Coldplay - X&Y

[craig]

http://www.mtvasia.com/Video/Feature/20050530000048/index.html

Woo!! Listen to EVERY song on the album in full now ^

/me is sneakily capturing each stream :P

[stemot]

http://www.mtvasia.com/Video/Feature/20050530000048/index.html

Woo!! Listen to EVERY song on the album in full now ^

* craig is sneakily capturing each stream :P

Okay, I like White Shadows, but really, my stance on the rest is still the same, it may change, but I doubt it, very forgetable. sorry.

[craig]

Well that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I'm just on my 2nd listen atm and I think it's great.. shame I can't get tickets for them next month cos I imagine listening to these in an arena would be wicked.

I like all the bits where all the band sings together... and the guitar in talk.. and the drum beat in X&Y... and... well all of it really :D

Ste: have you got your DBTT cd yet btw and did you order the special edition one with the DVD? I'm still waiting for mine to arrive and I'm curious as to how good the actual content of the DVD is.

[stemot]

Well that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I'm just on my 2nd listen atm and I think it's great.. shame I can't get tickets for them next month cos I imagine listening to these in an arena would be wicked.

I like all the bits where all the band sings together... and the guitar in talk.. and the drum beat in X&Y... and... well all of it really :D

Ste: have you got your DBTT cd yet btw and did you order the special edition one with the DVD? I'm still waiting for mine to arrive and I'm curious as to how good the actual content of the DVD is.

No mate, waiting for it still, should be here tomorrow, heard the docu is actually only 16 minutes long, which is a shame, but it comes in a hardback case which is meant to be really nice.

I`m just dissapointed by X & Y, maybe when all the hype has died down and people stop over hyping then etc, maybe It`ll grow on me, but at the moment I can`t get over the fact critics are saying it`s the best album ever etc when it`s not that good, sorry.
If you like it then good on ya mate.

[craig]

I`m just dissapointed by X & Y, maybe when all the hype has died down and people stop over hyping then etc, maybe It`ll grow on me, but at the moment I can`t get over the fact critics are saying it`s the best album ever etc when it`s not that good, sorry.
If you like it then good on ya mate.

I think what most people seem to forget with time is that for most people Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head weren't instant growers either. For me both of them took a good few listens to sink in and become the beauties they are today.

The hype is ****ing annoying though.. I'm currently reading 2 Coldplay forums and both keep crashing cos of the number of people Ctrl-F5-ing them for news on these supposed 192kbps mp3s that have surfaced.

[Cerpin]

I`m loving the X&Y song, i think it`s the best thing they have ever done, as most of their other songs are just cheap.

[stemot]

I remember when Rush Of Blood came out, me and the missus were having a long distance relationship then and I was down there visiting her, it was the day I was due to come back, and before we went to the train station we just laid on the bed listening to the full album.

That was a moment in my life that I`ll remember, and part of the moment was due to that album.

It`s a shame that this album won`t be doing the same for me, I`ve listened to it now a good few times, I can`t get into it at all, just not got the quality.

anyway, that`s my last input on it now, those that can, enjoy it.

[ship]

It's been fully leaked now, by the way. Great album.

[f|uke]

I think what most people seem to forget with time is that for most people Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head weren't instant growers either. For me both of them took a good few listens to sink in and become the beauties they are today.Totally. I had Rush of Blood for a long time before I finally gave it a real chance.. and soon found myself listening to it over and over again for several months.

I'm on Track 4 of X&Y now,. and I can tell that I am going to dig this album.

btw,. I notice youve got your xbox modded ;) Are you running Avalanch? Best dash by far. I'm pretty tight with the Avalaunch team. :D

[craig]

Totally. I had Rush of Blood for a long time before I finally gave it a real chance.. and soon found myself listening to it over and over again for several months.

I'm on Track 4 of X&Y now,. and I can tell that I am going to dig this album.

btw,. I notice youve got your xbox modded ;) Are you running Avalanch? Best dash by far. I'm pretty tight with the Avalaunch team. :D

Nah, I couldnt get to grips with the XML interface (well I could if I wasn't such a lazy sod lol), didnt like the look of the dash, and couldnt get it to connect to my PC via E-Net once I'd installed it so I went back to EvoX, which does the job alright (you can see the EvoX dash I use in the pic of my LCD TV btw).

Oh and yeah, I'm lovin this album... theres 10 great songs and 3 good ones.

