Call them what you like – the housewives’ choice, the Tim Henmans of rock – but make no mistake, X&Y is an exceptional pop record. An unabashed epic of Joshua Tree-sized proportions glazed with a woozy Kid A-like synthetic veneer, its first seven songs are the finest the band have written, which says something of their calibre. You can well believe Chris Martin when he claims songs such as “Fix You” and “A Message” were “sent” to him almost fully-formed, as if dispatched by some divine tunesmith, for Coldplay’s deft mastery of melody and emotion, that chiming melancholic euphoria, is frankly awesome.
As a lyricist, family man Martin certainly has lots to scribble down these days but, alas, he’s no Morrissey. Intriguingly oblique at best, trite at worst (see “Swallowed In The Sea”), if it’s broken, lost or vulnerable, Chris is still your man to sing about it. Nevertheless, there’s plenty on X&Y for Coldplay’s insipid disciples Snow Patrol, Keane and Embrace to
feast upon for years, god help us.
It’s clear Coldplay wanted to advance musically without alienating their audience. They scrapped most of their first, more electronic attempt at this album because it lacked soul, retaining a few prized cuts for b-sides. But beneath stadium-slayers like “White Shadows” and “Low” pulses a healthy experimental zeal of which Brian Eno, whose productions Martin admits influenced the sleek feel of X&Y, would surely approve. “Talk”, above all, which builds upon Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love” refrain with New Ordered flair, is the perfect example of Martin’s intent. It shouldn’t work, but does, beautifully.
Coldplay are now so obscenely successful that for many they’ve become a guilty pleasure. But you shouldn’t be ashamed to enjoy X&Y. Not only is it 2005’s biggest album, it’s also one of its best.
By Piers Martin
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cleveland
Deserves every bit of credit it takes. From start to end it does not fail to impress, with 'Fix You', 'Talk', 'Speed of sound' and 'Swallowed in the Sea' all standing out as great songs. Best Album from Coldplay and when you consider the other two were brilliant, it says something.
Surrey
Coldplay are the sound of a radio. They're what you hear on the breeze, or when you're getting your hair cut or just walking down the street. They are what the radio sounds like. Thom Yorke called it a 'good fridge buzz.' The sound of a fridge buzzing. Wallpaper.
There's nothing wrong with any of this. But when a band gets to this level, there's not really anywhere else to go.
Beijng
Perhaps this is wrong to state in a 'review', but I very much wanted to like this album. I had every expectation for it to be good and would have been bitterly disappointed if it wasn't. But laying shameless bias aside, and after listening to it almost constantly for the past week, I write this a happy man. Where does this Tim Henman comparison come from? British? Perhaps. Unbearably dissapointing and ridiculously over-hyped? No. Or at least not for coldplay fans, who appear to be in rather large numbers. And for once, surely critics will agree, it's cool to like a band that sells millions of records.
Quite simply, it is an addictve album. For an album that could have gone so wrong [if the recent trend is anything to go by] X&Y is great - no better, no worse, but just what I hoped for.
