a manner that any files begining with $sys$ are also hidden. For example, if you install the XCP copy protection software on your machine, and rename "document.doc" to "$sys$document.doc" it then becomes invivisble to you forever.
    3) Installs its own custom CD-Rom drivers to hijack your system. It also sneakily names these drivers "Plug and Play Device Manager" to seem as if it's a part of Windows. Trying to delete these drivers manually will disable your CD-Rom drive entirely.
    4) Offers no uninstall option until you manually contact Sony

    As of my writing this review, Sony has "apologized" for this incident, and claims they will "re-evaluate" this copyright protection software on their CDs in the future.

    In the meantime, a virus is currently running wild, which names itself begining with $sys$ in an attempt to hide from the user and virus scanners.

    Several class action lawsuits are also pending against Sony right now.

    In summary, as you can tell from above, Sony's actions here are absolutely horrible. This is your music. You purchased it, and they should not have any right to dictate how you can use it, let alone install software which compromises your system security.

    This is one of the CDs with Sony's XCP copyright protection software on it, and as a result, you should not buy it to send a message to Sony that this will NOT be tolerated in the future.
    Invisible Invasion
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • They sing the mourning
    Invisible Invasion
    Coral
    Manufacturer: Sony
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Neo-PsychedeliaNeo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    BritainBritain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
    ASIN: B000793CD6
    Release Date: 2005-06-13

    Tracks:

    1. She Signs The Mourning
    2. Cripples Crown
    3. So Long Ago
    4. Operator
    5. A Warning To The Curious
    6. In The Morning
    7. Something Inside Of Me
    8. Come Home
    9. Far From The Crowd
    10. Leaving Today
    11. Arabian Sand
    12. Late Afternoon
    13. Gina Jones
    14. Leeslunchboxbyblueleadandthevelcrounderpa

    Album Description

    Hapanese pressing adds the bonus track 'Leeslunchboxbyblueleadandthevelcrounderpants' Sony. 2005.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars They sing the mourning.......2005-09-20

    Nobody can accuse the Coral of not evolving. With every release, the Merseyside band has revamped their sound and made it all seem new, whether it's rough B-sides, rollicking pirate rock or pastoral pop-rock. So what have they gotten up to now?

    In their fourth album in as many years -- if you count the halfway-album "Nightfreak and the Songs of Becker" -- they change it yet again. This time, there's no pirate rock or bizarro pop songs. Instead, "The Invisible Invasion" relies on dark art-rock with a twisted psychedelica vibe, with hints of what they have done before, but never with deja vu.

    It opens with a wonderfully sinister, twangy opener, which quickly falls into the dark, catchy rock of "She Sings the Mourning" and "Cripples Crown." James Skelly intones eerily over the music, "Blood red love knot, temptress eyes/cuts right through the family times," which add a strangely supernatural edge to the music. These two are probably the strongest and most polished songs on here.

    There's a brief and ill-advised foray into folk-rock, which the Coral quickly veers away from. Good thing, too -- it's too cheery and sunny for this record, as are one or two other catchy little songs. So then it's back to undulating keyboard, crunchy riffs and hammering drums. Not to mention those ghostly "woo woo" synths that pop up every few minutes.

    "Invisible Invasion" is very catchy. Not in a bad way -- instead, it sounds like a cheery pop singer in a haunted house, who is about to be overcome by the ghosts. It borders on kitsch in places; having Skelly moaning "cooooome hooooommme" over a twisting riff sounds silly. But with Skelly's pleasantly smooth voice, the Coral actually makes it sound sinister.

    And the Coral stretches further into experimentation with "Arabian Sand," a Pink-Floydian song that is only four minutes long, but feels at least three times as long. It's rough, ragged and brims over with sound. And at the end of it, I'm still not sure whether it's a disaster or pure brilliance. One thing is sure: It'll get your heart rate up as it accelerates to a climax.

    How do you judge an album by a band that does nothing twice? Just take it for what it is -- and in "Invisible Invasion's" case, it's a rough, ghostly, distorted mass of catchy rock'n'roll.
    Invisible Invasion
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Invisible Invasion

      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
      Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
      RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
      ASIN: B0009JK142
      Release Date: 2005-05-24

      Album Description

      Limited edition UK pressing features special packaging. Work on the Coral's The Invisible Invasion began back at the start of 2004. It's produced by Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow(Portishead). The band hired a house in the Lake District for two weeks and r
      Invisible Invasion (Arg)
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • They sing the mourning
      Invisible Invasion (Arg)
      Coral
      Manufacturer: Sony / Bmg Import
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B0009ML2PQ
      Release Date: 2005-06-14

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars They sing the mourning.......2005-07-30

      Nobody can accuse the Coral of not evolving. With every release, the Merseyside band has revamped their sound and made it all seem new, whether it's rough B-sides, rollicking pirate rock or pastoral pop-rock. So what have they gotten up to now?

      In their fourth album in as many years -- if you count the halfway-album "Nightfreak and the Songs of Becker" -- they change it yet again. This time, there's no pirate rock or bizarro pop songs. Instead, "The Invisible Invasion" relies on dark art-rock with a twisted psychedelica vibe, with hints of what they have done before, but never with deja vu.