[stemot]

Nah, I couldnt get to grips with the XML interface (well I could if I wasn't such a lazy sod lol), didnt like the look of the dash, and couldnt get it to connect to my PC via E-Net once I'd installed it so I went back to EvoX, which does the job alright (you can see the EvoX dash I use in the pic of my LCD TV btw).

Oh and yeah, I'm lovin this album... theres 10 great songs and 3 good ones.

1 great song, 2 good songs, rest are fillers, just wish I could like this, but white shadows is great.


And my Don`t Believe The Truth still hasn`t come this morning. I am pissed off.

[craig]

And my Don`t Believe The Truth still hasn`t come this morning. I am pissed off.

Same. They always turn up late on Bank Holidays. Bet mine doesn't get here till Thursday.

[stemot]

Been looking around other music sites (not Oasis ones, in case anyone thinks I only listen to Oasis) and they really aren`t liking this album, which kinda relieves me a little, I thought I was the only that didn`t like this and I thought there must be sothething wrong with me, just couldn`t see the supposed beauty of it.

So I`m not alone, I can stop listening to it now and concede it isn`t going to grow on me.

If my DBTT doesn`t arrive tomorrow, I`m gonna be very angry and let my dog out on the postman, and If Inet don`t get there finger out and change my Oasis T-Shirt order from "being packed" to Dispatched like it has been for the 4 days, then I`ll be sending them an e-mail telling them of my displeasure :angry:

I`m sulking now, goodbye ;(

[craig]

I've noticed that the main complaint among people is that "this isn't like Parachutes", which everyone is saying is their favourite Coldplay album. I bet if it was a re-hash of Parachutes people would be moaning at Coldplay for doing the same thing too. With the third album bands generally can't win one way or another (any one remember the devision between Oasis and Radiohead fans oppinion wise when Be Here Now and OK Computer came out? both of which I highly reccomend people listen to!).

I for one after numerous listens absolutley love this LP and there isn't one track on it I skip past.

Definite highlights for me:

Square One
Fix You
Talk
X&Y
A Message
Swallowed in the Sea
Twisted Logic

Edit: I bet my DBTT CD doesn't turn up tomorrow, because generally when I want something delivering quickly from Play it takes ages...

I'm off to visit a cousin for a few days tomorrow too so if I don't get it by the morning I want see it for days *sobs*.

[craig]

Man, I love these lyrics:

A Message

My song is love.
Love to the love that's shown.
And it goes up.
You don't have to be alone.

Your heavy heart.
Is made of stone.
And it's so hard to see you clearly.
You don't have to be on your own.
You don't have to be on your own.

And I'm not gonna take it back.
And I'm not gonna say I don't mean that.
You're the target that I'm aiming at.
And I get that message home.

My song is love.
My song is love unknown.
And I'm on fire for you clearly
You don't have to be alone.
You don't have to be on your own.

And I'm not gonna take it back.
And I'm not gonna say I don't mean that.
You're the target that I'm aiming at.
But I'm nothing on my own.
Got to get that message home.

And I'm not gonna stand and wait.
Not gonna leave it until it's much too late oh.
On a platform I'm gonna stand and sing.
That I'm nothing on my own.
And I love you please come home!

My song is love is love unknown.
And I've got to get that message home.

[stemot]

Well, Ive not got my CD again this morning, time to start waving cuts of steak in the dogs face, but, I did get my t-shirt, which according to recordstore is still sent for packing??????????
I won`t be buying anything from Play again.

[Insano]

Well, I'm definately going to buy the CD, because Coldplay is one of the number one groups for me.

:)

[craig]

Well, Ive not got my CD again this morning

Same ;(

I'm not suprised though, I mean Play.com does ship from Jersey, which is closer to the France than the UK. With them once they send you that e-mail to say its been sent if it's an email before 10am you generally get it within 2 days... over and its usually 3.

[Hectic Glenn]

Streaming these now, ****ing loving everything so far, awesome. Can't wait to get to some of those you recommended. Not much leaked on the p2p networks tbh. Can't wait to get the album, next monday right?

[Narcolepsy]

Am I the only one that thought Parachutes is incredibly overrated? In my opinion, Rush of Blood to the Head was an extreme improvement - the atmosphere of the album was so much more interesting than its predecessor, and it had songs like Politik, The Scientist, Clocks, and Amsterdam. What more could you ask for?

Coming from this standpoint, do you think I'll like X and Y?

[craig]

Am I the only one that thought Parachutes is incredibly overrated? In my opinion, Rush of Blood to the Head was an extreme improvement - the atmosphere of the album was so much more interesting than its predecessor, and it had songs like Politik, The Scientist, Clocks, and Amsterdam. What more could you ask for?

