Coldplay new album

[The Slickman]

I will probally get it , i quite like Coldplay my favourite song of all time is Clocks so after i heard Clocks i listen to anything from Coldplay

[paidelr]

They got beaten by a ring tone for #1.

I'll probably download a few songs, but unless I'm really impressed I won't buy it. They seem to boring for me, plus it's not my style of music.

[R.W.]

Got the album today, and loving it so far. Standout tracks for me are "What If" and "X & Y".

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Same here.

'What If' is downright awesome, as if 'Square One'. Heck I think every single song is brilliant, loving it so far and it's easily as good as the past two.

[thuganomic]

I caught the MTV leak.

"What If" is a great song. Nothing else really caught my attention, but I was only half listening. Still, I'll probably pick up the CD tomorrow.

[The_Icon]

I've had the album for... about a week or so, and love it. Better than Parachutes, not quite as good A Rush of Blood to the Head. The live album doesn't count because it brings up too many awesome memories of seeing them live at G.M Place. Mwaha.

Anywho, my favorite track, bar none, has to be 'White Shadow.' I've listened to it so many times this past week, I've lost count. 'What If,' 'Talk,' and 'Til Kingdom Come' also stand out.

Sadly, I can't even put this album in my top 10 CDs so far released this year. Not a shot at Coldplay, it's just this year has been amazing, what with outstanding albums from Gorillaz, doves, Beck, Oasis, Architecture in Helsinki, Aesop Rock, The Mars Volta... too many to count.

[Ananas]

I refuse to listen to the album until I pick the CD up tommorow, but the Coldplay Live Special Much aired last night pumped me up for it completely. Although they didn't list titles or anything, the new tracks sounded amazing.

[SeanDMan]

I've had the album for... about a week or so, and love it. Better than Parachutes, not quite as good A Rush of Blood to the Head. The live album doesn't count because it brings up too many awesome memories of seeing them live at G.M Place. Mwaha.

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I thought I was the only one.

[Ananas]

I decided to get off my ass and write something for my website, so with a new Coldplay album being essentially all I was interested in at the time, I reviewed it:

The Case for Coldplay: A Review of “X&Y”

Over the years, it has been the third album that has so often been the career maker/breaker for bands. It was James Taylor’s Mud Slide Slim And the Blue Horizon that produced “You’ve Got a Friend” and established the smooth voiced singer’s breakthrough Sweet Baby James as more than just a one time deal. Radiohead came about as close to a masterpiece as anyone during the 90’s with OK Computer, which produced songs such as “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police”. Even The Beatles really only came into themselves as a band with their third album A Hard Day’s Night. On the other hand, it was Limp Bizkit’s Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water that was so miserable it made even the band’s teenage fan base turn on them. I wish I could go much further on with examples of bands whose momentum was crushed by a less than stellar third album, but that’s just the problem – no one remembers these people. The third album can both cement a band’s legacy and taint their reputation forever. If these examples weren’t enough to turn Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin’s stomach into shapes more abstract than this album’s cover work, we should forego the Grammy Awards and give the man a Victoria Cross.

Coldplay, made up of guitarist Jon Buckland, drummer Will Champion, bass player Guy Berryman and lead singer Chris Martin, are no strangers to the pressures of the follow up. After the critical and commercial success of the band’s ambitious debut Parachutes, it was thought that the London quartet had reached a plateau. Their follow up album A Rush of Blood to the Head was met with a great deal of initial scrutiny before giving way to much of the same universal praise for the band’s work. A live CD/DVD followed that established the band as great performers both in studio and in concert. When it was announced in February that the band would be delaying their third album, stock in their label EMI were reported to have plummeted. With nary an exception, this is easily the most highly anticipated release of 2005. And the verdict? Without straying much from the format that made Coldplay a household name in 2002 with A Rush of Blood to the Head, the band have managed to use the three years of experience in between albums and put together what is arguably their strongest effort to date.

The album’s leadoff track “Square One” is, like “Politik” to the previous album, a perfect sign of things to come. Gone (for all but one track) is Chris Martin’s piano work as a focal point; the piano now complements Jon Buckland’s booming guitar work. The track, which makes reference to “2001: A Space Odyssey” in both its melody and lyrics, has the same power as “Politik” did, but also adequately premieres Coldplay’s new “arena rock” influenced sound. Following it up is the piano based John Lennon-esque “What If”, a track that is as beautiful melodically as “The Scientist” and many times as imaginative. The third song “White Shadows” is perhaps the most blatant arena rock track on the album, owing a lot to U2, but it also features some of Chris’ most insightful lyrics (the cynical “all this space I’m taking up” comes to mind). “Fix You” is probably the most viable follow up single on the album; the complimenting of Martin’s vocals with Buckland’s guitar work towards the end of the song is haunting. The next two tracks are arena rock ballads of hope out of dispair, and the latter “X&Y” features some clearly Gwynneth Paltrow inspired lyrics (“you and me are floating on a tidal wave together”).

