Coldplay

This is Coldplay at their most epic, recalling all the grandiose moments of the bands that inspired them (U2, Radiohead, the Verve, Echo & the Bunnymen). There are a few scattered instances of frantic guitars, but mainly the group offers track after track of stargazing ballads rooted firmly in the ground.

Coldplay didn't seem destined for bigness. Their 2000 debut, Parachutes, was full of drizzly
but pretty rock ballads that were almost memorable enough to prevent American listeners
from confusing the band with Travis. Of course, that album also included a huge, soaring
song called "Yellow," which may well be inspiring a drunken singalong in your local bar as
you read this. "Yellow" was a smash, but what came next was even smashier. In... More >

Tunewise, this is the craftiest of their well-crafted albums. Conceived as a boy group, showing girls who long to believe it that not every guy is a jock, a thug, a lothario, or a male-bonded mook, they might even have their uses. Conceived as a pop alternative to U2 and Radiohead, however, they're an argument for death metal. Precise, bland, and banal, their sensitivity emotionless and their musicality never surprising, they're the definition of a pleasant bore--easy to tune out, impossible to care for. (Grade - B)