Back in 2003, when the Coral released its self-titled debut, leader James Skelly was the oldest member of the band at only 23. While that album displayed an impressive diversity of taste and influences for such a young outfit, the group clearly still had a lot of growing to do. Their frame of reference kept them anchored to the late 1960s, and as fine as its five albums might have been, they largely showcased a band running in place.
They also showcased a band with an uncommonly good instinct for sympathetic producers, beginning with Ian Broudie, continuing through Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley, and here, on album number six, ending up with vet John Leckie. The latter's experience no doubt helped the group weather what was a reportedly tough transitional period, beginning with the departure of guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones and continuing through a two-year stretch of songwriting and woodshedding.
That the results are as modest as Butterfly House is a disappointment, though all the skillful pieces remain in place. Skelly is a subtly soulful singer, and even minus Ryder-Jones, the guitars continue effortlessly to shimmer and glide, resplendent of all the best mildly psych 1960s folk-rock tropes, from frilly little filigrees to freak-out muscle. If the rhythm section remains only serviceable, that's defensible, as their pronounced presence would be out of place in the era from which the band draws: Despite a passing resemblance, their music has none of the past-to-present dance/rock fusion of the Stone Roses.
But while the Coral aren't some tribute band, on songs such as "Green Is the Colour", "Sandhills", and "Falling All Around You", they skirt just those kinds of clichés. The melodicism of "1000 Years" is undeniable, as is the spooky exploration of atmosphere on "Coney Island". When the title track or "North Parade" go nuts, the results are effectively dramatic. But with each song, the déjà vu sense of pastiche is so pervasive it's hard to enjoy them as more than impeccable craft. "Impeccable" being the word to accent if you're a defender, "craft" the word to stress if you're not.