When the album finally reaches the lead single “Speed of Sound”, we have crossed over from the “X” section to “Y”. Whether this is merely a nuance of the album art or the band’s purposeful arrangement, there is a very subtle shift from here on in. “Speed of Sound” strongly features the drum work of Will Champion, although Martin’s piano is featured slightly more than on most of the album’s tracks. Even if some of the tracks are catchier and perhaps contain more insightful material, this is quite clearly the album’s bread and butter. “A Message” is another powerful arena rock track; leading off with merely an acoustic guitar complimenting the vocals and building to the entire band’s entry by the chorus. Once again here Johnny Buckland’s guitar represents almost backing vocals, complimenting Martin during the verses. Next up is “Low”, the only track really out of place on the album. It has an almost pop-rock feel to it, and when the music backs lyrics such as “all you ever wanted to be, living in perfect symmetry”, the mood seems inconsistent. The next two tracks “The Hardest Part” and “Swallowed In the Sea” have a very laid back grassroots rock sound, and while “Swallowed In the Sea’s” harrowing romantic notions are just a bit more impactful, they’re both fine tracks. “Twisted Logic”, the last official track on the album, brings instantaneously the title track to A Rush of Blood to the Head to mind, and contains the most political material the band has written to date. Warning listeners not to “fight on the wrong side”, Martin creates a dystopian vision while exclaiming that the world should belong to “all of us”. It is certainly not an average track by the band that once had the world convinced the song “Yellow” was about each and every one it its fans individually, but quite welcome nonetheless. The album’s “Hidden Bonus Track” (though not really hidden) “Til Kingdom Come” was originally written for Johnny Cash. Though Cash himself never got to record the song, Coldplay’s version is quite enough for the alternative music fan. It’s also the closest to an acoustic track on the album, so devout fans of Coldplay’s earlier works will certainly savor it. Sampling into the band’s past and with songwriting that represents 3 years of improvement, it is the perfect closer.

Don’t be deceived by the title of the article: this is not a desperate plea for support. There will be no shortage of people who call this album a stunning step forward for a band who had already established themselves as standouts of the industry. Blender Magazine have already called the album Coldplay’s “masterpiece”, and I’m inclined to agree. This third release is the most audacious yet for a band who have so vividly grown up from a quiet group of 4 musicians producing eclectic works that were written off as Radiohead sans the innovation to a group quickly becoming aware of their abilities. The title of this article is rather in reference to a piece in the New York Times calling Coldplay “the most insufferable band of the decade”. Shockingly enough, we’re expressing essentially the same point here. The writer of that particular article made it clear he was not a fan of the band’s previous works. He’s not a fan of this album either, and that doesn’t surprise me at all. If you enjoyed the first two albums, you’ll almost certainly like this one. If you didn’t, I’d probably skip this one. If we’re talking in geographic terms (and why not? If Tre Cool can talk politics, I can talk geography) X&Y is essentially a shift in latitude while staying the same longtitude-wise. These guys aren’t ego-maniacle people obsessed with reinventing the wheel each time out. It’s stupid to completely change something that works, especially something that’s so beloved worldwide. This new album is something that runs the gamut from melancholy and bittersweet to joyous and celebratory. It really is the X & Y of Coldplay.

****1/2 out of *****

[tristy]

Fans didn't turn on Limpbizkit until Results May Vary.

[Ananas]

After two singles off that album, they went from being this interesting "new" style of music to the most maligned band in rock history.

[R.W.]

That's a really good piece Beatnik. Excellent work.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Low is a little out of place.

After several days of heavy rotation, "What If" is definately my favourite track, and "X & Y", "Fix You", "Talk", "Speed Of Sound" and "Twisted Logic" are all awesome as well.

[Liam]

Tristy, I'd say it was definitely Chocolate Starfish..... that began Limp Bizkit's downfall. Though not awful (I mean, I like it, and Results May Vary, for that matter), it was when they finally started getting really heavy rotation, and were everywhere. People just got sick of them during that period, and the downward spiral for many continued on RMV (although I prefer it).

[Colly]

You shouldn't talk Geography, longtitude? pah.

Good read otherwise. Anyone else think Fix You sounds like Mercury Rev?

[The_Icon]

I'm shocked that Limp Bizkit where brought up in a Coldplay review. I mean, they're my guilty pleasure and all, but still... Limp Bizkit?!?!

Nice read, though.

[fineintent]

Fans didn't turn on Limpbizkit until Results May Vary.

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[IAceI]

Bah, I don't like them. To me it all sounds the same, plus it's like someones dying its just so...slow.

Blah, can't stand them.