Review Summary: Oh, sing one we know.
It's hard to think of a time when Coldplay
wasn't a global superstar of a band. Even if you don't like Coldplay - and there are assuredly plenty of Coldplay detractors out there - practically nothing has stopped their perpetual climb to the top of the world. Even as their music gets blander and blander by the decade, they still manage to sell out entire stadiums and do collaborations with capital-B Big Names like Beyonce or BTS. Whatever the hell it is they're doing, it's paying some massive dividends for them, to the point where some of us have grown up just knowing Coldplay as this strangely eternal media-darling presence in our lives. And yet, like (almost) everyone famous, there was a time when things were much humbler for Coldplay, and those simpler times can be heard in
Parachutes, an ultimately-fine debut that stands out compared to Coldplay's modern, disposable-and-digestible slop solely because
Parachutes has some actual
heart to it. It's still a slightly-undercooked record, mind you, but there's some hidden gems to be found here.
Long before Coldplay tried their hand at crafting an artsy, experimental pop opera in the form of
Viva la Vida - and even longer before their music became mindless background noise at your local Kohl's - their music was forged in the hearths of late 90's alternative rock. Namely: british alt-rock. Britpop had fallen out of style as quickly as it rose, and bands like Radiohead and RHCP were starting to make a name for themselves. It's no surprise that Coldplay, intentionally or otherwise, followed in their musical footsteps to the letter: chiming riffs & melodies, a blend of electric and acoustic instruments, and an overall moody and introspective tone with some haze left over from the grunge era of the 90's. It's post-Britpop as f*ck, and album opener "Don't Panic" makes absolutely sure that you're aware of this from minute one. "Don't Panic" blends together a fleet-footed, brisk drum track with ringing, airy guitar lines and Martin's soft, melancholic vocal delivery. This peculiar but effective combination of elements gives the track a distinctly trippy feel, and it lays the foundation for the sleepy-but-resonant sound that Coldplay - and post-Britpop as a whole - was initially known for pretty succinctly.
The rest of
Parachutes more or less sticks to this serene and mellow vibe throughout, and there's a handful of genuinely enjoyable tunes scattered across the record that embody this sound. "Shiver" amps things up with a strong, demanding drum beat that pounds out a slick 6/8 rhythm and confidently marches forward with complicated, high-pitched guitar melodies and dark bass notes that continually mess around with the major tonality of the song in fun and interesting ways. "High Speed" has a
lot in common with Radiohead's slept-on, psychedelic masterpiece "Subterranean Homesick Alien"; mellow, dreamlike synths & guitars, humming basslines, and a reverb-heavy vocal track that drenches the entire track in this trance-y haze that works impressively well. And as overplayed as "Yellow" is, it's easy to see why it became such a smash hit - it's a delicate and low-key pop rock classic that coasts by on quiet, dreamy, acoustic-led verses and a harmonic chorus taken straight out of U2's playbook. The real hidden-gem crown jewel of
Parachutes, however, can be found in "Sparks", by far and away the best song on the record and one of the best in Coldplay's entire lineup. "Sparks" is a waltzy and whispery ballad accentuated by warm, colorful acoustic guitar chords, some jazzy, cymbal-heavy drums, winding basslines, and the withdrawn, subtle use of ringing vibraphone notes that match perfectly with Martin's gentle, baritonal crooning. It's a sad, relaxing bit of melancholy, like sinking into a bath after a long, long day, and that's the key ingredient that makes this soothing, oft-forgotten diamond in the rough something special.
As expected, not everything is great. Filler is a notable problem on
Parachutes, a problem that drags the overall-decent and consistent album down quite a bit on repeated listens. "Trouble" ditches the delicate alt-rock sound that had defined Parachutes up until that point in favor of a hokey, country-derived, piano-led ballad that's practically begging to be skipped over. The aptly-named "We Never Change" is likewise a slow and plodding track that huddles around a bland waltz rhythm that lulls you to sleep in all the wrong ways, unlike something as pleasantly sedating and pretty as "Sparks". Meanwhile, the title track is an oddly short and incomplete-sounding acoustic crooner that abruptly tunes out before it even reaches the one-minute mark. "Parachutes" has so little to do with the track that follows it ("High Speed") that it barely even functions as an interlude, so one has to wonder why they even bothered putting it in? Hell, why'd they name the
entire album after this nothing little ditty in the first place? Just to be quirky? And speaking of which, for some jarring reason, the album
doesn't end on the bluesy-yet-poppy piano rock cut "Everything's Not Lost", a Ben Folds meets Jack Johnson-type song so deliberately constructed to be a finale that it even has a big ol' "come-on-n-sing-along" bombastic ending in the same vein as "Hey Jude"... but instead, it abruptly jumps into "Life is For Living", a short, autumnal hidden track with some admittedly blissful accordions & synth pads that cap the album off on a peaceful and calming note... but again, it's so short that you have to wonder why they even bothered, much like the aforementioned title track. Was this a deliberate attempt to make the album seem like it had more songs than it actually does?
Even so, it's hard to judge
Parachutes too harshly, at least in retrospect. Given how soulless and by-the-numbers Coldplay eventually became,
Parachutes is a breath of fresh air by comparison. It's not exactly what I'd call an airtight debut - in spite of the occasional energetic bop like "Shiver" or "Yellow", there's not a lot of energy or drive contained with
Parachutes, not enough to balance out the slow-burning ballads spread across the album's runtime. It's a solid BGM pop record, perfect for putting on in the background and listening to while you study or work, but a more attentive and astute listener will only be rewarded with a handful of standout songs. Still, it's clear that Coldplay was onto something here, and they'd only go on to sharpen whatever that 'something' was for their much stronger and much more sophisticated followup record... before eventually losing that 'something' and merely slipping into comfortable, unchallenging mediocrity about a decade later.
