for anyone planning to pick up this wonderful cd.. Circuit City has it on sale for $9.99 and a free download of Yellow Live.


thought it was a nice deal for us'coldplay fanz

I downloaded it, it's better than I thought. I'll probabbly end up buying it.

Tom said:

This is my second week of listening.. and I like it better every time..


my highlights are:

Square One
What If
Fix You
Talk
X&Y
Hardest Part
Message
Twisted Logic
Till Kingdom Come


I think 'Till Kingdom Come is brilliant. That was a song they wrote for Johny Cash, but he died before he could sing it.

I plan on picking this one up sooner or later.

The only track I don't really care for is Swallowed In The Sea.

The rest =

Cloudbuster said:

I think its just as good, or better than their previous two.

I see all three album differently.
Parachutes is a raw album that soars with melody.
AROBTTH is also raw and there's no doubt it kicks ass. Polotik for example.
X&Y is not a giant leap forward, but still soaring in its own direction. Lyrically it deals with things most everyone can relate to, but never answering the question. Loud guitars, thumping drums, beautiful strings.. I honestly couldnt ask for much more in this release.
If they plan to return for a fourth release, They need to keep moving forward.. perhaps take a longer jump.

I also love how the album is produced in a specific way.. then the hidden track 'Till Kingdom Come brings them back to their roots for a genius song..
[Edited 6/7/05 9:27am]

Cloudbuster said:

I do enjoy the silence of the song though.. usually opening the track like this would have made me click to the next song, but I enjoy his voice alone with that atmospheric sound..

by the way Twisted Logic f*cking rocks

Sdldawn said:

I agree...this song is amazing as is the rest of the album. I bought it at Best Buy and they also have an exclusive card inside to download a bonus track not on the album called...'Crest of Waves' which I think is on the 'Speed of Sound' UK single....

Anyway....cant wait to go home tonight, crack open a bottle of wine, turn the lights low and blare this brilliant album!

I was busy buying crap at Home Depot tonite and TOTALLY forgot to swing thru Target and get this for 9.99

DAMMIT!

all the u2 comments and bono type rip-off statements coming out of the singers mouth are really turning me off of these guys. if i hear this cat compare his band to u2 one more time i may actually throw up in my mouth.

i was flipping through Q magazine (they are on the cover) and on the first page alone there were at least 2 mentions of u2. its so sad. then he starts up with the african debt thing...now, don't get me wrong, that is certainly not an issue reserved for bono and by all means more people should be getting involved in the mission. then he goes into free trade law...and i'm like, ok already, we know you want to be bono...we get it.

no, really, he needs to stop making comments like "this is our joshua tree" and "we just want to make great records...and get rid of u2". then they get themselves an ipod deal. come on, guys, just be yourself. be your own band. your music's ok - you don't have to rely on the image of the best rock n roll band alive.

i'll admit i've never been a big fan of the band...i've always thought of them as the poor man's radiohead. it seemed for a while like they were trying to mimic that great band. now they've taken a different turn and want to be known as the next u2. its kinda hard to be the next "something" when that "something" is still the biggest thing in the industry.

SassyBritches said:

U2 is perpertually the new U2.

here's a review I wrote for a list I am on, if anyone is interested:



COLDPLAY – “X&Y” – EMI Records / 6-7-05. * * * (out of 5)

Is Coldplay the least deserving band to reach a level of mega-stardom to which few rivals ascend, or are they deserving, but extremely lucky? That has always been the dilemma with Coldplay. There is nothing particularly unique or obviously spectacular about anything they do. Coldplay produces tolerably good, middle-of-the-road, alternative rock – and they occasionally stumble upon moments of greatness (“The Scientist”, “Don’t Panic”). But is Coldplay really deserving of all the accolades, when there are any number of bands at least as good that are similar stylistically and toil in near-obscurity?

Early on, Coldplay was billed as a band for Radiohead fans who didn’t like the new, more obtuse direction that Thom Yorke and his tribe of experimentalists were taking. And to be fair, their debut album “Parachutes” did resonate, however faintly, of the more Brit-pop side of Radiohead’s repertoire. Unlike Mr. Yorke, however, Chris Martin rarely lets go of his emotions. While Thom Yorke can go completely ape-shit on tracks like “2+2=5” or “Idioteque”, Chris Martin is something of a male version of Sarah McLachlan – very mannered and precise in his delivery, never breaking out and busting loose. But their formula has worked: commercial enough for mass success, and smart enough to please the hipsters, Coldplay has ridden a string of lushly produced, strongly melodic singles (“Yellow”, “Clocks”, “In My Place”, “The Scientist”, “Shiver”, “Trouble”) to massive sales and acclaim.

Which brings us to the release of their long-awaited third album “X&Y”. It is easily their finest work. No risks are taken, but that’s perhaps understandable – it is an important album for them and, to judge by the increasingly frantic press releases, for the record industry in general. “X&Y” is very deliberate and careful, and polished until it gleams, but by and large it delivers what Coldplay fans have come to expect: big sweeping melodies, shimmering echo-drenched guitar, and Chris Martin’s world-weary tenor, sometimes stretching into falsetto.

The strongest track is the urgent rocker “White Shadows,” by far the most intense and convincing performance on the record. “Fix You” is a gorgeous and unabashedly sentimental track that starts off as a ballad, then segues into a climax with powerful layered harmony vocals before closing softly again – one of the bands finest moments. Opener “Square One” is another high point, a driving rock track with more than a hint of U2 stylistically, and with one of their more interesting song structures.