Coming from this standpoint, do you think I'll like X and Y?

I think AROBTTH was a much more commercial LP than the first one and it had a much bigger sound, which everyone could 'dig'.

X&Y is a very different album from the first two. They've been much more experimental with sound this time round using a lot of different organs, tons of falsetto with ALL the band singing and various wind instruments. For the most part it all works very well. Theres a LOT less piano work on this album, which is probably my only gripe because from previous albums it was mainly the songs written around Piano riffs that tended to work well (Amsterdam, Clocks, The Scientist, Trouble, etc) and piano tends to take a back seat in this album blending in much more with the rest of the sound.

To sum up I think yeah you'll like it, but it's not an album you appreciate on first listening. It takes a good 4/5 listens to start hearing all the nuances.

On another note my copy of X&Y is currently being processed on play.com! Yay!

[stemot]

I think AROBTTH was a much more commercial LP than the first one and it had a much bigger sound, which everyone could 'dig'.

X&Y is a very different album from the first two. They've been much more experimental with sound this time round using a lot of different organs, tons of falsetto with ALL the band singing and various wind instruments. For the most part it all works very well. Theres a LOT less piano work on this album, which is probably my only gripe because from previous albums it was mainly the songs written around Piano riffs that tended to work well (Amsterdam, Clocks, The Scientist, Trouble, etc) and piano tends to take a back seat in this album blending in much more with the rest of the sound.

To sum up I think yeah you'll like it, but it's not an album you appreciate on first listening. It takes a good 4/5 listens to start hearing all the nuances.

On another note my copy of X&Y is currently being processed on play.com! Yay!

Hope it comes quicker than DBTT mate.

I know your tired of hearing this now, and I`m not saying it wind anyone up, but my main problem with X&Y was that the songs sound the same as those on AROBTTH but with nothing that made that that LP exciting.
I`ve listened to the bugger about 12 times now, just can`t get it to click.
Guess this is one album that I`ll never "get". :(

[craig]

Hope it comes quicker than DBTT mate.

Well I made the mistake of ordering DBTT on a weekend so even though it says 'processing' pretty much as soon as I pressed 'buy' I bet they didnt actually start processing the bugger till Tuesday.

It 'should' be here tomorrow, unless the bloody postie nicks off with it.

How is the DVD anyway? and is the 'special edition' in a digipack similar to the special edition of Kula Shaker - K back in 1996? Hope not lol cos they're so easy to damage.

[Hectic Glenn]

The one song thats getting me every time is 'fix you' there is a DAMN FINE but sad song. A message, swallowed in the sea are also good ones for me. I just want my damn order to come as well. I love this album, its different but great.

stemot try focusing on fix you, see if you can 'get' that.

[stemot]

The one song thats getting me every time is 'fix you' there is a DAMN FINE but sad song. A message, swallowed in the sea are also good ones for me. I just want my damn order to come as well. I love this album, its different but great.

stemot try focusing on fix you, see if you can 'get' that.

Can`t mate, don`t like his high voice in that, the only track I can truly say that yes, I like that, is "White Shadows", but even the guitar bits in that are ruined due to the fact it sounds like Stereophonics "Superman" track.

[craig]

stemot try focusing on fix you, see if you can 'get' that.

He's already said he doesn't like Fix You because of the lyrics lol.

My top 4 songs I reccomend people definitely listen to on this album are (in no particular order):

Square One.
A Message.
Fix You.
Talk.

[Hectic Glenn]

I felt that song choke me...i thought the lyrics were beautiful

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

I see a stream down your face
when you lose something you cannot replace
I see a stream down your face
And I

I see a stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from all my mistakes
I see a stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Beautiful, and i agree square one is very good as well.

[stemot]

He's already said he doesn't like Fix You because of the lyrics lol.

My top 4 songs I reccomend people definitely listen to on this album are (in no particular order):

Square One.
A Message.
Fix You.
Talk.


Nah mate, that was Swallowed By The Sea, although you could apply it to must most of the album.
Fix You does have some nice lryics, it`s just his voice goes far to high and sounds like crap, and while the lrics are good, they are sung without the emotion that have been put into the lyrics.

I`ve just burnt it and have it on now in the background before I watch my DBTT DVD, so I`m giving it this last chance to grow on me.

At least no=one can accuse me of not giving it a chance, christ, I want to like it, but I don`t. ;(

[RipperRoo]

Heard the Speed of Sound single, and oh my god that is a catchy song, its taking me over!

