It’s hard to imagine a more galvanizing band these days than Coldplay.
Originally hailed as the new bearer of Radiohead’s mystic Ring of Power, Chris Martin and Co. have fought hard to stand on their own, albeit very rich, feet.

Enter X&Y, one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2005. After the mulit-platinum A
Rush of Blood to the Head became the antithesis of the Sophomore Jinx, the band alternately most loved and most hated were surely set up for a fall, right?

Well, kinda. Reports ran rampant during recording that Martin didn’t feel like the product would match the expectations of millions of fans - or his own - so he scrapped the entire record and started over. We may never know if this was an overindulgent blunder, like Smile, or the right decision, like Blood on the Tracks, but what we are left with is a competent, solid Coldplay record.

X&Y feels good to the ear, but not to the brain. We know that the group
should still be defining its sound, not resting on its laurels, yet we do not care as much because the product is so damn catchy. We also know that lyrics such as, “When you try your best but you don’t succeed / When you get what you want but not what you need” from “Fix You” have been said many, many times before, and with much more meaning, but once that sweeping guitar and the soaring vocals hit, we don’t care as much.

Of course, you’re reading the words of a guy who, honestly and sincerely, loves Journey, who also were certainly guilty of terrible lyrics and bombastic production. But, unless you’re a snob (and most of you are), you’ll understand X&Y for what it is; a Why-fix-it-if-it-ain’t-broke sort of effort.

Even though Chris Martin seems to have expended more creativity naming his new child than writing the words to his supposedly career-defining album, what we’re left with is something the whole family can enjoy, and that’s not always a bad thing. - (6.883/10) (0) Comments