“Speed of Sound”, the first single, is more standard fare – a mid-tempo rocker with more than a passing similarity to “Clocks” from their last album. “Talk” threatens to break out of the mould a bit with some uncharacteristically ferocious guitar, but ultimately it stays between the lines. The second half of the album tends toward the more acoustic material: “Till Kingdom Come”, the lovely and countrified closer, sounds very Nick Drake inspired. “Swallowed By the Sea” is a pretty ballad, but again: it falls squarely into Coldplay formula. The one punch of energy in the 2nd half of the album is “Twisted Logic”.

While entertaining, “X&Y” is ultimately thoughtful arena rock. Coldplay strives to be on par with bands like U2 or Radiohead or Pearl Jam or REM – the titans of the modern-rock world - but too often come off sounding like REO Speedwagon after a course in freshman undergrad Poetry 101. Chris Martin has talked repeatedly in the media about how hard he worked on this album, and it sounds it: calculated, labored, perfectionist, exquisitely and carefully produced, and a conscious effort to make “big” music. But there are rewards, and while it may not shatter any musical conventions, “X&Y” is well-crafted and well-meaning, and worthy of admiration for what it is: a collection of songs by a band that is probably operating at the top of their abilities, not consistently great, but able to peek through the clouds from time to time with glimmers of excellence.
[Edited 6/7/05 20:42pm]

nice work, jon!

and, yes gangsta, u2 is the new u2!

If U like this COLDPLAY album or any COLDPLAY, then U have to pick up the import CD by "MAGNE F" called Past Perfect Future Tense. MAGNE better known as "mags" of the group AHA completed this CD last year and its been out for sometime by only recently got a wider release though still in an import to america. Two members of COLDPLAY play on Several tracks and every track on this CD are amazing, not one flaw. I played the CD at work and everyone thought it was coldplay, which is what happens when I play anything recent from AHA. Funny how AHA might actually get some USA notice due to Coldplay members talking of their work recently, but its all long OVERDUE!!

AHA's new CD will be releases everywhere but in The USA in September followed by a 4 month 59 date tour of Europe, including a LIVE 8 performance in July. In early 2006, the USA will get to know AHA again through a new 3cd deal with universal, worth an undisclosed 8 figure amount. Basically UNI will try to build off of the Influences that AHA has had on Todays wave of bands like, SNOW PATROL, KEANE, EMBRACE, the BLUE MERLE, and of course COLDPLAY, who next to me and BONO might be the biggest AHA supporters.

DONT expect to see AHA on any kind of ONE HIT WONDERS or HIT ME BABY type shows, all though they have laughed these shows off when asked they find them "degrading" to artists like themselves who still record, and honestly make better music than anything America has to offer, but also cant believe how some of these performers choose to be "so hard up" that they will "degrade" themselves for the spotlight.

AHA also said they were approached by VH1 for Bands Reunited but they politely declined when they informed the "ILL ADVISED" VH1/MTV staff that they still existed and had recorded more albums after 1985.


So do U yourself a Favour go FIND MAGNE F, its well worth the Import Price. And when AHA comes out in September dont even think about NOT getting it because its too much, GET IT!!

I think coldplay did a wonderful job on Fix You.. it has that Let It Be atmosphere going on with the lyrics and organ.. just sweeps you off your feet.

SassyBritches said:

Yup, couldn't agree more. You really nailed it.

I like the X&Y song also.. strings remind me of something the Beatles would have composed.. everything about that song is nice

SassyBritches said:

I like Coldplay so much more than U2

White Shadows
Fix You
Till Kingdom Come

Those are the tracks I like right now. I still need to order it, but I've been listening to it online. U2 has seniority, so even if Coldplay can come close in early sales and sold out shows, U2 has nothing to worry about. They can still dream and aspire to that level.

From start to finish, I'm not sure how this album could be disapointing. If your a coldplay fan, this should be an alltime high. They didnt drift into "outer space".. nor did they use the same ingrediants, but they did perfect what they do best, and that is make.. Coldplay music. I'm not out to compare the previous two albums, but this album is a great coldplay album.. with muscle.
Strings, loud guitars, catchy melodies, martins voice is in top shape (Better than the previous two imo)
They start this album off with a slam dunk song, and end it with a emotional dark song. I think the highlights of the album are: Square one, What If, Fix You, X&Y, Hardest Part & Twisted Logic.. Thats half the album.
The other songs dont fall short either. The reason I dont think this album will fail is because of the setup. Fast song.. slow song... in this fashion it keeps the album interesting, and their minimal use of electronics in the album make it even more interesting.
Its not a revolutionary album, its just a different direction for coldplay. Its a more solid sound. The rawness of their past records still has its moments. The hidden track 'Till Kingdom Come is possibly one of their best written acoustic songs. It was initially written for Johny Cash to sing on his Fifth installment of american singer/songwriters (whatever its called)
The album ends with Twisted Logic.. this is where coldplay.. start getting interesting. Its supposibly a positive way to end the album, but I think its a dark and dreary song.. instrumentation wise. The melody has a thom yorke style.. but immediatly shows many more features. When the guitar kicks in.. it reminds me of the Beatles "She's so Heavy"... I think because of that dark feeling that song presents..
[Edited 6/8/05 9:47am]

SassyBritches said:

jayaredee said:

Co-sign.

Loving the new Coldplay album so much. The more I play the more I like.

jayaredee said:

my point was that coldplay should try to be coldplay, not that either band is better than the other.

SassyBritches said:

I know you don't mean that.

This is something that comes natural.. but its the number one album on iTunes.

got it. played it twice. diggin it.

endorphin74 said:

Yeah... The more I play the disk, the more im in love with this album..


Hardest Part is so damn catchy.. Its stamped in my brain.