Gonna have a listen to the rest of the album see what I think.

[dfc05]

I'm liking most of the songs, especially Swallowed by the Sea and Til Kingdom Come. Nice, simple tunes. I actually didn't like the lyrics for Fix You :O, at least not the first couple of lines. It seems a bit trite and kinda gets on my nerves, but the rest of the lyrics for that song are alright, and the tune is nice. I guess I like Til Kingdom Come because he sings a bit lower than the rest of the songs, which is a nice change -- the high vocals do get a bit annoying in places (chorus of What If). Anyways, I'm pretty sure I'll be buying it when it comes out.

[craig]

Heard the Speed of Sound single, and oh my god that is a catchy song, its taking me over!

Gonna have a listen to the rest of the album see what I think.

Speed of Sound is very catchy yes, but it's by no means indicative of anything else on that album really. Infact they said that they ultimatley chose that as the first single because it's the one song on the LP that sounds most like the old stuff (i.e. it would sit better on A Rush of Blood to the Head rather than X&Y).

[Hectic Glenn]

Anyone see them on Jonathon Ross tonight? They played Speed of sound, followed by the oldie in my place, then Fix you lastly, and it was so awesome, i loved every second of it, best song on the album by far. I've read reviews which said the same thing, i'll post their scores on here tomorrow if people are interested (a rating out of 5 for each song only)

Oh and Chris Martin kept singing 'ding ding ding ding' between gaps in the songs, it was a hilarious mimic of the crazy frog. If you missed it, you missed out big time.

[stemot]

Anyone see them on Jonathon Ross tonight? They played Speed of sound, followed by the oldie in my place, then Fix you lastly, and it was so awesome, i loved every second of it, best song on the album by far. I've read reviews which said the same thing, i'll post their scores on here tomorrow if people are interested (a rating out of 5 for each song only)

Oh and Chris Martin kept singing 'ding ding ding ding' between gaps in the songs, it was a hilarious mimic of the crazy frog. If you missed it, you missed out big time.


It`s interesting to see that above all the 10/10`s and 5/5`s the album will ultimatley get due to the hype, the magazines that have really dispised Oasis in the past (Rolling Stone, Mojo) have given Don`t Believe The Truth a higher score.
In my opinion, NME and Q calling them the best band in the world is slightly jumping the gun abit, they are not as big as U2, who`s live shows are still to to be bettered, they are no where near in the same league as Oasis with touring (MSG in less than 24 Hours). What`s really embarrasing is Tom Jones sells more live tickets than Coldplay. Coldplay are still trying to sell out 15,000 venues.
You can`t be the best band in the world from albums alone, yes, they make you money, but you have to cut it on tour as well, and until they do, any review that states that they are the biggest and best are simply far too ahead of themselves.
The album has grown on me a little, I like Square One, Talk, White Shadows (the best one) and Low. That`s five out of 13, the rest I consider fillers, too boring/badly sung/bad lyrics to be enjoyable.
Again, this is just my opinion, and I know that come a week on Monday, their new album will probably be the fastest selling for sometime, (I`ll be buying due to the fact that a) I actually like Coldplay :p and b) I`ve downloaded it and kept it so I am obliged to do the right thing,) but the reason as far as I can see is hype, and not on the overall quality of the album.
It`s like Be Here Now all over again, that sold 7million, it was a decent record, but not as good as everyone made out at the time, and is remembered as failure. The same, I think, will be true of X&Y.

Yes, it`s decent, but not a patch on the previous by the band......In my opinion, and certainly not, the best band in the world.

Rant over......Thanks for listening :p

Allow the flaming of me to comence :P

[Harryz]

Anyone see them on Jonathon Ross tonight?

I recorded it, just for Coldplay; haven't watched it yet though. As for the album, its probably the shittest thing I've heard. Ha, joking, its awesome. Favourite tracks have to be White Shadows, Talk, Low and Fix You. Can't wait till I pick my copy up tomorrow.

[Hectic Glenn]

I recorded it, just for Coldplay; haven't watched it yet though. As for the album, its probably the shittest thing I've heard. Ha, joking, its awesome. Favourite tracks have to be White Shadows, Talk, Low and Fix You. Can't wait till I pick my copy up tomorrow.
Hehe lucky thing! And enjoy the video, im sure you will.

