Meh. More of the same from Coldplay. Nothing new here.

They said something about having to go back into the studio because some of the tracks were insipid???

A step back artistically.

Avoid.

I'm going to buy it on the basis that I *might* like it, but...well, it's obvious to me that they've swerved in the direction of selling millions of copies.

Hopefully now that they're getting that out of their system, their next release will sound more new.

If you expect something that sounds radically different from A Rush of Blood to the Head, you'll be disappointed. But there are nice touches and flourishes that are new (a new wave keyboard sheen on the first half) and the songs are well-constructed and sing-along ready. I don't think they've "swerved" towards selling millions of copies...they would have sold millions even if they had put out something completely different. They've sold over 20 million worldwide, and between 7-9 million in the US alone. Unless they went absolutely cuckoo and made an album of armpit farts or a country-grunge rock opera, I think they'd be selling millions of this one, too. They apparently set an all-time Amazon pre-order record for the new one. Granted, "Speed of Sound" is a little samey, but you play to your strengths. The rest of the album is better than the first single, I think, so that's a good thing.

Maybe they'll get all experimental in the future, like Radiohead did. I'll find the new Coldplay artsy and boring, and the rest of the world will go nutso over it. For now, I'm glad I've got the Coldplay I was expecting. I look forward to seeing them (with Rilo Kiley opening!) in Atlanta in the fall.

Okay..I have now heard X&Y.

It basically strikes me as 'Rush of Blood II'.

It's fine...sounds good, pleasant to listen to, nothing wrong with it. But, whenever I get an urge to listen to this kind of music, I'll probably just go pick up 'Rush of Blood' instead.

They have honed their atmospheric flourishing piano stuff a little, so there's slight improvement on one aspect of their music. But...I think it's safe to say that X&Y deals the killblow to the horse. It's up to them, in their next record, not to beat it any further.

I suppose your right, I should not expect Coldplay to have a creative arc a la Radiohead (who dropped off the deep end with 'Amnesiac' and have never come back...).

Coldplay seems to have flat-lined.

Try 'Iron and Wine' instead.

quote:

Originally posted by philosopherEric:
If you expect something that sounds radically different from A Rush of Blood to the Head, you'll be disappointed.......
Maybe they'll get all experimental in the future, like Radiohead did. I'll find the new Coldplay artsy and boring, and the rest of the world will go nutso over it. For now, I'm glad I've got the Coldplay I was expecting. I look forward to seeing them (with Rilo Kiley opening!) in Atlanta in the fall.

I think they will have the same fate as Oasis. I think they are very boring.

quote:

Originally posted by robot:
I think they will have the same fate as Oasis. I think they are very boring.

Much like The Strokes, Oasis has the same sound over and over again (check out Oasis' new album if you don't believe me). It appears that Coldplay has fallen into the same trap.

uuuhm...
am I the only one who thinks that this is completely different than the last album?
for one, rush of blood to the head was laden with piano all the way through and only used guitar as more or less a background riff...
this new one uses mostly guitar and synth...the piano has taken the backseat...
I dont know...i just think you are all crazy...
how can you say it sounds the same when its completely different?

quote:

Originally posted by m4nea:
uuuhm...
am I the only one who thinks that this is completely different than the last album?
for one, rush of blood to the head was laden with piano all the way through and only used guitar as more or less a background riff...
this new one uses mostly guitar and synth...the piano has taken the backseat...
I dont know...i just think you are all crazy...
how can you say it sounds the same when its completely different?

Thanks for the comment m4nea.

Folks have said that X&Y needs "2 or 3" listens to really appreciate it. That may be true. I will give it another spin tonight.

X&Y has a *lot* of piano, so I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about when you say piano takes a backseat.

I would say that the instrumentals sound more complete and saturating in X&Y than Rush of Blood. It may turn out that in the long run I enjoy X&Y more than Rush of Blood. But still, the songs are written with very similar formulas. Near the end of the CD, a couple of the songs sound different, but most of them sound very simlar to Rush of Blood songs.

quote:

Originally posted by Aristotle:

quote:

Originally posted by m4nea:
uuuhm...
am I the only one who thinks that this is completely different than the last album?
for one, rush of blood to the head was laden with piano all the way through and only used guitar as more or less a background riff...
this new one uses mostly guitar and synth...the piano has taken the backseat...
I dont know...i just think you are all crazy...
how can you say it sounds the same when its completely different?

Thanks for the comment m4nea.

Folks have said that X&Y needs "2 or 3" listens to really appreciate it. That may be true. I will give it another spin tonight.

