The Coral: Magic and Medicine

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Anyone who encountered the Liverpudlian sextet's debut of last year is probably still enjoying the residual confusion from its inspired grab-bag of pop psychedelia, sea-shanties and ska.

If that one made a virtue of its tangential approach, this neatly concentrates on the band's dreamy pop strengths and clever way with a guitar. The 11 tracks hum past in a mostly gentle fashion and while it shows there's still something off-kilter to their rock-rootsiness, it's the songs you remember this time through, not the wackiness, even if Pass It On seems a rewrite of a certain 60s Liverpool group's You Like Me Too Much.

But there are some terrific songs here, especially Careless Hands, Don't Think You're The First (which recalls the Teardrop Explodes), and the folky finger-picked Liezah.

Not as weird as first time around, but having got over their show-off stage it sounds like the Coral's new sense of focus will be the making of them.

Label: Epic