Heres the ratings for each song on the X&Y album. (5 best, 1 worst)

Square one 4
What If 3
White Shadows 4
Fix you 5+ (wooo!)
Talk 5
X&Y 5
Speed of Sound 5
A Message 3
Low 4
The Hardest Part 2
Swallowed in the Sea 3
Twisted Logic 3
'Til Kingdom Come 4

The album was rated 4 and a half overall, not bad at all. I love this album and the other 2, so 3 brilliant albums in a row i think gives them something of a high status stemot. I think they deserve some recognition of a high level. Maybe not best band but definately something big.

[Jimmeh]

Heard Talk on the radio about an hour ago. I like :) Reminded me of Interpol, I think I'll be picking this album up.

[craig]

Hehe lucky thing! And enjoy the video, im sure you will.

Heres the ratings for each song on the X&Y album. (5 best, 1 worst)

Square one 4
What If 3
White Shadows 4
Fix you 5+ (wooo!)
Talk 5
X&Y 5
Speed of Sound 5
A Message 3
Low 4
The Hardest Part 2
Swallowed in the Sea 3
Twisted Logic 3
'Til Kingdom Come 4

The album was rated 4 and a half overall, not bad at all. I love this album and the other 2, so 3 brilliant albums in a row i think gives them something of a high status stemot. I think they deserve some recognition of a high level. Maybe not best band but definately something big.

Oh my word. I can't believe you rated my favourite song (A Message) so low :(

Lets see if Play.com are gonna dick me on this album too... or maybe I'll recive it by Monday? We'll see...

[stemot]

Oh my word. I can't believe you rated my favourite song (A Message) so low :(

Lets see if Play.com are gonna dick me on this album too... or maybe I'll recive it by Monday? We'll see...


How come you don`t just go to the shops and buy it mate?

[craig]

How come you don`t just go to the shops and buy it mate?

cos it's a couple of quid cheaper and I'm a cheap bastard :)

[Harryz]

Just checked, its £8.99 at Play.com and I've been told at Asda its going for £7.99. Ordering it online saves a trip to the shops for us lazy buggers too.

I can't get enough of Low! Also, I have the track "Talk" before the album was leaked, but its slightly different. How come?

[AntiAnto]

Not that I want to seem better than all of you guys, but I'm going to their show this summer.

[craig]

Just checked, its £8.99 at Play.com and I've been told at Asda its going for £7.99. Ordering it online saves a trip to the shops for us lazy buggers too.

I can't get enough of Low! Also, I have the track "Talk" before the album was leaked, but its slightly different. How come?

Coldplay basically 15 months pissing about tweaking songs and 3 months solid recording. Talk was originally done in that 15 month time frame and after it leaked Chris re-worked it and re-wrote the lyrics.

Not sure which one I prefer tbh.

[craig]

Not that I want to seem better than all of you guys, but I'm going to their show this summer.

Oh yeah.. and how do you know I'm not? :p

[Harryz]

Coldplay basically 15 months pissing about tweaking songs and 3 months solid recording. Talk was originally done in that 15 month time frame and after it leaked Chris re-worked it and re-wrote the lyrics.

Not sure which one I prefer tbh.

Makes sense, thanks.


Oh and Chris Martin kept singing 'ding ding ding ding' between gaps in the songs, it was a hilarious mimic of the crazy frog. If you missed it, you missed out big time.

I couldn't stop cracking up when I heard that. Nicely done Chris.

[craig]

I couldn't stop cracking up when I heard that. Nicely done Chris.

He's been doing it at every press junket all week (ever since the crazy ****ing frog beat them to number 1) and quite frankly it was funny at first, but now it's getting quite annoying.

[craig]

For anyone that's interested on understanding what Harryz is on about here you go:

http://rapidshare.de/files/2178360/chris_does_the_crazy_frog.mp3.html

Mods, don't delete this.. it isn't a song.. its a radio interview clip.

[Hectic Glenn]

Oh my word. I can't believe you rated my favourite song (A Message) so low :(

Lets see if Play.com are gonna dick me on this album too... or maybe I'll recive it by Monday? We'll see...
It wasn't my choice! Out of them all i thought a message was lowly rated i would give it a 4/5 definately, my 3rd fav song!

I've never heard him do the crazy frog thing before, but it went down on Jonathon Ross :cat:

I'm actually listening to Radio 2 now, and its all about coldplay's rise to the top and the band members talking about X&Y. Their first song is on now, if you wanna listen click here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio2.shtml) now (only for the next 45 minutes though then you miss out!)

[A.I.]

For anyone that's interested on understanding what Harryz is on about here you go:

http://rapidshare.de/files/2178360/chris_does_the_crazy_frog.mp3.html

Mods, don't delete this.. it isn't a song.. its a radio interview clip.
It doesn't work. The page wants me to upload :x

My comment on the new album: X&Y (subtitled: Coldplay plays it safe.)

