Coastal - Coastal

  by Chris Jones

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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Review

I tend to like bands that can create an atmosphere with their music. That atmosphere can be dark, energetic, spacey, sleepy etc. and my mood will determine whatI listen to. I had never heard of Coastal before and the first time I listened to this CD I was laying in my bed after a far too long day at work. I think I made it to song two before falling asleep. When I woke up in the morning, Igrabbed the CD and decided I'd listen to it as I drove to work. This time I made it to about song four before the music drifted into the background - it was a particularly bad traffic day and I couldn't afford to fall asleep. Another day or two passed before I tried to listen to the CD again and this time it was after another not so pleasant day of work. The good thing this time was that I was so stressed out that I couldn't fall asleep. That's when I noticed how good this CD is. Coastal makes music that flows very gently. The tones are subdued and add a bit of droneyness, but they are not lacking in energy. Both organs and guitars are used to provide the tones with neither dominating the mix. Simple, almost stripped down, bass playing and drumming work perfectly with the other tones providing just enough momentum. And then there are the vocals. More than whispered, but still very soft. Male and female vocals drift in on top of the gentle tones and strike a great balance with the music. For this reason I was instantly reminded of the band Ida. Strangely enough, I was also reminded of Low, who recently released an album recorded with a member of Ida. There are touches of American Analog Set (the organs) and Nord Express (the soft, stripped down feel) to be found here too. Though it took a few listens before my mood and the tone of this album synced up, once they did Iwas immediately drawn in. Coastal can create a very gentle and flowing atmosphere and the songs have a very nice balance to them with no one element dominating the mix. The vocals have a subtle, almost hypnotic quality and effortlessly ride upon the music. Coastal creates atmospheric pop that may get lost in the background under some circumstances, but only because it doesn't try to dominate the scene. When the situation is right though, the music quickly draws you in and floats you along with it.

Track Listing:-

1 Northern
2 Cinder
3 Paris Radio
4 Celesta
5 Ivy
6 Her Reflection In Chrome
7 Auburn
8 Infrared

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coastal
http://www.coastalrock.com/

Label Links:-

http://www.words-on-music.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wordsonmusic
https://twitter.com/WordsOnMusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/shouldfis