Coldplay

On their sophomore release, Coldplay ace the difficult task of pleasing their original fan base while proving wrong those who initially wrote them off as Radiohead-lite. A Rush of Blood to the Head is a solid collection of confidently played life's-gone-wrong songs buoyed by Chris Martin's soaring falsettos and airy, roomy orchestration -- both of which brighten up the band's somewhat gloomy, shoegazer tendencies. Coldplay hit fabulous heights on this effort with songs such as "Clocks," the mesmerizing "In My Place" and the post-punk drama they tap with "A Whisper."

Coldplay arrived in 2000 with the smash power ballad "Yellow," an instant classic of
trembling guitar ripples, ridiculous stargazing lyrics, anthemic choruses and the forlorn
vocals of Chris Martin. The guy's voice sounded like a puppy kicked down a flight of stairs,
one step at a time, and then kicked back up the flight of stairs. But even as he bravely
flirted with outright dippiness ("Look at the stars/Look how they shine for you" —... More >

Let Green Eyes dump him for real and we'll see how long he hums in the void ("Green Eyes," "In My Place") (Grade - *)