[craig]

It doesn't work. The page wants me to upload :x

My comment on the new album: X&Y (subtitled: Coldplay plays it safe.)

Scroll to the bottom of the page for it's download options :laugh:

[A.I.]

Ooops *hides away in shame*

It's very interesting to read the reviews of people. It seems that this is a very confusing album.

[Hectic Glenn]

Btw coldplay are on virgin radio now talking through every track on the album, cracking some funny jokes and playing their songs. Im having a real ball listening. On track 5 now of 13, so tune in now or miss out forever.
www.virginradio.co.uk
http://www.virginradio.co.uk/thestation/listen/index.html

[craig]

Ooops *hides away in shame*

It's very interesting to read the reviews of people. It seems that this is a very confusing album.

Yeah, only super-intelligent people like this album :)

[ComradeBadger]

I could never stand Speed of Sound or Clocks.. but as a general rule, liked the rest of the album (Rush of Blood to the Head) .. haven't heard X & Y in full so far, but we had it on at work the other day.. and I just thought 'meh', it's just.. not very interesting...

[Harryz]

By the way, Coldplay are on MTV right now from 9-10 as a Secret London Gig.

[A.I.]

Rush Of Blood To The Head is one of my favourite songs of all times (and Amsterdam). After listening the album for a day (about 10 times) I'm afraid, that something went wrong. Not terribly wrong, the album is quite enjoyable but I can't identify with any of the songs. Well, maybe Til Kingdom Come. That's pure Coldplay.

[stemot]

And So, The backlash begins:-

New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/arts/music/05pare.html?pagewanted=1&incamp=article_popular_3

The Case Against Coldplay

THERE'S nothing wrong with self-pity. As a spur to songwriting, it's right up there with lust, anger and greed, and probably better than the remaining deadly sins. There's nothing wrong, either, with striving for musical grandeur, using every bit of skill and studio illusion to create a sound large enough to get lost in. Male sensitivity, a quality that's under siege in a pop culture full of unrepentant bullying and machismo, shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, no matter how risible it can be in practice. And building a sound on the lessons of past bands is virtually unavoidable.


This week Coldplay releases its painstakingly recorded third album, "X&Y" (Capitol), a virtually surefire blockbuster that has corporate fortunes riding on it. (The stock price plunged for EMI Group, Capitol's parent company, when Coldplay announced that the album's release date would be moved from February to June, as it continued to rework the songs.)

"X&Y" is the work of a band that's acutely conscious of the worldwide popularity it cemented with its 2002 album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head," which has sold three million copies in the United States alone. Along with its 2000 debut album, "Parachutes," Coldplay claims sales of 20 million albums worldwide. "X&Y" makes no secret of grand ambition.

Clearly, Coldplay is beloved: by moony high school girls and their solace-seeking parents, by hip-hop producers who sample its rich instrumental sounds and by emo rockers who admire Chris Martin's heart-on-sleeve lyrics. The band emanates good intentions, from Mr. Martin's political statements to lyrics insisting on its own benevolence. Coldplay is admired by everyone - everyone except me.

It's not for lack of skill. The band proffers melodies as imposing as Romanesque architecture, solid and symmetrical. Mr. Martin on keyboards, Jonny Buckland on guitar, Guy Berryman on bass and Will Champion on drums have mastered all the mechanics of pop songwriting, from the instrumental hook that announces nearly every song they've recorded to the reassurance of a chorus to the revitalizing contrast of a bridge. Their arrangements ascend and surge, measuring out the song's yearning and tension, cresting and easing back and then moving toward a chiming resolution. Coldplay is meticulously unified, and its songs have been rigorously cleared of anything that distracts from the musical drama.

Unfortunately, all that sonic splendor orchestrates Mr. Martin's voice and lyrics. He places his melodies near the top of his range to sound more fragile, so the tunes straddle the break between his radiant tenor voice and his falsetto. As he hops between them - in what may be Coldplay's most annoying tic - he makes a sound somewhere between a yodel and a hiccup. And the lyrics can make me wish I didn't understand English. Coldplay's countless fans seem to take comfort when Mr. Martin sings lines like, "Is there anybody out there who / Is lost and hurt and lonely too," while a strummed acoustic guitar telegraphs his aching sincerity. Me, I hear a passive-aggressive blowhard, immoderately proud as he flaunts humility. "I feel low," he announces in the chorus of "Low," belied by the peak of a crescendo that couldn't be more triumphant about it.

