Bill Ryder-Jones: A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart

It seems surreal now, but 10 years ago, ragamuffin Liverpool indie crew The Coral were regarded as the future of British rock. As it turned out, they were merely forerunners of better groups such as Arctic Monkeys: as soon as the latter arrived, The Coral faded quietly into the background.

The band are still a going concern, though sans guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones, who quit in 2008. He has since pursued a solo career, making music which could not be more different from The Coral’s often chaotic folk-pop. As the title suggests, his 2011 stand-alone debut, A Leave Taking Soundtrack, was sprawling and cinematic. Where that album embraced the great wide open, however, his latest is intimate and inward-looking. Singing in a quiet rasp, Ryder-Jones delivers a series of measured ballads, full of wee-hours ennui and quiet wonderment. There’s little here to grab by the lapels. But give it time and A Bad Wind... has an unhurried charm. Coral fans are likely to find it all tremendously baffling.