Review:

on 2011-03-02 CharlesMartel Said:

I read a report in the newspaper the other day which said that some scientific study had shown that kids of today do not appreciate music as much as occurred in earlier times. Apparently, the easy availability of downloads means that the thrill of discovering a wonderful piece of music for the first time is now lost on kids for whom the thousand or so tracks on the iPod nano are merely a soundtrack to a life, and not a unique musical experience. This is sad. To this day I envy anyone and everyone who has not heard the Waterboys' "The Pan Within" yet. Just imagine what a wonderful life-changing experience awaits them when they get to experience that track for the first time in their lives.

Thankfully, there are those who give the lie to that as a generalisation. But it is sad to think that there are people out there who will never be truly thrilled the way they should be when they listen to a sublime piece of musical art of the first time. Having said that the generalisation is untrue, the specific is not. The mind-numbing dross which infects mainstream radio in the UK has long anaesthetised listeners with the vacuous and insipid sounds of the next RnB diva off the production line.

When I listened to this album by Coldplay for the first time it made me think the scientists behind that research probably spoke a lot of truth in what they claimed. Coldplay are in danger of becoming a parody of themselves. Chris Martin has already become that, with his film star wife, his child with the typical idiotic-celebrity name, and the fad for eating raw organic vegetables or whatever. And after three albums that nasally whine is becoming irritating beyond belief.

So guys, either go back to making innovative music or give it a rest.
Rating: 3/10

Review:

on 2009-07-06 fortunecookie Said:

X&y is commonly referred to as Coldplay's weakest album. It's certainly mellower overall -- not just "Coldplay mellow", but even more sluggish -- which some people may prefer, but I'd attribute as a weakness. There's just not as much thought put into this as there should be.

There are a few better moments, however. "Fix You" is sappy but very enjoyable and "Swallowed in the Sea" is the kind of pretty piano pop (say that five times fast) that you've come to expect from Coldplay. "Speed of Sound" will doubtlessly be liked be a lot of listeners, but to me sounds eerily like a slightly improved version of "Clocks". If you're looking to add Coldplay to your music collection, I'd start with "Viva La Vida" or "A Rush of Blood to the Head."
Rating: 6/10