Matthew_Page2000
War Child
What parts of my post were unclear? Is it really that hard to understand that someone can like Coldplay without thinking that they're the second coming?
MAP
MAP
i bought two albums yesterday, and i dont like them. you might.
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bear, make a record store sticker, bang it on the front and wrap it up for someone as a bday present.
that or shove it under the door as a door stop.
im loving papua new guinea at the mo. so the album is not as good, no?
ali, chris isaak's last album was
but im still going to see him live in november! just got tix
that or shove it under the door as a door stop.
im loving papua new guinea at the mo. so the album is not as good, no?
ali, chris isaak's last album was
but im still going to see him live in november! just got tix
mad1
ONE love, blood, life
Zoomerang mate, if you aint heard Coldplay live, u are definately missing a 'wide-mile-imagination'!
Achtung Bubba
Refugee
Re: Coldplay overrated??
(I've added extra whitespace for readability.)
You make three cases against A Rush of Blood:
1. A lack of "superlative songwriting," a point which you admit is subjective and not worth arguing over.
2. A lack of flexible meanings within the song.
3. A lack of unique, original sound.
Let's limit ourselves to #2 and #3. I'll handle them in reverse order:
3. Sonic originality. First, Joshua Tree is truly unique, but there are moments when they intentionally copy other sounds - specifically, the gospel sound of ISHFWILF.
Second, I think what's more important is not how unique an album is absolutely, but how unique it is in the time it's released. CCR's music is great, in part, because they were doing bluegrass-based rock when everybody was doing hippie protest rock. On that point, A Rush of Blood stands up very well - it sounds like nothing else around today. (The key here is that there's little like it "on the radio today," rather than in all music.)
Third, I honestly don't think it's THAT important - what matters more than sonic originality, in my opion, is emotional resonance. Novelty is good, meaningfulness is better. Case in point: Radiohead. They could continue making odder and odder music, but there's a point where it's so strange that it no longer connects with the listener (some would say they've reached that point already).
I would much rather have All That You Can't Leave Behind or A Rush of Blood to the Head - both of which covers very little new sonic ground but connects more fully with the listener.
2. Double meanings. I disagree - I STRONGLY disagree - with the notion that the songs on A Rush of Blood are too straight-forward, too linear; that they lack the ambiguity of The Joshua Tree.
In fact, I contend that the first six songs - most of which are probably considered straight-forward love songs - may actually refer to the Almighty.
- Politik could be a cry for help, a cry directed at God - who looks at Earth from outer space:
Give me peace of mind and trust
Don't forget the rest of us
Give me strength, reserve, control
Give me heart and give me soul
Wounds that heal and cracks that fix
Tell me your own politik
Realistically, the Creator is about the only one who could provide peace of mind, strength, heart, and soul. And the cries to "open up your eyes" could be Chris Martin's way of saying, "Wake up, dead man."
- In My Place, almost certainly a love song, could also been seen as a conversation with the Almighty:
I was scared, I was scared
Tired and underprepared
But I wait for it
And if you go, if you go
And leave me down here on my own
Then I'll wait for you
"Down here," as opposed to "up there," which could be Heaven.
- The Scientist, which I do compare to With or Without You (in emotional power, if not originality), also appears to be another forlorn love song. But, like WOWY, it begs the question: who is he talking to?
It could be seen as a conversation with the Almighty, from a coldly intellectual "scientist" whose pursuits for God through Reason have turned up shallow and empty. There are a few hints to the possibility:
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
"Setting you apart" could LITERALLY be a reference to making something holy, which does literally mean "set apart."
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
"Come back and haunt me" could be a call to God the Spirit, and this entire verse backs up my belief that the singer is turning away from Reason toward emotion.
- Clocks, another seeming love song, can ALSO refer to God:
Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have bought me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead
Here, we see the common position for prayer; Bono used similar imagery in Mysterious Ways, "if you wanna kiss the sky / better learn how to kneel (on your knees, boy!)" But beyond that, there's the refrain. "And nothing else compares" sounds almost like a hymn, but more importantly, "you are" could be a direct reference to God - who, in the Old Testament, called Himself "I am."
- And Daylight can also be a reference to God if, like U2's "Gone," the imagery of the sun is replaced with the Son.
I could go on, but I think my point is made. There's a LOT of depth in this album to those willing to look for it.
Bubba
(I've added extra whitespace for readability.)
