From the Vault: Coldplay X&Y

Kind of like Zoloft or a soft, fuzzy blanket...

Coldplay has been on such a hot streak, that it’s almost as if they can do no wrong. Since Chris Martin and company are currently on tour and also have garnered so much press, it seemed appropriate to take a look at one of the more significant releases this year. With the album itself, there are a number of positive aspects but there are also a few shortcomings, particularly with the songwriting that at times is even cringe-worthy. While Chris Martin sometimes showcases his gift for crafting songs, it appears that he sometimes spends too much time in the dictionary of clichés, often hindering the experience of the rest of the song. While “What If” is beautiful musically, if you pay even remote attention to the lyrics, you’ll probably find yourself skipping the track more often than not, which is really too bad. An even more unfortunate case is on the absolutely astounding track of “Fix You” which begins with: “When you try your best but you don’t succeed/when you get what you want but not what you need,” not exactly the most original lyrics ever written, but in looking past this, you find what is probably the most beautiful piece Coldplay has ever written, even if it is excessively sappy. Other standout tracks are “White Shadow,” which rides nicely along Will Champion’s solid drum/percussion work and along with “Talk” best represents some of the best aspects of Coldplay’s B-Sides in that they are generally edgier but also more dynamic and powerful (for example the Buckland’s guitar riff alongside Champion’s incessant drumming on “Talk” is nearly magical). A culmination of these aspects really comes through on the track “Low,” which is almost brooding and matched perfectly with Martin’s wide-ranging and emotional vocals. One of the other faults that’s worth mentioning about this album is how Coldplay’s songs have managed to become increasingly forgettable. Think about how many songs you can easily identify on Parachutes, then on A Rush of Blood to the Head, and then finally on this album X&Y and you’ll see that there’s not as much variety, or memorable songwriting for that matter to truly make anyone outside of a diehard fan connect with the album. Instead, with this album in particular, there are key moments within the framework of all of these songs that are simply beautiful (the chorus and orchestral interlude of X&Y is a perfect example), but outside of those golden nuggets of pleasure, you could very easily mix and match any of these songs’ parts and not know the difference. Coldplay is a band that appears to be going in two directions at once, on one hand they are honing they’re skills and evolving as it were, but on the other they’re almost getting so caught up in the warm and fuzzy that it’s almost numbingly dull. Cleary not their best work, but it’s definitely not a bad album, try to sample the songs if you can before putting your money on it if you haven’t already.

★★★★☆