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Coldplay - X&Y Audio CD

A fair review of the Coldplay "X&Y" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Coldplay reviews here, or go back to the Coldplay tabs.

Coldplay Band: Coldplay
Title: X&Y
Rating:
Release Date: 2005-06-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Square One 2: What If? 3: White Shadows 4: Fix You 5: Talk 6: X&Y 7: Speed Of Sound 8: A Message 9: Low 10: Hardest Part 11: Swallowed In The Sea 12: Twisted Logic

Some excellent songs
One of the songs in that movie really touched me, and, of course, it was written by Coldplay. I recently saw an independent movie called Young At Heart. I'm a real fan of this group and have been for quite some time. The album was an older one that I didn't have, but I have enjoyed many of the songs.


Bigger? Yes. Bolder? Yes. Better? Hmm...
The songs, arrangements, and production here are all cranked up several notches to create a huge arena-rock sound. 'X&Y' is the sound of Coldplay graduating from clubs to stadiums. It could be seen as a blatant grab for American glory, or is it a middle finger to those critics who claimed they didn't really "rock"? Or maybe it's a bit of both. It's much bigger and bolder than anything Coldplay have done before, but is it better?

Sort of.

The best thing about such a huge sound is that the rock tracks are given a real kick. The fantastic opener 'Square One' and the Radiohead-influenced closer 'Twisted Logic' are the two best songs here, and also the two biggest departures from the typical Coldplay sound. The other rockers; 'Low', the retro 'White Shadows' and the Kraftwerk rewrite 'Talk' also have strong riffs and memorable choruses. Another plus is that the instrumentalists are given greater exposure, and for the first time Coldplay sound like a proper band and not Chris Martin's backup group.

On the negative side, the ballads are now blown up to epic arena-rock proportions. Gone is the simple beauty of 'Sparks' or 'Amsterdam'. Here, everything follows the rock ballad cliche to a fault, starting with a simple piano/guitar passage and building up to the Wall of Sound conclusion. Another minus is Chris Martin's weak lyrics; Coldplay's early songs had plenty of raw emotion to make up for the clumsy lyrics, but here the stadium gloss just makes everything seem banal and cliched. It's ironic that such a self-consciously 'big' album doesn't actually have anything important or interesting to say.

The good mostly outweighs the bad, I suppose, although some fans of Coldplay's early work might find this a bit pompous and overblown. Still, six pretty strong songs (the five rock songs mentioned above, plus 'What If', the best of the ballads) make the album worthwhile. It's just hard not to wish the rest of the album, and the lyrics, reached a similar level.


Cold streak
. 3 1/2

Frighteningly accessible equal-chromasone-entertainer delivers the goods, if not to the soul-stirring levels of their previously praised release, at a memorable consistency that only suffers a brief flabby section.


Loving ever minute of it!
It is also very different from their newest album, Viva La Vida, so don't expect the same type of feelings with this album. Definitely a must buy for anyone interested in Coldplay or a Coldplay fan. However, still a great buy! .


The Epitome of Mediocrity
The production is pretty-sounding, easy on the ears and doesn't demand attention. X&Y is pretty dang close to being THE quintessential bland music album. This is the perfect background music for people who are indifferent about music.

The songwriting for the most part falls flat. The melodies seem to be trying so hard to be something great but ultimately fail to stand out. Probably the strongest melody line on here is the one they copped from Kraftwerk. Most of the songs are forgettable or downright impossible to remember, as they mostly sound very similar. Also, the album is fairly long for how little it has to offer. There are hardly twelve songs worth of musical ideas here.

In short, X&Y is the epitome of mediocrity. The absoluteness of that mediocrity, (ironically) is what makes it both remarkable and despicable.


You can see a complete list of all Coldplay discography, or go back to the Coldplay tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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