In its early days, Coldplay could easily be summed up as Radiohead minus Radiohead's beat, dissonance or arty subterfuge. Both bands looked to the overarching melodies of 1970's British rock and to the guitar dynamics of U2, and Mr. Martin had clearly heard both Bono's delivery and the way Radiohead's Thom Yorke stretched his voice to the creaking point.

Unlike Radiohead, though, Coldplay had no interest in being oblique or barbed. From the beginning, Coldplay's songs topped majesty with moping: "We're sinking like stones," Mr. Martin proclaimed. Hardly alone among British rock bands as the 1990's ended, Coldplay could have been singing not only about private sorrows but also about the final sunset on the British empire: the old opulence meeting newly shrunken horizons. Coldplay's songs wallowed happily in their unhappiness.

Am I a part of the cure / Or am I part of the disease," Mr. Martin pondered in "Clocks" on "A Rush of Blood to the Head." Actually, he's contagious. Particularly in its native England, Coldplay has spawned a generation of one-word bands - Athlete, Embrace, Keane, Starsailor, Travis and Aqualung among them - that are more than eager to follow through on Coldplay's tremulous, ringing anthems of insecurity. The emulation is spreading overseas to bands like the Perishers from Sweden and the American band Blue Merle, which tries to be Coldplay unplugged.


A band shouldn't necessarily be blamed for its imitators - ask the Cure or the Grateful Dead. But Coldplay follow-throughs are redundant; from the beginning, Coldplay has verged on self-parody. When he moans his verses, Mr. Martin can sound so sorry for himself that there's hardly room to sympathize for him, and when he's not mixing metaphors, he fearlessly slings clichés. "Are you lost or incomplete," Mr. Martin sings in "Talk," which won't be cited in any rhyming dictionaries. "Do you feel like a puzzle / you can't find your missing piece."

Coldplay reached its musical zenith with the widely sampled piano arpeggios that open "Clocks": a passage that rings gladly and, as it descends the scale and switches from major to minor chords, turns incipiently mournful. Of course, it's followed by plaints: "Tides that I tried to swim against / Brought me down upon my knees."

On "X&Y," Coldplay strives to carry the beauty of "Clocks" across an entire album - not least in its first single, "Speed of Sound," which isn't the only song on the album to borrow the "Clocks" drumbeat. The album is faultless to a fault, with instrumental tracks purged of any glimmer of human frailty. There is not an unconsidered or misplaced note on "X&Y," and every song (except the obligatory acoustic "hidden track" at the end, which is still by no means casual) takes place on a monumental soundstage.

As Coldplay's recording budgets have grown, so have its reverberation times. On "X&Y," it plays as if it can already hear the songs echoing across the world. "Square One," which opens the album, actually begins with guitar notes hinting at the cosmic fanfare of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (and "2001: A Space Odyssey"). Then Mr. Martin, never someone to evade the obvious, sings about "the space in which we're traveling."

As a blockbuster band, Coldplay is now looking over its shoulder at titanic predecessors like U2, Pink Floyd and the Beatles, pilfering freely from all of them. It also looks to an older legacy; in many songs, organ chords resonate in the spaces around Mr. Martin's voice, insisting on churchly reverence.

As Coldplay's music has grown more colossal, its lyrics have quietly made a shift on "X&Y." On previous albums, Mr. Martin sang mostly in the first person, confessing to private vulnerabilities. This time, he sings a lot about "you": a lover, a brother, a random acquaintance. He has a lot of pronouncements and advice for all of them: "You just want somebody listening to what you say," and "Every step that you take could be your biggest mistake," and "Maybe you'll get what you wanted, maybe you'll stumble upon it" and "You don't have to be alone." It's supposed to be compassionate, empathetic, magnanimous, inspirational. But when the music swells up once more with tremolo guitars and chiming keyboards, and Mr. Martin's voice breaks for the umpteenth time, it sounds like hokum to me.





And This one I just got from over at one of the Coldplay forums:-


Coldplay - X & Y- EMI

OVERVIEW
Coldplay, perhaps you've heard of them. Chris Martin and the boys - I mean, who are they really) - are either the saviours of rock, as critics comparing them to U2 and the Beatles, would like you to think, or just another over-hyped group taking Radioheads vision into very commercial terrain.

HIT FACTOR
The one sheet that came with the advance of the disc noted how much the group wanted to use the full power of the studio. Even if that really meant "we had no ideas, so we glossed 'em over really, really well," this CD would sell, sell, sell.

