X&Y
reviewed by Cars
main page
Coldplay often get compared to Radiohead. Sure I can sorta see why, so now you have people whining because they haven't done a Kid A. Well, thank God for that! Radiohead were great before they decided to go all "interesting". Coldplay know their market & have stuck to it so good on 'em.
Coldplay also get compared to U2 which apart from the fact they're both humble bands that have cracked America I haven't ever seen the connection with....until now. Yes this album does have elements of The Joshua Tree in it but so what? You could analize any album & find tracings of other peoples music.
After listening to this non stop for the past week I can honestly say that it IS just as good as the previous two albums. I think it's a lot more immediate than A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Parachutes will always remain special to me (& many others I imagine) for the simplicity of it all & the heartfelt little boy lost words. It was something we could all relate to (though I've never felt like a lost boy!). However Chris at the time was a young student. He is now a millonaire married to a Hollywood actress with a baby. Of course it all isn't going to be as grounded. Of course it is going to be epic.
That said he still does a superb job lyrically of tapping into situations we all find ourselves in. Is it just me or do nearly all Coldplay songs remind you of something you've gone through in life?
Tugging on your heartstrings is something he definately hasn't lost & with tracks like Fix You (The Scientist of this album) they are guaranteed the sort of success that will see them go down as one of the biggest bands since The Beatles.
There really isn't a bad song on here. For me the favourites are in the first half of the album with White Shadows having "release me now" written all over it. The fantastic Talk (which uses reworkings of Kraftwerk's Computer Love) & opening track Square One are definately 2 of the best songs they've ever done.
Even the hidden acoustic track Until Kingdom Comes is great. Not only is it the best hidden track I've ever heard it's also the easiest to find (it's just track 13!). I'd imagine it isn't credited on the sleeve just because it doesn't flow so well with the others.
People can mock & say Coldplay are "uncool" or "boring" until they're blue in the face but until they can come to me with songs up to this level of perfection then they have no case.
Chris Martin is a genius. He has vowed that if they can't top this album they will split up. I fear that may have to be the case because I cannot imagine how anybody could better this.
Best tracks: Square One, White Shadows, Fix You, Talk, Swallowed In The Sea
10 out of 10
Go to message board to vent!