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Coldplay
Rock Handbook Rule #6 clearly states" a Rocker must come from an impoverished background, have numerous chips on his/her shoulder and be troubled in some profound way." Attending University College of London, an institution known for turning out bankers and Parliament members, rather than malcontents, would seem to violate the rule.
Chris Martin (vocals), Jon Buckland (guitar), Guy Berryman (bass) and Will Champion (drums), all University College students, formed Coldplay in '98. That same year they released a couple of EPs ("The Safety" and "Brothers and Sisters") on indie labels that went nowhere. However, the following year they signed with Parlophone Records and recorded three more EPs ("Blue Room," "Shiver" and "Yellow"). The UK music press soon proclaimed Coldplay " the next big thing." Finally, tracks from recent EPs made an appearance on Coldplay's full-length debut "Parachutes" which led with the mid tempo acoustic/electric "Yellow." The U.S. release came in November of '00. "Rush Of Blood To The Head" followed in '02. The next year the group released "Coldplay Live 2003" which contained versions of their best known songs and a couple previously unreleased tracks. The packaged included a bonus DVD of a live concert, with lyrics and a tour diary.
In between all this activity, Martin married actress Gwyneth Paltrow and started a family. The couple soon became inescapable at the magazine counter.
Work on Coldplay's fourth studio album began in late '06. Touring caused the project to be put on hold but by the end of '07 the album was said to be finished. "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends," with the lead single "Violet Hill" (a Top 10 hit on the Modern Rock chart) was issued in June, '08. Just a day before the set was release Coldplay launched their 'Viva la Vida World Tour' with a free concert at Brixton Academy in London.
Considered a new direction (by Martin) for Coldplay "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends" sold, in its first week of release, a half million copies in the U.K. and 721-thousand units in the U.S. Within months the album logged over five million sales. While lead single "Violet Hill" did very well, it was "Viva La Vida" that topped the U.S. and U.K. pop charts. On the heels of that success, Coldplay issued the EP "Prospekt's March" in late '08.
Adding to the numerous accolades Coldplay received for "Viva La Vida," the album topped the 2008 Rolling Stone Readers Poll. The title track also won the Best Song category.
More awards - February 8th, 2009, was a very good day for Coldplay. First, the group was profiled on the CBS news magazine show 60 Minutes. As one might expect, the fawning coverage focused on Martin (and Paltrow). That was followed by the Grammys from L.A. Coldplay performed and Martin did a solo turn before the group walked off with the awards for Rock Song of the Year ("Viva La Vida") and Rock Album of the Year ("Viva La Vida").
Still reaping the rewards, Coldplay took home Song Of The Year honors for "Viva La Vida" at the '09 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Awards in London (the music royalties organization is worldwide).
"It's about love, addiction, OCD, escape and working for someone you don't like." That's how Martin described the lyrical themes present on Coldplay's fifth album "Mylo Xyloto," a concept album "based on a love story with a happy ending."
"Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" was the lead single from the '11 set. "Paradise" came next.
Albums:
2000 Parachutes
2002 A Rush Of Blood To The Head
2005 X&Y
2008 Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
2011 Mylo Xyloto
Coldplay often gets compared to the likes of Radiohead. That's not necessarily a good thing.
Because the songs were developed over time and without much pressure, "Parachutes" holds up. Second effort "Rush of Blood To The Head" is diffuse at best, boring at worst. Opening track "Politik" is a piano ballad with a little punch in the chorus. Not until the third track "God Put A Smile On Your Face" does the group show any real life. Later on, "Warning Sign" sounds like a rehash of "Politik" only with an acoustic guitar subbing for the piano. Not much happening here.
On "Coldplay Live 2003" the group amps up the energy and are better for it. Not surprising, the strongest studio tracks become the best concert performances. "God Put A Smile On Your Face" still stands out. "Shiver" remains dreamy while "Yellow's" airy intro gives way to a solid rendition. The audience is eating all this up and are a bit intrusive - but then again, this is a live album not church. There are also two good previously unreleased uptempo tracks "One I Love" and "Moses."
Coldplay stretches a bit (longer songs) on "X & Y" while Chris Martin (a.k.a. Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow) works his plaintive and often mournful vocals to good effect. The album has a handful of good songs including "Square One," "Speed Of Sound," "A Message" and "Low." "White Shadows" could pass for an '80s U2 track. As often happens, a problem arises with the ballads. With the exception of the acoustic "#13 Hidden Track" which is not half bad, the slower songs don't hold together. "What If" brings back the sleepy piano and diligently tries to be profound. But it's consistently undercut by easy rhymes. The title track is an excursion into Art Rock and "Tragic Logic" doesn't fare much better.
Nobody expects a blazing or trailblazing album from Coldplay. They have found huge commercial success and a measure of credibility landing just left of pop. But on "Viva La Vida" they give their sound some muscle and continue to expand the aperture (under the guidance of producers by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs). World beat influences on "Life In Technicolour" and the earthy, tight rhythms, similar to U2's mid-'80's mode, on "Cemeteries Of London" signal the group's altered tradjectory. "Lovers In Japan" is an energetic acoustic number with a quirky pop feel while the midtempo yet dreamy "Strawberry Swing" features an irresistible guitar hook.
Of course, when it's money time, Coldplay still relies on the downtempo material to get across. "Viva La Vida" and "Violet Hill" are both engaging with clever arrangements that accentuate Martin's emotive vocals.
It's kind of funny when much of the blog chatter revolving around "Prospekt's March" has to do with identifying Emily Bart Smith's contribution to "Rainy Day." Her singing meshes a little to closely with Martin's high-register vocals. But the discussion goes to show how little "Prospekt's March" gave fans to chew on.
Major bands often use EPs as a 'dumping ground' for tracks that didn't, for one reason or another, make it on to a full-length album. For some songs, including the dull ballad title track, the explanation is obvious, but there's also some good full-length worthy material on "Prospekt's March." Aside from Smith's mystery vocals, "Rainy Day" uses a dash of world music and "Glass Of Water" leans toward U2. "Lost +" with Jay-Z, puts Coldplay in church with handclaps and a rousing Hammond organ. Amen.
"Mylo Xyloto" is a marvelous waste of time. On one level that's exactly what entertainment is supposed to be. No enlightenment, advocacy or political agenda, just an engaging diversion from the day-to-day.
Producer Brian Eno pushes the band toward textured epics - which is not hard considering their inclinations. Martin does his part, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and doing it with self-awareness and a practiced school by charm.
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