BEST TRACK
"White Shadows" and "Speed Of Sound" manage to generate some of the excitement that songs such as "Spies" and "Clocks" had. "Fix You" is a love song, it's written by somebody with a Messiah complex. When did these guys commit 100% into mid-tempo ballad band?

LINER LESSONS
In lieu of lyrics, some off-focus photos and groovy colour graphics are included. It's probably a good idea when the best lines you can manage are "How long do I have to climb, up on this mountain side of mine?" Uh, try driving your ego.

BEST FOR
Stick to the first two discs. Apparently, this is a junior slump.

BOTTOM LINE
So calculated and uninspired that you won't want to play it at all.

GRADE
C-


From another US tabloid, dunno which one though

[craig]

The top reviewer is a ****ing idiot, which is the case for most of the reviews that aim to remain totally negative.

I mean as far as he/she is concerned Coldplay spawned the likes of Travis, Embrace, etc ROFL and they've all been around longer!

[Hectic Glenn]

It may be his opinion...but its wrong. Some of the things he says just make no sense. Incase didnt realise speed of sound is already massive. Most songs on there will do really well making this album flourish. Although that review just is alot of pony and trap. Its just an american perspective on an english band, sometimes they just can't understand certain things we like. e.g. comedy and music.

[stemot]

It may be his opinion...but its wrong. Some of the things he says just make no sense. Incase didnt realise speed of sound is already massive. Most songs on there will do really well making this album flourish. Although that review just is alot of pony and trap. Its just an american perspective on an english band, sometimes they just can't understand certain things we like. e.g. comedy and music.

An opinion isn`t wrong or right, just cos you think it`s the best thing since sliced bread, doesn`t make you right either.

Speed Of Sound definatley isn`t massive, it sold around around 19,000 which is pretty poor for a comeback single.
Yes the album will do well, break records etc, but I really believe that after this albums hype die down this album will be remembered as, musically, the weakest Coldplay album.

Just because his opinion of the album is poor doesn`t make it wrong, I`d also brace yourself for alot more of these, their are alot more poor reviews like this one cropping up, and although if you like the music you really shouldn`t give a shit what other people think and just enjoy it, if you don`t like it then you feel the need to warn people against the same mistake that you, in your opinion made.

[Narcolepsy]

It makes such a good story to bash the CD that everyone thinks is the savior of mankind.

And that can explain half of these reviews.

[craig]

I remember the same negative reviews when Be Here Now came out, which ironically was the same day my GCSE results were published. Anyway I thought "**** the reviews", went and got my results, then nipped to town to pick up the CD and to this day I think it's the third best Oasis album regardless of what other people say.

stemot is right, the only oppinion that really matters is your own.

[stemot]

I remember the same negative reviews when Be Here Now came out, which ironically was the same day my GCSE results were published. Anyway I thought "**** the reviews", went and got my results, then nipped to town to pick up the CD and to this day I think it's the third best Oasis album regardless of what other people say.

stemot is right, the only oppinion that really matters is your own.


Be Here Now is the album which converted me from the "hate the Gallaghers, they are cocky gits" stable to the "blimey, Oasis are amazing" stable, so I can`t really bad mouth it at all.
I do think DBTT is a better more consistant album, but I will always like the album contrary to the press conception of it, and if you talk to people who have heard it, they generally agree that it gets a bad rap for no reason.

[craig]

430,000 copies shifted in the UK in week one. Well done Coldplay! That puts them at #2 in the list for the fastest selling albums in the UK (right behind Oasis :P and just infront of Dido).

[CrazyHarij]

I think most of Coldplays songs are very good, but when I listened to a concert aired on the radio it struck me how similar all of them are. Some of them almost seem to be identical..

[stemot]

I think most of Coldplays songs are very good, but when I listened to a concert aired on the radio it struck me how similar all of them are. Some of them almost seem to be identical..


Which is my main critism of this album, Speed Of Sound is basically Clocks Redux, and many of the songs on the album merge into each other. Well done to them though for getting number one, but also to Oasis, for staying at two, above the White Stripes new album no less, very unusual for an Oasis album not to slip right down.

Heh, at least there`s a bit of sense at the top of the album charts for now anyway. :)

[Adidajs]

a message - one of the only good songs on the album. i absolutely adored the first two albums, but like stated above - "meh". i knew this would happen. There was no way they could put out three amazing albums back-to-back-to-back. no way. and i don't think they did. I still love "a message" though. sure, others will absolutely love this album, but i don't.

[Insano]

White Shadows is a great song too imo :)