Matthew_Page2000 said:
You make three cases against A Rush of Blood:
1. A lack of "superlative songwriting," a point which you admit is subjective and not worth arguing over.
2. A lack of flexible meanings within the song.
3. A lack of unique, original sound.
Let's limit ourselves to #2 and #3. I'll handle them in reverse order:
3. Sonic originality. First, Joshua Tree is truly unique, but there are moments when they intentionally copy other sounds - specifically, the gospel sound of ISHFWILF.
Second, I think what's more important is not how unique an album is absolutely, but how unique it is in the time it's released. CCR's music is great, in part, because they were doing bluegrass-based rock when everybody was doing hippie protest rock. On that point, A Rush of Blood stands up very well - it sounds like nothing else around today. (The key here is that there's little like it "on the radio today," rather than in all music.)
Third, I honestly don't think it's THAT important - what matters more than sonic originality, in my opion, is emotional resonance. Novelty is good, meaningfulness is better. Case in point: Radiohead. They could continue making odder and odder music, but there's a point where it's so strange that it no longer connects with the listener (some would say they've reached that point already).
I would much rather have All That You Can't Leave Behind or A Rush of Blood to the Head - both of which covers very little new sonic ground but connects more fully with the listener.
2. Double meanings. I disagree - I STRONGLY disagree - with the notion that the songs on A Rush of Blood are too straight-forward, too linear; that they lack the ambiguity of The Joshua Tree.
In fact, I contend that the first six songs - most of which are probably considered straight-forward love songs - may actually refer to the Almighty.
- Politik could be a cry for help, a cry directed at God - who looks at Earth from outer space:
Give me peace of mind and trust
Don't forget the rest of us
Give me strength, reserve, control
Give me heart and give me soul
Wounds that heal and cracks that fix
Tell me your own politik
Realistically, the Creator is about the only one who could provide peace of mind, strength, heart, and soul. And the cries to "open up your eyes" could be Chris Martin's way of saying, "Wake up, dead man."
- In My Place, almost certainly a love song, could also been seen as a conversation with the Almighty:
I was scared, I was scared
Tired and underprepared
But I wait for it
And if you go, if you go
And leave me down here on my own
Then I'll wait for you
"Down here," as opposed to "up there," which could be Heaven.
- The Scientist, which I do compare to With or Without You (in emotional power, if not originality), also appears to be another forlorn love song. But, like WOWY, it begs the question: who is he talking to?
It could be seen as a conversation with the Almighty, from a coldly intellectual "scientist" whose pursuits for God through Reason have turned up shallow and empty. There are a few hints to the possibility:
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
"Setting you apart" could LITERALLY be a reference to making something holy, which does literally mean "set apart."
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
"Come back and haunt me" could be a call to God the Spirit, and this entire verse backs up my belief that the singer is turning away from Reason toward emotion.
- Clocks, another seeming love song, can ALSO refer to God:
Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have bought me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead
Here, we see the common position for prayer; Bono used similar imagery in Mysterious Ways, "if you wanna kiss the sky / better learn how to kneel (on your knees, boy!)" But beyond that, there's the refrain. "And nothing else compares" sounds almost like a hymn, but more importantly, "you are" could be a direct reference to God - who, in the Old Testament, called Himself "I am."
- And Daylight can also be a reference to God if, like U2's "Gone," the imagery of the sun is replaced with the Son.
I could go on, but I think my point is made. There's a LOT of depth in this album to those willing to look for it.
Bubba
pinkfloyd
War Child
Achtung bubba , do you really believe in this catholic bible history ( about god , jesus , apostols , etc etc ) ??????????
MonaVox
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Oh, Bangers.....
MORE arguing about Coldplay?
Fight clean...
Could this PLEASE be the last mofodaddy thread about Coldplay's new CD?
Unless someone finds a secret hidden track that when you play it backwards, Christ-- I mean Chris Martin -- is reciting Beethoven's 9th symphony concurrently in German AND English all while denouncing the devil......then can we PLEASE not wear out this CD?
It's great that they're getting so much publicity in this little world or ours.....and that people have different opinions about things.... but if you'll look back in the forum since when the CD first came out-- and even BEFORE that-- you'll see just HOW MANY threads were about this exact same thing.
Tanks.
MORE arguing about Coldplay?Fight clean...
Could this PLEASE be the last mofodaddy thread about Coldplay's new CD?
Unless someone finds a secret hidden track that when you play it backwards, Christ-- I mean Chris Martin -- is reciting Beethoven's 9th symphony concurrently in German AND English all while denouncing the devil......then can we PLEASE not wear out this CD?
