(Review I posted somewhere else)
After Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head being two of my favourite albums ever, expectations were high.
I'll give a little review, but it is first impressions and I don't know the songs too well yet.
Anyway the album kicks off with Square One, which is admittedly very different to the old stuff, but just awesome regardless. Great opener, like nothing I've heard before from Coldplay.
What If gives the illusion of being epic and meaningful, but in truth it is whiny, repetitive and a snooze. I'm sure people will love it at first.
White Shadows is a cliché musically and lyrically. Nice chorus, but the rest of the song is just silly, a bouncy beat and bass line just shits me. And the very U2 influenced guitars that were like brushstrokes in the first two albums are now piercing, irritating cries that just seem to be there, for no reason.
And the synths. Oh the synths. Never have I heard such lifeless synthesizers in Coldplay music. The end of White Shadows sounds like a cross between Kraftwerk and a church organ being played by some old lady.
This segues into Fix You, and the signs aren't good as it feels like the previous song never ended. This is saved though as the song picks up and actually becomes really good by the end. Great harmonies & a bloody (awesome) guitar high in the mix, with riffs! MY GOSH!
Talk is okay, but overproduced and not a patch on the original version (if you've heard it). Though it becomes the original in the last chorus.
X & Y is another fucking synth fest.
Square One is unfortunately one of the better songs on the album. Which is a shame because I consider it on a par with In My Place on AROBTTH, a nice easy first single, not an album standout. Says a lot for the strength of the other songs, or lack thereof.
A Message is solid and pleasant.
Whilst Low isn't anything special, it is a bit different so I don't mind it.
The Hardest Part is like A Message, but less interesting.
In the vein of A Message and The Hardest Part, Swallowed in the Sea is a pleasant ditty. But it is better then the former two because it nails the chorus, which is rather long and carries the song.
Twisted Logic tries to be the big uplifting closer, but it plods... but at least it is followed by Til Kingdom Come, the bonus track, which would have sat nicely in A Rush of Blood. Good song.
Basically this album is a bore, and has shifted me from a fan onto the Coldplay’s songs all sound the same bandwagon. At least, with regards to the songs on this album. It tries to be spacey and interesting with it's reliance on keyboards and synths, but basically it is a poor attempt at reinvention and only muddies their once great sound. Also it can be noted that Chris Martin's voice is really shrill on this album, and doesn't sit with the songs as well as they used to.
The rest of the band are fine, the drumming is actually quite good, the bass is as interesting as it has ever been for Coldplay and there are some interesting riffs. But, especially in the case of the guitar, this is drowned out by over production and over thinking.
Square One, Fix You and Til Kingdom Come are top songs, as good as most they've written. Speed of Sound is enjoyable as well because the song has distinct sounds, and the synths are more atmospheric than prominent. The rest of the songs are really pretty monotone and boring, no endearing qualities. I'll also admit none of the songs are bad, they're just not any good either.
Verdict - they dropped the ball. I'm gutted because I love their other stuff and think that their first two albums are comparable against just about any other ever written.
Unfortunately this one doesn't, and just feels cold (no pun intended, honestly).