Published on Aug 29, 2005
With 2002’s
A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay had pretty much
reached the pinnacle of its career. Any eventual record was
destined not to be as big a favorite as that release.
As expected,
X&Y is no
Rush and will never be remembered as Coldplay’s best. In
terms of style, the band has made a conscious effort to seek a new
sound for the follow-up. Going with the trend of the current time,
X&Y is Coldplay’s “New Wave” record.
Finding itself among the current batch of New Wave revivalists,
which include a good number of groups that are embarrassingly (and
shamelessly) trying to imitate the sounds of Joy Division (or New
Order or The Cure) note-for-note – making complete fools of
themselves as well as blatantly disgracing their idols – Coldplay,
in its original style, has offered its own interpretation of the
New Wave on
X&Y. Taking lessons in the form of inspiration
(knowingly or unknowingly) from some of the most creative rock
bands of the late ’80s/early ’90s (like U2 and Catherine Wheel),
Coldplay has a razor-sharp post-punk sound for
X&Y, the band’s hardest to date.
The new interpretation of the band’s inherent Britpop ballady
style is full of rasping guitars, arrogantly dancey bass hooks and
drums that pound carefree with emancipated joy after freeing
themselves from the shackles that held them gagged and bound for
five years and two records. Berryman, Buckland and Champion have
never tried harder to compete with the ardor and passion of
Martin’s singing, and it is difficult to determine the winner among
them.
Beginning with the opener “Square One,” Coldplay’s tribute to
’80s post-punk Brit rock is seen on alternating numbers, with the
band creating noises that would make the veterans of New Wave look
back on their past careers and realize that the only problem with
their music was the hair.
In between the fiery post-punk pieces are the kinds of cuts
which Coldplay specializes in (and has perfected over the years):
overly sappy cadging love songs that make Martin look like the most
irresistible guy who, in his attempts to woo, could stoop to such
low levels so as to make himself pathetically abandoned and
defenseless but still seem damn sexy. Just check out the lyrics for
“A Message” — “You’re the target that I’m aiming at; and I’m
nothing on my own / On a platform I’m gonna stand and say; that I’m
nothing on my own / And I love you, please come home.”
With
X&Y, it is heartening to see that Martin and gang are
still full of the earnest passion that Coldplay is known for, even
after achieving “super-stardom” status, which could easily have
gotten to the band’s head and paralyzed its creativity.
It is very clear – with the album/song-titles, the lyrics, the
artwork, and the spaced-out cuts like “X&Y” and “Twisted Logic”
– that Coldplay has tried to put a “science” spin to the album.
This adventurism is not as drastic as Radiohead’s
OK Computer, and Coldplay has only tweaked this concept to
match its own style. The fact of the matter is, Coldplay is no
Radiohead, and it is very clear which band is the Beatles of the
current generation.
Still, Coldplay is one of the most original bands today, and
X&Y, as with the previous two records, affirms this
fact. Though undeniably Coldplay has attained iconic status, it
still has to face the test of time before it could enjoy being one
of the greatest rock n’ roll bands of the current generation and
for the generation to come.