It's great that they're getting so much publicity in this little world or ours.....and that people have different opinions about things.... but if you'll look back in the forum since when the CD first came out-- and even BEFORE that-- you'll see just HOW MANY threads were about this exact same thing.
Tanks.
Last edited:
Achtung Bubba
Refugee
(I have no intention to have this thread go off-topic, but I will try to answer the question asked.)
Concerning this thread, I'm not sure whether the Coldplay songs are intentionally written about God, intentionally ambiguous about the point, or just the result of a "happy accident."
Anyway, I'm not sure what you mean by "Catholic Bible history," since I am an evangelical Protestant, but I do believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. I believe that some of the Bible may not be fact (specifically, the first chapters of Genesis and the details within Revelation), but that even these parts of Scripture contain Truth. Beyond that, I believe that other parts of the Bible are absolute, HISTORICAL fact.
I believe that there was a man named Jesus, born around 3 B.C., who taught for a short time in modern-day Israel. He claimed to be God and was executed for - among other reasons - such bold heresy. I believe He then rose from the dead shortly thereafter (that He did physically come back to life), and that He is still alive to this very day - though He has returned from whence He came, promising to come back in His full glory.
Believing that incredible miracle of the Resurrection, I find it easy to believe the other things written about His life: the Virgin Birth, walking on water, healing the blind and the lame, feeding the multitudes with scraps of bread and fish. I believe His teachings: that He is THE Way, that no one sees the Father except through Him, that those who believe in Him (to the point that their lives change) will enjoy with Him life everlasting. I believe that, as He promised, those who follow Him have received a Comforter, the Holy Spirit (the third component in the three-in-one God) who guides us and confirms to whom we belong.
And I believe that God Himself guided those who wrote about Jesus, and that those writings have been more or less preserved over the last two thousand years.
Even the most skeptical scholars rarely dispute the following:
- That Jesus is a historical figure, as much as Julius Caesar or George Washington.
- That Jesus was executed by the Romans.
- That His followers - even those who personally knew Him and testified to SEEING Him after the execution - believed so fully that He was alive that they were willing to DIE over it.
If His closest friends knew the Resurrection was a lie, they wouldn't have died for it.
Further, Jesus didn't speak like a Socrates or an Aristotle - as one presenting theories about how the world works. He consistently spoke with divine authority, as if He was the world's Author, as if He was God Himself. As C.S. Lewis pointed out in Mere Christianity, one cannot call such a man a "good teacher." Either He was a madman, He was a man LITERALLY demon-possessed, or He is who He said He is.
His teachings certainly don't sound like the ravings of a lunatic or the treachery of a demon to me.
Simply put, I believe Jesus Christ is - present tense, IS - the Son of God. He is my Savior, saving me from my own selfish stupidity. And I daily strive to make Him my Master and Lord, the ruler of all I think, say, and do.
Bubba
pinkfloyd said:
Concerning this thread, I'm not sure whether the Coldplay songs are intentionally written about God, intentionally ambiguous about the point, or just the result of a "happy accident."
Anyway, I'm not sure what you mean by "Catholic Bible history," since I am an evangelical Protestant, but I do believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. I believe that some of the Bible may not be fact (specifically, the first chapters of Genesis and the details within Revelation), but that even these parts of Scripture contain Truth. Beyond that, I believe that other parts of the Bible are absolute, HISTORICAL fact.
I believe that there was a man named Jesus, born around 3 B.C., who taught for a short time in modern-day Israel. He claimed to be God and was executed for - among other reasons - such bold heresy. I believe He then rose from the dead shortly thereafter (that He did physically come back to life), and that He is still alive to this very day - though He has returned from whence He came, promising to come back in His full glory.
Believing that incredible miracle of the Resurrection, I find it easy to believe the other things written about His life: the Virgin Birth, walking on water, healing the blind and the lame, feeding the multitudes with scraps of bread and fish. I believe His teachings: that He is THE Way, that no one sees the Father except through Him, that those who believe in Him (to the point that their lives change) will enjoy with Him life everlasting. I believe that, as He promised, those who follow Him have received a Comforter, the Holy Spirit (the third component in the three-in-one God) who guides us and confirms to whom we belong.
And I believe that God Himself guided those who wrote about Jesus, and that those writings have been more or less preserved over the last two thousand years.
Even the most skeptical scholars rarely dispute the following:
- That Jesus is a historical figure, as much as Julius Caesar or George Washington.
