X&Y by Coldplay (CD, Jun-2005, Capitol)

So what do you do when you have two huge releases under your belt and the year's most anticipated release? Don't screw up.

Fortunately for Coldplay, 'X&Y' doesn't. Top to bottom, it's a more complete release than 'Parachutes' or 'Rush of Blood...'. The 12 tracks flow together better than anything they've done before though a true signature track like 'Yellow' or 'Clocks' is a bit harder to find.

'Square One' is a great opening track, very uptempo, great vocals. 'What If' is slow and methodical, Chris Martin really owns the track. 'White Shadows' is so-so, but nothing special.

'Fix You' is the true lighter-waving song of the album, perfect for a junior prom or just to listen to for yourself and recollect. 'Talk' is somewhat overrated in my opinion but is listenable. The title track is the same way. Hit single 'Speed of Sound' is still awesome as ever and will likely be on repeat in your CD player.

The latter tracks are equally impressive. 'The Message' is a simple song yet entertaining. 'Low' is one I usually skip as it feels a bit too much like filler to me. 'The Hardest Part' is an uptempo rocker that is a real find and very underrated. 'Swallowed in the Sea' meanders a bit too much but is otherwise fine (though not necessarily impressive). 'Twisted Logic' is much the same but the album's hidden closing track ('Kingdom Come') gets things back up to speed and is a nice way to end an overall superior effort.

It's entirely possible that Coldplay bypass U2 as the 'World's Greatest Band' (if such a thing could even be validated). They're not there yet but you get the feeling that they very well could be. Hats off to England's greatest band and I eagerly await their fourth effort in the coming years.

This, the band's third album and first release since 2002's wildly successful "A Rush of Blood to the Head," is a well heeled and stylistically mature piece of work.

I knew this band would go places when I first heard, "Yellow" off their first smash record, "Parachutes" in 2000. 18 months in the making, this new album from the now critically acclaimed band is already well on its way to multi-platinum status. And, the band has reached the same pantheon rock status as U2, The Dave Mathhews Band and REM. And like U2, the band has been picked up by Apple to do a signature iPod advert. No doubt, the popularity and fame of the band have been fueled as much by lead singer Chris Martin's tabloid marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow and their new one year old daughter, Apple, as by their music. And the ensuing hype and anticipation definitely must have weighed heavily on the band. But I think Martin and the band deliver. With the group's melodies and Martin's lyrics sung in an often distressed and pained falsetto, the group draws you in with catchy, pop-infused hooks and driving rhythms and base.

Coldplay's music is definitely an aquired taste. My 8 year old son calls it "sleepy rock." Many critics call it "dream pop" and have belly ached that the new album is repetitious and a retread of their same old sound. I actually think Martin and crew have branched out into some new stylistic territory with some country and traditional rock strains in addition to their well-worn synth
pop sound. And, their signature sound and poetic lyrics continue to strike a very personal and emotional chord for me.

The album leads off with "Square One." The song begins with an ethereal tone and then blasts into a riveting anthem with the drumb and base track strongly underscoring Martin's lyrics. The album's first single, "Speed of Sound," is equally majestic and riveting. Take for instance the key refrain:

"All that noise and sound
When Birds go flying at the speed of sound
To show you how it all began
Birds came flying from the underground
If you could see it then you'd understand."

I'm not sure I understand it, but it's quite beautiful and imaginative.

The second single from the album, "Fix You," is equally melodic and mesmerizing. Given how much joy seems to be part of Martin's new family life, it's amazing that he was able to draw in the emotions for this ballad; the lyrics are all about loss and lonliness. "You can't sleep/Stuck in reverse/And the tears come streaming down your face/When you lose you something you can't replace/When you
love someone, but it goes to waste/Lights will guide you home/And ignite your bones/And I will try to fix you."

My other favorite tracks on the album are "Talk," "What if" and "Till Kingdome Come." "Talk" resembles so many songs from those late 70s and 80s glam synth bands like Kraftwerk. "What if" is a beautiful ballad sung by Martin who also accompanies with piano. It sounds very similar to the hit single from their second album, "The Scientist." Finally, "Till Kingdome Come" closes out the album as a bonus track. When I saw the band at San Francisco's Shoreline this past summer, Martin talked about how this was a tribute to the late, great Johnny Cash. The simplicity of this songs with it's raw lyrics and solo accoustic guitar are a stark contrast to the soaring ballads and synth pop of the rest of the album. It's very disarming and yet it sticks with you.

All in all, this is definitely an album worth having.

I've always been a Coldplay fan and "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is one of my favorite albums... probably ranking in my top 25. After a three-year wait for "X&Y" there were high expectations for the British groups third album. And what was to be expected? Melow? Ballads? Bigger band?

And X&Y combines all of that - surely a maturation from the first two albums. The songs are more complex (the lyrics as well) than in the past and seem to call upon the band more heavily than in the past. But like all Coldplay albums, this CD grows on you and with each passing song, it sounds different and means something different that it did the play before.

The great part about this album is its growth - starting with the strong Square One which crescendos itself - the tracks build upon one another, ebbing and following. Each song is so uniquely different, but beside each other, X&Y is certainly not a collection of tracks but truly an album.

In my opinion, X&Y was worth the three-year wait. Enjoy.
1. Square One
2. What If?
3. White Shadows
4. Fix You
5. Talk
6. X&Y
7. Speed Of Sound
8. A Message
9. Low
10. Hardest Part
11. Swallowed In The Sea
12. Twisted Logic

X&Y finds Coldplay playing a much different style of music than in their previous two albums. It's grander and less acoustic-driven than both Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head. This becomes evident from the very first track, "Square One," which sounds like it was meant to be played in a football stadium rather than a civic theater. "Fix You" and "Talk" are also great tracks at #s 3 and 4. My favorite songs from this album, however, are "X&Y," "Speed of Sound," and "Low" (#s 6,7, and 9). They're some of the best songs I've ever heard from Coldplay on any album. The only drawback to the album I can find is that Martin's vocals are sometimes a bit sappy and contrived. I think sometimes he tries a little too hard to make his lyrics rhyme, and that takes away from their power. All in all, though, this is an excellent album from one of my favorite bands.

While I quickly fell in love with "Parachutes" and "Rush of Blood to the Head" they do not even hold a candle to Coldplay's efforts in "X&Y".
From "Fix You" (my fav, track) to the seemingly Johnny Cash inspired "Kingdom Come" there are no disappointing songs to be found on this album. Although, just like in their previous albums some songs can get a little monotonous such as "Speed of Sound" which harkens back to the feel of many tracks in Rush of Blood; but, rest assured this is one of those albums that you will get addicted to everytime you push play. A must for any collection, unless you can't appreciate good music.