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Review Summary: i will try to fix you reflecting on coldplay’s past as x&y becomes 10 years old, it really is a shame that they’ve been met with such indifference and hatred. many a reviewer and casual fan alike regard them as one of the most boring bands in the world. it sort of makes sense too, i guess. i mean coldplay are often insufferably cheesy both musically and lyrically, with most of their latter-day work comprising skyward choruses seemingly manufactured for huge stadium sing-alongs about love and other lame things. chris martin and his bandmates hardly care though; they’re arguably the most successful british rock band of the millennium, with album sales climbing higher than 18 million. their humor and humility at accepting their position in british rock is even admirable, albeit a potential rearguard defense against the legion of haters. coldplay are made fun of so regularly (as are the people who listen) that it’s become frustratingly cliche - borderline parody, even. any fan who overtly labels themselves as such will likely anticipate mockery and tired jokes about coldplay being ‘gay’ or ‘dad-rock’.
so, 10 years on, has time been kind to x&y? hell no. although it was met with generally favorable reviews upon release (and was very successful commercially), it’s been subjected to much ridicule, which is strange. it has all the makings of a landmark record. it features one of their most enjoyable guitar hooks in ‘talk,’ one of their most emotionally driven tracks to date in ‘fix you,’ whose latter half is one of their most triumphant and life-affirming moments to date - even the oft-forgotten opener, square one, has a ridiculously infectious melody and cool ambient landscape. there’s great variety on display, but x&y remains the black sheep in coldplay’s canon. maybe it’s because on x&y coldplay sound like they’re on a high they’ll never come down from, whereas their previous album, a rush of blood to the head, was a little cheekier, taking bigger risks. maybe x&y comes off as too commercialized and a little too safe, but neither of those things are necessarily bad. even i’ll admit it’s easy to tune out most of coldplay’s songs, but weirdly enough it’s that quality that makes them so great and listenable (an ironic statement, i concede). their music is so innocuous that it wouldn’t be out of place at a dinner party or as background music for some other occasion, but it also rewards close attention with headphones on, or pressed up against a speaker. it’s that versatility (among other things: their crisp production, evocative piano melodies, etc) that makes their stuff music for all times.
perhaps it’s some kind of cultural bias built up throughout the years that prevents people from liking coldplay and this album in particular (without assigning blame, it’s worth noting how social perception influences us, in cases like nickelback or justin bieber, or, indeed, coldplay) or maybe they are just that boring on the surface. chris martin has never been the best vocalist, the criticisms of his voice being monotonous not being hard to accept, granted i’d argue his voice suits the music very well. there’s something incredibly inviting about coldplay though, particularly this album. it’s hard to know how much of my opinion is influenced by nostalgia, or the fact that i have a penchant for overly sentimental, corny shit. what i do know is they nail that dichotomy of easy and active listening. it’s worth taking another listen and trying not to be put off by their deceptively simple songs. chris martin isn’t some grandiose innovator like some of his peers. instead of trying to make the next big, creative thing, he seeks to share his emotions and passion for music. big, bright, unabashedly catchy, affecting music. and that’s just fine by me.
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Capital letters are cool. Plus, a couple of typos you'd best take a second look at. Besides, nice review.
Only know the big singles here (Talk, Fix You, The Hardest Part, Speed Of Sound). Would I be surprised by hearing the rest?
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
there are some surprisingly good moments here.
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caps lock is broken on the laptop i'm on and the shift key is messed and usually not worth the bother.
depends how well you liked those songs. talk and fix you are two of the best things here, with white shadows and square one coming close.
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
I don't think we're dealing with cultural bias for Bieber, Nickelback or Coldplay - they're all lowest common denominator fodder, very bland in the main. I think with Coldplay it's the vocal melodies that are particularly insipid though the music hardly takes any risks either
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i think we absolutely are. granted i don't much care for nickelback and bieber myself, i'd be willing to bet a very large portion of haters haven't heard a single bieber song. it's especially prominent in adolescents conforming to popular opinion to fit in. such a statement might seem offensive to some, but that's just what i believe. hoping people don't fixate too much on that one point though.
edit: speaking from personal experience on the bieber hate. obviously everyone's heard nickelback. despite my scathing review of nickelback's here and now album (which i was way too harsh in), they're relatively inoffensive radio-rock. and 'lowest common denominator' sounds kind of elitist tbh.
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
I think Chris Martin has some talent, I rated Rush of Blood (the one I know best) 2/5 rather than dishing out an out and out hater score of 1/5. There is something very cloying about his vocals and melodies though, and I'd say this album moves further away from the strengths he showed on Rush of Blood. I just think people genuinely find his stuff a bit weedy, worthy and dull. I don't see a hidden agenda.
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it's not that it's a hidden agenda. i mean, it's impossible to pinpoint exactly how much we're affected by social bias, so it's a purely speculative discussion at best, which is why i tend to avoid even postulating such things. in this case i felt like mentioning it because i do believe it's a factor, but i can also accept that people don't like this for the reasons you stated, and i acknowledged as much in the review.
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haha thanks jac. i knew i wouldn't be persuading anybody with this :P just felt like writing today. got in one of those moods
| | | Album Rating: 1.5
Review is more of a discussion piece about the album but well written, pos'd
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cheers. yeah it's not much of an album review i suppose. i like writing these pieces every once in a while though, especially when it's for older albums like this.
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neg'd for that little charade yesterday enjoy
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they don't have chuck. therefore, they suck.
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haha i know that type too well, jac. i have been playing drake and kendrick to my friend who aggressively asserts how much he hates both at every mention of their names. for months he would say 'this is pretty cool' not knowing what he was listening to. eye-opening social experiment tbh. at this rate i don't want to tell him for fear of a really embarrassing moment, or accusations of manipulation.
evilford: why you gotta b like dat mang
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neg'd twice fite me br0
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terrible album
viva la vida is so much better
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i used to agree with that ryus. i still think viva la vida has some great tunes but i'm not as into it these days.
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yeah i used to be really into coldplay when i was like 8 years old haha but honestly this album has almost no appeal to me anymore
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honestly haven't heard but maybe two songs by these guys. was not a fan.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
ford listen to Parachutes and AROBTTH
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How is Viva La Vida so much better? Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and X & Y are Coldplay's only worthwhile albums.
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