Artist: Coldplay
Title: X&Y
Genre: Rock-Pop
Label: Capitol
Coldplay Website
I have never been one to get all excited about bands that are at the top of the charts, well, maybe when I was 8 years old. Coldplay seems to be dominating lately and with good reason. I kept hearing about them and never sat down and listened to an entire CD by this band. Now I know what all the fuss is. This album sold a half a million copies within one week of its release. That is an incredible achievement.
X & Y has me up to speed with these British wonder boys. I immediately noticed the vocals of Chris Martin to be a familiar combination, sounding very much like Bono and Dave Matthews, which is not a bad thing at all when you consider U2 and Dave’s band are two of the most successful in the world. I know this is old news for those of you that have a lot of familiarity with this band, however, there are probably many more folks out there like myself that are just discovering this great band. By all indications, it looks as if Coldplay has surpassed just about everyone at this point.
Jon Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drums), Guy Bergman (bass), and Chris Martin (vocals/piano) perform lush productions with precision accuracy throughout this recording. Their playing is very restrained. They do not cut loose and rock, ever, but that is to their benefit as each composition has its own story and atmosphere built to fit the vocals of Martin, who wraps his golden-throated vocals around each track with warmth and feeling. You do not have to let it all hang out and blow the roof off to play with emotion and this band is proof positive of that adage. Their music has a way off sweeping you away from your present reality; it rather eases you into another frame of mind. Martin’s endearing vocal style makes itself right at home inside your consciousness then suddenly you find yourself singing right along to every tune as if you wrote it with the band.
Article comments
1 - GregGallagher
This album is a huge disappointment. Most critics have called it "lukewarm" and I'm in total agreement. Rush of Blood to the Head is much, much better. Expect this album to fill the bargain-bins of music stores everywhere in a couple months.
2 - Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
Well, like I said, I have nothing else to compare it to at this point. I do standby what I said, this is a great album and it will stay at #1 until the end of the year. Its amazing how two people can be on opposite ends of the spectrum with their opinions, that's what makes the world such an interesting place no doesn't it?
3 - Matt
I do standby what I said, this is a great album and it will stay at #1 until the end of the year.
Keith--you're saying that the album will be number one every week until the end of the year, or that it will sell the most copies when the year is over?
BTW--Listen to Parachutes or AROBTTH and you'll understand why many are grossly disappointed by this album.
4 - naomi
I am a 57 year old grandmother and I love Coldplay's music. In fact I am going to my first ever Rock concert in London on Monday and it is Coldplay. I can hardly wait.
5 - gremster
^ Exactly. I am sad to say Coldplay's new music is about as exciting as the stuff my grandmother listens to.
6 - Beiha-Malen Yanez
I think that X&Y is a remarkable acheivement. Coldplay have matured in this album yet still maintain their signature sound and carry on with the power of their beautiful, poignant and melodic music. They deserve their current success and more. And it is rude to say that what a grandmother might listen to is boring. In 50 year's time your grandkids might say the same about you and the music you listen to , and will you believe them? NO. Well done to Coldplay for once again showing the world that you don't have to be loud to rock and that intelligent matter can be coupled with lyrical, melodic music.
7 - Keith
To address Matt's question-I think it will land at #1 and the end of the year. And I will take your advice and explore other recordings by this band. If I thought this one was good I am sure to love the others even more if what you say is on the mark. Everyone has their own opinion of course and its valued. Thanks to everyone for their input, lets keep this debate going!
8 - Tom Johnson
We will never see anything like the Beatles again but this is as close as it will ever get.
Do I even need to say anything about this? I will anyway:
Muzikman, I understand your excitement over finding something new that really clicks with you, but these guys are so, so, SO far away from the Beatles in pretty much every way possible. Coldplay is a second-rate U2 (and late-period U2 at that,) at best, and not in the slightest bit original. I get why people respond to this - it feels "important," it's really dramatic and cinematic, but there's really not much interesting going on here. I think the comment above that states there will be a lot of used copies in used CD stores is correct. It's really too bad the industry doesn't track that statistic. It may sell millions of copies this year, but once most of those people have memorized this band's very simple formula, they'll tire of it and sell it off for something else.
9 - Phillip Winn
I'd take Keane's Hopes and Fears over Coldplay's latest, and U2's latest over both.
Come to think of it, I've bought all three. Never mind!
10 - Keith
To address Tom. I did not say they were like the Beatles or even come close to them in sound or their history, I said that this is as close as it gets for today, so in retrospect-the Beatles were unqiue and there will never be anyone like them again but bands like Coldplay strive to duplicate what they did in some ways but they fall short, hence, again, its as close as it gets. Everytime I make a reference to another band someone like you thinks I am comparing them in a literal sense, which I am not.
11 - Rob
The media hype this album received prior to its release was incredible. The album will sell millions just based on all of this attention. The thing is, I don't know anyone who owns a Coldplay album and I don't want to buy this one just because the media machine and record company wants me to. In fact, any interest I may have had in this album has been beaten out of me by the hype and constant radio play. I wonder how many people feel the way I do?
12 - Tom Johnson
The album will sell millions just based on all of this attention.
Rob's right, and all this "media attention" is manufactured by EMI because they literally have everything riding on the massive success of this album - their entire year's profits hinge on this album. This is a marketing blitz the likes of which I don't recall ever seeing before this. Imagine if all of the money they sunk into this thing was instead spent searching for other bands to sign and promote?
13 - Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
Jesus people! Stop your whining about the @#!$%!! Promotional wheel at the label and enjoy the music. Its a great album, there are not too many like the available any more you know.