James Skelly
The Coral

Top Ten Albums of 2005

1. The Coral: Invisible Invasion- I can honestly say this is my favorite album of 2005.
2. Various: Time Life: A Lifetime of Romance - I saw this advertised on TV. It had Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday on it, so I had to buy it. But now they keep sending me more CD’s but I only wanted this one. I think they've tapped my phone and got people watching me when I go to the shop.
3. The Beta Band: The Best of the Beta Band - I'm gutted they split up, but if they didn't they wouldn't have released this CD, but all things happen for a reason, and I think the band members will go on to do good music anyway. Hopefully, one day they will get back together and do another album.
4. Can: Future Days (reissue) - This is a brilliant album. Remastered it’s even better.
5. Oasis: Don't Believe the Truth - When we toured with them all the songs of this album really grew on me. My favorites are “The Importance of Being Idle,” “Lyla,” and “The Meaning of Soul.”
6. Scott Walker: Classics and Collectables - I love Scott Walker’s music, there’s some tracks on here that I have never heard. I really like “The Godfather Theme.”
7. Queens of the Stone Age: Lullaby’s to Paralyze - I have only heard this album twice, I really liked the spooky bits in it. I saw them live at Reading and Leeds Festival and they blew me away.
8. Thirteen Floor Elevators: Psychedelic Sounds (reissue) - Sounds much clearer remastered. I’ve always wanted to know what the sound in the background of “Slip Inside this House” was, I’ve heard it was a whiskey jug. I’ll have to give it a try.
9. Supergrass: Road to Rouen - I heard the song “St. Petersberg” and I thought it was one of the best that they have ever done, so I bought the album and it gets better every time I listen to it.
10. Super Furry Animals: Love Kraft - I think this has got the best sound of any of their albums. My favorite track is “Ohio Heat.”

What was the highlight of 2005 for either you personally or for the band?

My personal highlight of 2005 was Liverpool FC winning the champions league. I think for the band it has to be 50,000 people singing “In the Morning” in the city of Manchester stadium.

What was the low point of 2005 for you?

I try not to think about the low points.

What are your hopes and plans for 2006?

For Liverpool FC to win trophies and for the band to make our best album yet.

If you could drop a copy of one album in the mailbox of every American citizen, what album would it be?

Night Freak and the Sons of Becker by The Coral.

Will the iPod, and its ability to combine all genres and its emphasis on individual songs, render the album format irrelevant?

I hope not.

With Kate Bush, Gang of Four, Ray Davies, Scott Walker, and others issuing new releases, what icon needs to return and make another album?

I have heard Neil Diamond is making a come back. He has a great voice, if he picks the right songs ad doesn’t over produce them it could be brilliant.

With the mainstream success of artists like Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, The White Stripes, and Franz Ferdinand, has the meaning of “indie rock” shifted? Has the term lost all meaning?

It doesn’t matter to me whether a song is mainstream or indie, if I like it I don’t care what it is.

If you couldn't be a musician, what other profession do you think that you'd enjoy and why?

A football player because I could earn more money in a week than I probably will in my whole lifetime. But, I’d have to be able to run more than 10 meters without being sick first.

If you could travel through time, where and when would you go and why?

Back to our 1st album, The Coral, and take “Bad Man” off it, it’s one of the only songs I regret doing.

Do you feel more or less optimistic (about music, about your personal life, about the world in general) than you did a year ago?

I always feel optimistic about music. It’s the only thing that I feel I have any control over.

Arcade Fire broke through in 2004. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Wolf Parade broke through in 2005. Who will be the "it-band" of 2006?

I wish I knew because I would sign them, release their record; that would help fund a new studio for The Coral, but I don’t know. I probably won’t even know when they are out in 2006.

If you had/got to switch careers with another artist or band, who would it be and why?

Peter Andre, I’ve tried to have a tan and a 6 pack like that for years. I’m still working on it.

We are now over halfway through the '00 decade. What five albums stand out from the last five years as the best?

1. The Coral: The Coral
2. The Coral: Magic and Medicine
3. The Coral: Night Freaks and the Sons of Becker
4. The Coral: Invisible Invasion
5. Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci: Blue Trees

What, in your opinion, is the most pressing problem that is affecting the world right now and if you had the power, what would you do to address that problem?

I do not want that responsibility. For every problem solved another arises. I think I’m too selfish so I’ll just stick to making music because it’s the only thing I’m good at.

Do you have any other thoughts about the current state of the world or the state of the music industry?

I have a lot of thoughts on the music industry, but I won’t go into them because it’s boring. If you’re in a band and have the chance to make music, then at the end of the day that conquers any of the bullshit that surrounds the music industry.

www.thecoral.co.uk

1/2006