From The Observer


Coldplay, X&Y

It's exceptional, it will sound even better after they've honed it on stage - and the lyrics make some kind of sense. Amy Raphael loves that difficult third album

Sunday May 22, 2005

Two summers ago, I spent some time with Coldplay in America. Before Chris Martin became a husband and father, before the band spent more than 18 months in five different countries in a frenzy of writing, re-writing and dumping songs in a quest to make a perfect third album.
At the time, Coldplay were playing those really big American venues such as Red Rocks and Madison Square Garden and the likes of Brian Wilson were turning up to show their respect. The band, it seemed, were cool in America. Yet there Martin was, dating an Oscar winner, doing his funny dance at Red Rocks exactly 20 years after U2's legendary performance ... and worrying.

He apologised for being over-exposed back in England. He agonised over a backlash. Then he was defiant: 'We are going to make such a bonkersly brilliant next record that I don't care. Everything apart from the music is bollocks. So I don't care if people think I have sex with badgers.' And, as it turns out, Martin was right on two counts. Who cares if his sobriety and public school education make him the anti-Liam? What counts is the music. And Coldplay's third album is exceptional.

It is almost - not quite but almost - flawless. And it will probably reach a state of perfection when performed live, because, after years of learning to get it right, this is where Coldplay now excel. But for now there is the record. X&Y is a fantastically confident collection of songs.

Once again, love, life and death are Martin's inspiration, only this time round it is almost impossible not to think of Gwyneth Paltrow as his muse. Lyrically, Martin actually makes sense pretty much for the first time, while musically the band have perfected the art of contrast: over and over again, there is the rush of guitar and drums followed by the singer alone at his piano, with falsetto vocals and a questioning heart.

X&Y opens with a statement of intent. With its refrain of 'it doesn't matter who you are', 'Square One' is a beautiful, multi-layered soundscape, a nod to Pink Floyd and David Bowie. This is an album that sounds very much like Coldplay but owes a debt to others . 'Talk' borrows a sample from Kraftwerk's 'Computer Love' and it works brilliantly, while 'Low' is a U2-inspired epic.

Thankfully, Martin's status as a secure family man hasn't made the self-doubting nature of his lyrics vanish. The title track may or may not detail his relationship. Either way, it is a glorious love song, Jonny Buckland's inventive guitar accompanying lavish strings.

Martin's favourite song on X&Y is 'A Message', a tender acoustic song he wrote naked in the middle of the night. 'I'm nothing on my own/ I love you, please come home,' he sings, sounding like he's been up all night crying. Or maybe he's just very good at sounding sad, and sad songs are always the best.

As Noel Gallagher himself recently noted, 'Coldplay aren't rock'n'roll but I'm havin' them.' Well, they may not be rock'n'roll in the sex and drugs sense of the term, but X&Y proves Coldplay are a great rock band, and while they may not have sex with badgers, they are bonkersly brilliant.

Burn it: 'Square One'; 'A Message'; 'X&Y'

LOL, five stars for this??? It ain't even nearly as good as their previous two, and those weren't fucking five star albums.

VoicesCarry said:

How in the F do you know? You know good and damn well you aint heard shit but a 30 second clip of each

Get yo ass out the kitchen.. cause u aint heard shit

Not to mention you post one minute exactly after I post it.. so you havent even read the review.. you skim and throw your comments.. therefore, your opinion is obviously BULLOCKS since you dont read or hear things completely before sending verbal diahrea all over this org..

damn poser
[Edited 5/23/05 16:53pm]

Sdldawn said:

DOWNLOADED it, babe. Easy enough to do this close to release date!

VoicesCarry said:

Oh really.. Since im pretty well kept on this whole X&Y thing lately.. send me your times on each of those songs.. and let me know some details.. then i'll believe your posts. and i'll make a public apology for ranting on about you..

cause that album is nowhere to be found as of yet.. and the rest of the millions of coldplay listeners
[Edited 5/23/05 16:54pm]

Sdldawn said:

What I responded to was the five star rating, for which this album IMHO does not qualify. I did not respond to the review, because I didn't read it. Obvious.

BTW, if you post a thread like this, expect to get dissenting opinions, ok? This is the org, not a Coldplay forum.
[Edited 5/23/05 16:55pm]

VoicesCarry said:

No doubt.. I love all opinions.. but I got a feeling you havent heard the whole thing.. sorry, but unless you work at EMI.. u havent heard it.. u might can hear it tomorrow or the next day.. but NOT today.. and if you have.. I'd LOVE your opinion on the full album.. write a review..
[Edited 5/23/05 16:57pm]

Sdldawn said:

Ok...

Square One 4:47
What If 4:57
White Shadows 5:28
Fix You 4:54
Talk 5:11
X&Y 4:34
Speed Of Sound 4:48
A Message 4:45
Low 5:32
Hardest Part 4:25
Swallowed In The Sea 3:58
Twisted Logic 5:01
Til Kingdom Come 4:10

This album is all over the sharing networks....come on, you don't seriously believe they'd manage to keep a lid on a new album from such a big band, do you?
[Edited 5/23/05 16:58pm]

VoicesCarry said:

poser
[Edited 5/26/05 14:41pm]

VoicesCarry said:

Havent found it yet.. been looking for weeks on end.. and the rest of the coldplay fans

Sdldawn said:

Ok, let me give you my thoughts....

First off, if this were a debut LP, it would be a strong record, and one I could see getting much acclaim, perhaps deservedly so. But Coldplay is now on its third major studio effort, and Martin's dominance is starting to show its incredible limitations on the band's sound. His songwriting and vocal style are getting.....predictable? Yes, very very predictable. There is certainly nothing as striking as Yellow, Clocks, In My Place, Green Eyes or Trouble on this LP. Martin seems content to play several characters: lovestruck schoolboy, heartbroken twentysomething. That worked perfectly on Parachutes, and was masked somewhat by the songcraft of A Rush Of Blood To The Head (which, I think, will probably be the best thing they ever do). On this record, they come off as a poor man's U2, continually remaking The Sweetest Thing. I don't see any growth. Chris loves making his lyrics vague enough so that everyone can relate, and he loves to put on his best lost little boy voice, but it sounds hollow now. On Yellow, it sounded sincere. The first single is pleasant enough, but I honestly was not feeling much of the rest of the album. And make no mistake, I was looking forward to this record. And, though it is "good" with respect to production and songwriting, there is nothing here to make it truly interesting or astounding. Coldplay sounds like it's churning out background music for its fans, instead of trying to move forward. Personally, I think Chris Martin is the dead end for this band.
[Edited 5/23/05 17:22pm]

VoicesCarry said:

Your a poser u aint heard shit but a 30 second clip and Speed of Sound
[Edited 5/26/05 14:40pm]