      It opens with a wonderfully sinister, twangy opener, which quickly falls into the dark, catchy rock of "She Sings the Mourning" and "Cripples Crown." James Skelly intones eerily over the music, "Blood red love knot, temptress eyes/cuts right through the family times," which add a strangely supernatural edge to the music. These two are probably the strongest and most polished songs on here.

      There's a brief and ill-advised foray into folk-rock, which the Coral quickly veers away from. Good thing, too -- it's too cheery and sunny for this record, as are one or two other catchy little songs. So then it's back to undulating keyboard, crunchy riffs and hammering drums. Not to mention those ghostly "woo woo" synths that pop up every few minutes.

      "Invisible Invasion" is very catchy. Not in a bad way -- instead, it sounds like a cheery pop singer in a haunted house, who is about to be overcome by the ghosts. It borders on kitsch in places; having Skelly moaning "cooooome hooooommme" over a twisting riff sounds silly. But with Skelly's pleasantly smooth voice, the Coral actually makes it sound sinister.

      And the Coral stretches further into experimentation with "Arabian Sand," a Pink-Floydian song that is only four minutes long, but feels at least three times as long. It's rough, ragged and brims over with sound. And at the end of it, I'm still not sure whether it's a disaster or pure brilliance. One thing is sure: It'll get your heart rate up as it accelerates to a climax.

      How do you judge an album by a band that does nothing twice? Just take it for what it is -- and in "Invisible Invasion's" case, it's a rough, ghostly, distorted mass of catchy rock'n'roll.
      Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

        Manufacturer: Madacy Records
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        SuitesSuites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
        ScherzoScherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        RussianRussian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
        All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
        ASIN: B000000LQ9
        Release Date: 1997-10-07

        Tracks:

        1. Scheherazade, Sym Ste Op.35: The Sea And The Sinbad's - Slovak PO/Bystrik Rezucha
        2. Scheherazade, Sym Ste Op.35: The Kalender Prince - Slovak PO/Bystrik Rezucha
        3. Scheherazade, Sym Ste Op.35: The Young Prince And Princess - Slovak PO/Bystrik Rezucha
        4. Scheherazade, Sym Ste Op.35: Festival Of Baghdad - Slovak PO/Bystrik Rezucha
        5. Invisible City Of Kitezh: Prld: A Hymn To Nature - Philharmonia Hungarica/Richard Kapp
        6. Invisible City Of Kitezh: Wedding Procession - Philharmonia Hungarica/Richard Kapp
        7. Invisible City Of Kitezh: Tartar Invasion And Battle Of Kershenets - Philharmonia Hungarica/Richard Kapp
        8. Invisible City Of Kitezh: Death Of Fevronyia And Apotheosis Of The Invisible City - Philharmonia Hungarica/Richard Kapp
        9. The Tale Of The Tsar Saltan: Flight Of The Bumble Bee - Camerata Rhenania/Hanspeter Gmur
        Drum 'N' Bass Invasion
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Drum 'N' Bass Invasion
          Various Artists
          Manufacturer: Invisible Hands
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
          Dance & DJDance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music
          ASIN: B0000252WT
          Release Date: 2004-07-13

          Tracks:

          1. Posami Superstar
          2. New Foundations - The Aries Project
          3. Terror Campaign
          4. Voodoo Feline of Larkspur Lotion
          5. Earthly Night - Kim Fowley,
          6. Too Many Heroes - Feist
          7. My Generation - Mark Birch,
          8. Space Dust
          9. Darshiva
          10. Magician
          11. Wronged by Righteousness - Wishbone Ash
          12. Solar Wieghtlessness
          13. Domino Effect
          14. Asteroid
          15. Ghost House - Tacye

          Tracks:

          1. Hall of Mirrors - Tacye
          2. Escape from Deluge
          3. Subclout
          4. Reptillian Child
          5. Empire - Norman Blake, Kim Fowley
          6. Scrlerotic Coat
          7. Cactus Doll
          8. Astrella's Flight
          9. Network Monitor
          10. Sociopath - Mikey Davenport
          11. Future Delirium
          12. Skyline Messiah - Future Pilot A.K.A.
          13. Posami Dub
          14. Euphoric Explosion - Tacye
          15. Locust Day - Mikey Davenport

          Rap Music:

          1. Jump Up! [Original recording remastered] [Import]
          2. Klaus Nomi [Import]
          3. Layourbattleaxedown [Enhanced]
          4. Let It Ride [CD-single] [Import]
          5. Living the Blues [Original recording remastered] [Import]
          6. Love Everybody
          7. Marilyn Martin
          8. Medicine Chest
          9. Mott
          10. Nashville Sessions

          Rap Music

          rap music

          Recommended Music:

          Music Review: 70's Disco Generation [Import]

          Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6/Overture "1812"

          Swing Fever [Import]

          Music: Golden Memories

          That I May Know You

          Still Creepin'

          Thank You

          Some Might Say [CD-single]

          Ouch [Enhanced] [Import]

          Schubert: Solo Piano Works

          Scott Hamilton With Strings [Hybrid SACD]

          Rocketface [Import]

          Ranmilowo

          Messiah Symphony

          Tristeza on Guitar