#473 - Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

“You know how I know you’re gay? Cuz’ you listen to Coldplay.”

And with that one cinematic phrase, The 40-Year Old Virgin made Coldplay a punchline. That was three years after the release of the band’s second disc A Rush of Blood to the Head and the same year that the band released X & Y, which went on to garner decent reviews. Well, if loving this album makes me of the homosexual persuasion, then color me queer. Besides, Coldplay seems to be gaining steam and popularity as each year passes.

A Rush of Blood to the Head is the album where Chris Martin and his fellow band mates began to not only get it right, but to create heart-wrenching and ethereal pop music bliss. From the album’s opening tempo revving “Politik” to the summation of “Amsterdam,” Coldplay offers songs that almost appear as anthem amidst slow heartfelt ballads, such as the near perfect modern romantic classic “The Scientist.” I remember a point in my life where I listened to this song religiously, belting out the codas and choruses with a fervor even emo kids would envy with suicidal urges. If you have any choice words to offer to this admission, see the previously written note at the beginning of this tangent… you know the one where I say I would gladly admit to my liking of this album.

Honestly, there’s no point going into each one of these tracks, because I appreciate each one of them a great deal. I’m not even a Coldplay fanatic, but I believe this album borders upon greatness. I would even halfheartedly argue that it should warrant a higher position on this or any other best-of lists. It is ridiculous how a simple drum beat, some decent guitar work, a piano, and Chris Martin could make something so worthy of admiration, but they have and it has aged well. Martin possesses the rare talent to croon in a seemingly depressed falsetto without falling prey to an emotional stigma. For instance, the lyrics and feeling may be similar, but Coldplay never strays into genres made popular by say Echo & the Bunnymen (my thoughts to come soon).

Great album from start to finish. Let’s hear the negative my music critiquing confidant can muster up with this one. I dare you to find something wrong, Michael.

-d.

I’m pretty torn on this one. I’ve never been that impressed with Coldplay. They’ve always been solid, but they strike me as a second rate Keane. They are regularly compared to Radiohead, which is a complete crock. The have nowhere near the creativity of Thom Yorke, although they are better at finding their way around a hook. I see them more as a follow up to Blur, with the echo laden piano and quintessential British rainy day ballads. But they really don’t live up to the expectations of being the stylistic offspring of one of the best bands of the nineties.

But the point here is to judge this particular album. Not their worst, but far from the artistic high point they would reach with Viva La Vida, the main problem is repetition. Every song features the same plodding piano downbeats, the same guitar rhythms. You can hear glimpses of a decent group of musicians. "In My Place" is a great example of how well they can build layers, where you can almost hear how the song was laid out piece by piece. But the next few songs all sound the same, which means exactly like all the songs on their first album, Parachutes.

"Clocks." This was supposed to be the song that really showed how awesome they truly are. I had so many people play me "Clocks" while explaining how I just had to love it once I heard it again. Nope, still can’t stand this waste of recording time. Nonsense lyrics, unimaginative bass and guitar parts, and those three damned piano keys being pressed repeatedly for over half the song. I want to travel the world, breaking those strings on every piano Chris Martin might ever come into contact with. Can’t be too careful. I will hear them in my nightmares tonight. doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

"Daylight" helps me out of the rut, even if it’s just to throw me violently into another. A really nice bassline gets me excited until I realize that the same four beats of music will be repeating for the next three minutes. "Green Eyes" gives me a headache for the first half. Seriously, guys, you don’t have to strum the guitar to the exact same rhythm the entire time. Mix it up a little, throw that accent on the upbeat once in awhile, show some fricking energy. But the strangely country feel once the band comes in is actually pretty nice.

The rest of the album is, despite of (or maybe because of) a lack of hits, increasingly interesting. "A Whisper" is the most original thing on here. No more sound-alike pop on this one. A grating guitar, some big drums, and holy crap the bass player is actually playing something other than the root note! We finally get a little aggression and energy out of these guys. Sounding even more like Keane is, in this case, a good thing. We even get bridges that deviate from the chord progression. Joy! "A Rush of Blood To The Head" and "Amsterdam" lower the feel back into typical mellow pop, but with some nice wordplay and much more interesting progression.

The album ends with " Politik," probably the most interesting thing I’ve heard in the last hour. The song constantly evolves, changing styles and direction at will, without feeling spliced together. It’s hard to explain what happens, so it’s best to give it a listen, but pay attention and you’ll realize that "Politik" never seems to repeat itself. A feat for anyone, but downright shocking after the first half of this cd. All in all, it’s a solid effort, and I don’t hate it, but that’s the best I can say. There is so much better music out there, and that isn’t Coldplay’s fault, but it is to their detriment that even with the great production work Ken Nelson put forth they couldn’t do any better.

Check out Alicia Keys making "Clocks" much more listenable. Or this hippie making it all….hippie.

-tfm