- That Jesus was executed by the Romans.
- That His followers - even those who personally knew Him and testified to SEEING Him after the execution - believed so fully that He was alive that they were willing to DIE over it.
If His closest friends knew the Resurrection was a lie, they wouldn't have died for it.
Further, Jesus didn't speak like a Socrates or an Aristotle - as one presenting theories about how the world works. He consistently spoke with divine authority, as if He was the world's Author, as if He was God Himself. As C.S. Lewis pointed out in Mere Christianity, one cannot call such a man a "good teacher." Either He was a madman, He was a man LITERALLY demon-possessed, or He is who He said He is.
His teachings certainly don't sound like the ravings of a lunatic or the treachery of a demon to me.
Simply put, I believe Jesus Christ is - present tense, IS - the Son of God. He is my Savior, saving me from my own selfish stupidity. And I daily strive to make Him my Master and Lord, the ruler of all I think, say, and do.
Bubba
MonaVox
Rock n' Roll Doggie
AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN
O yeah......also, in the words of the great Wedge Antilles....STAY ON TARGET
Bang away.
It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye.
Then it's just fun....
nevertheless..... stay on topic and let's all just say if Coldplay is good or bad once and for all.
O yeah......also, in the words of the great Wedge Antilles....STAY ON TARGET
Bang away.
It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye.
Then it's just fun....
nevertheless..... stay on topic and let's all just say if Coldplay is good or bad once and for all.
Screaming Flower
ONE love, blood, life
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2001
- Messages
- 11,961
mona. help.
omc.
STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!
omc.
STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!
MonaVox
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Ok maybe I should be more pacific.
Bubba Sir.... I'm certain your opinions are very well formulated and supported.... but I think a lot of that is more appropriate for a discussion in a forum like FYM or at LEAST another thread.
I think there actually WAS one just like this one.
With the same thing.
Actually, there were like 8.
PinkFloyd......dood.....you should know better.
Bubba Sir.... I'm certain your opinions are very well formulated and supported.... but I think a lot of that is more appropriate for a discussion in a forum like FYM or at LEAST another thread.
I think there actually WAS one just like this one.
With the same thing.
Actually, there were like 8.
PinkFloyd......dood.....you should know better.
pinkfloyd
War Child
Gotta admit that i'm a little bit confused..
it was just a question , thank you for your good well opened answer Achtung bubba , i'm a SW fan too by the way !!
it was just a question , thank you for your good well opened answer Achtung bubba , i'm a SW fan too by the way !!
Achtung Bubba
Refugee
No problemo, pinkfloyd - and I'm glad to see ya like Star Wars, too.
Actually, the mods' comments deserve a response, as well. But I will defer that to another post...
Bubba
Actually, the mods' comments deserve a response, as well. But I will defer that to another post...
Bubba
Achtung Bubba
Refugee
MonaVox said:
As I said at the VERY BEGINNING of that thread, I did not - and still do not - want this thread to go off-topic. But Pink Floyd asked ME a very specific question within this thread, and I went ahead and answered it.
Had he asked the question via a Private Message, I would have responded via a Private Message. He asked me publically in this thread; I responded publically in this thread.
What was I supposed to do? Tell him I wouldn't answer the question unless it was posted in Free Your Mind? (Need I remind you that I can neither read nor post in that forum?)
Or are you requiring me (and me alone) to simply cease all forms of comments religious and political DESPITE the context? Am I to ignore pinkfloyd's question? Was I to remain silent on threads within Lemonade Stand and EVERY OTHER forum if they just happen to have a religious or political slant?
I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen.
I've already made this privately clear to Elvis; I will make this publically clear now. I am trying to be as nice as possible about this, but I will continue posting my religious and political beliefs as long as they are appropriate to the specific forum and thread. Scream STOP THE MADNESS! all you want, berate me all you want, but I will not cooperate with an attempt to silence me to THAT degree.
(For goodness' sake, we're in a forum about U2, a band who is MOST known for their religious and political beliefs! I do not understand the efforts to target one member and silence his religious and political beliefs.)
I beg you guys, moderators and admins: allow me some breathing room to post religious and political posts when appropriate. Pinkfloyd asked me specifically a religious question; surely I should be allowed to answer; doing so in this thread was appropriate.
If you will not do allow me this freedom that everybody else here clearly enjoys, if you want me silenced on these two subjects, you're going to have to enforce that request yourself. You will have to ban me.