I really want to like Coldplay. I do. And songs like Politik initially pulled me in to their sound and their message.

After a second listen however, X & Y still lacks something for me. Their nod to Radiohead[/I on the track "X & Y" is nice, as well as bits and pieces in "Twisted Logic," but the rest is....well....not for me.

Like Martin et al., I too enjoyed [I]U2 riffs as a kid, but am looking for something different now.

I still give X & Y a 5 out of 10.

Someone please convince me that I am wrong.

My first reaction is that the music on the new one sounds good, and I can understand that it will be massively popular, but often the lyrics just sound too tritely-predictable.

I think the really heavily U2 influenced riffing and the vaguely electronica influened beats and bleeps (they've admitted to being under the influence of New Order, Kraftwerk, and Can while making this record) make this album sound considerably different than the previous two.

When they first hit with Parachutes, they were derided as a Radiohead-wannabe band (this was before Muse and Palo Alto made Radiohead cloning a rather boring art form). I think, more and more, they've veered away from the Radiohead sound and towards the stadium friendly U2-isms that they've got going now. I'm sure that bothers a lot of people...as does Chris Martin's celebrity wife and openly political stances on free trade, etc. Personally, I'm going to see U2 and Coldplay in stadiums in the Fall, and I don't go to see many stadium shows.

I think the piano, while clearly present, often takes a backseat to other instruments and textures. It's certainly there, and is focal on some key songs ("Fix Me" and "Speed of Sound") but this one is considerably less piano-centric that AROBTTH.

The bonus track, written in tribute to the late Johnny Cash, may be my favorite on the album.

So far, it's ok...I've only gotten about 2 or 3 listens in, but agree that it's nothing new ... I read in Entertainment mag that they are trying to "tribute" a bunch of diff. bands on this album...R.E.M. i know...prolly Radiohead...

it's good...but for as much as I like Chris M. He's no Thom.

need a cure for insomnia?

try coldplay!

by the time you realize that they have incorporated nothing new or daring to their sound, you will begin to feel very sleepy.

before you now it, you'll be out like a light, guaranteed!

well, the way is see it is.. if you liked a rush of blood, you'll like this. jeez, i mean the songs arent THAT similar. obviously coldplay hasnt evolved much, but this cd is still enjoyable. i mean, come on. good music is good music. the fact that they havent added much new doesnt mean that im less likely to like the songs.

here is what i think of it.

it starts out a little weak with square one, but it's ok. tracks 2 and 3 sound very similar to each other, but they are both interesting.

luckily, fix you comes in and keeps things from getting stale. the lyrics to fix you are maybe a little awkward, but it is a catchy and good song.

talk is the focal point of the album. it builds to a strong climax, and has a cool hook to it. next comes x&y, which is a "calming" song after talk. this is analogous to the arcade fire's "7 kettles" following "power out".

speed of sound hurts a bit.. it is a blatant attempt to re-create clocks, and it isnt as memorable. once you get past that though, it isnt too bad.

a messsage is permissable. the only 2 great songs after it are "swallowed by the sea" and "till kingdom come"

if it were up to me, i would remove "twisted logic" at the drop of a hat. "swallowed by the sea" would be a much better way to end the album before the bonus track. in fact, i would cut out "hardest part" too. "low" is relatively weak, but ill let it stay. the end of the album really has some fat that needs to be cut, and perhaps released as b-sides instead.

over all though, i like the album. parachutes is still coldplay's best. it is their most cohesive and inspiring work. i would have to say x&y is clearly their weakest so far.. but mainly for the reason that it sags at the end.

I'm not a huge fan of X&Y, but I will agree that it has sort of gotten a bad rap. The main problem was that it followed "A Rush of Blood..." which was a very strong album. It's not as solid as AROBTTH, but it's singles, especially "Fix You" are as good as anything they've done in the past. However, they don't seem to be making any effort to develop their sound, and as a result, I think you'll see them fizzle out after another album or two.

I have never really been a fan of Coldplay. I think they have some good songs, but I cannot get into any of their albums as a whole. If they ever came out with a greatest hits, I might consider that. I agree with eric that there doesn't seem to be much growth musically from them yet. If they do mix it up a little, I would be interested in hearing it.

there's only one CD that i regret buying. this is it. its so bloody annoying!

It's sad.
I think people were expecting Coldplay to save us from this 00s trend of too many good little alt rock bands, and no big great one. I think critics were ready to label Coldplay the next Radiohead, looking at X,Y,Z as the logical masterpiece in Coldplay's progression.
Well XYZ sucks. There's nothing new. It's not daring. It's pretty at best.