Bubba
LarryMullen's POPAngel
Blue Crack Distributor
Can you take a break for one flipping day, bubba?
Screaming Flower
ONE love, blood, life
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2001
- Messages
- 11,961
Achtung Bubba said:
i was kidding bubba. i'm not berating you, nor am i trying to silence you. i think you might have read into my reply a little too deeply. if i am attempting to make a serious comment, i usually do not start my reply with oh my cat. i just find it humorous that these coldplay threads keep turning into such emotionally charged fights, that's all.
pinkfloyd
War Child
ok next time it will be pm .
MonaVox
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Aiight
I respect yer opinions, Bubba.
It's great that you HAVE opinions. Bc a lot of people just say what they think or believe and don't really understand WHY.
But no matter how much you didn't want this to go off topic, it DID in fact go off topic.
This should go for every thread....it's ok to go off on little tangents bc no thread should be so boring that everyone says the same thing....but this just went too far off.
I have never liked to single out ppl but this seems to be a consistent occurence....
let's see if it's possible to carry on normally now.
I respect yer opinions, Bubba.
It's great that you HAVE opinions. Bc a lot of people just say what they think or believe and don't really understand WHY.
But no matter how much you didn't want this to go off topic, it DID in fact go off topic.
This should go for every thread....it's ok to go off on little tangents bc no thread should be so boring that everyone says the same thing....but this just went too far off.
I have never liked to single out ppl but this seems to be a consistent occurence....
let's see if it's possible to carry on normally now.
MonaVox
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Sorry about the mess....
Thank you, PinkFloyd.
Thank you, PinkFloyd.
Achtung Bubba
Refugee
Screaming Flower said:
All apologies... it's just that it does seem that half the time I post anything tangentially related to politics and/or religion, at least two mods go out of their way to gripe about it.
(And, honestly, I didn't know what "omc" meant; I figured it was actually "Oh my Christ.")
MonaVox:
I guess what I meant was that I didn't want this thread to PERMANENTLY diverge. I for one see no problem with even wild digressions if they're short in duration.
Bubba
Achtung Bubba
Refugee
Give in, no disk. Give in.
have you ever given someone a gift and totally regretted it, Bubba?
i should have known better, but i bought 'arobtth' as a b'day present for my roomate, and now i'm
because of it.
and to think, about a week ago, i really liked the album
i should have known better, but i bought 'arobtth' as a b'day present for my roomate, and now i'm
because of it.and to think, about a week ago, i really liked the album
wannabe
War Child
death bear and bubba, thanks for the advice.
now i must ask, is "Parachutes" really worth the buy? All the songs i have heard (six of them i think) from there i love.
now i must ask, is "Parachutes" really worth the buy? All the songs i have heard (six of them i think) from there i love.
Lemon Meringue
Rock n' Roll Doggie
my 2 cents
I have always said you can't make someone else like something...especially music and food. Either you like it or you don't. You can't convince someone else to like it. Sometimes you can aquire a taste for something new, but that has to be done on your own, not because someone else says you should like it.
Anyway, since I am a U2 fan and the people on this forum are also U2 fans, most of us probably have somewhat similar tastes in music. I have tried some new music because of recommendations I have seen here. For example: I bought Radiohead's Amnesiac (it was on sale). I find the music interesting and have enjoyed it. My husband, who is also a big U2 fan, did not care for it. I will certainly try more Radiohead. I have really gotten into both Doves and Elbow.
Coldplay was a tougher sell for me. I hated the popular song Yellow. (I wanted to stick a sock in his mouth.
) But since I had read such rave reviews I bought the new CD last night. I have it playing in my computer at work, so it is rather soft, but it sounds okay. I can't give it a real listen until I pop it in a play it in my car. That will be the ture test. I am happy there are no Yellowish sounding songs though.
We shall see....
I have always said you can't make someone else like something...especially music and food. Either you like it or you don't. You can't convince someone else to like it. Sometimes you can aquire a taste for something new, but that has to be done on your own, not because someone else says you should like it.
Anyway, since I am a U2 fan and the people on this forum are also U2 fans, most of us probably have somewhat similar tastes in music. I have tried some new music because of recommendations I have seen here. For example: I bought Radiohead's Amnesiac (it was on sale). I find the music interesting and have enjoyed it. My husband, who is also a big U2 fan, did not care for it. I will certainly try more Radiohead. I have really gotten into both Doves and Elbow.
Coldplay was a tougher sell for me. I hated the popular song Yellow. (I wanted to stick a sock in his mouth.
) But since I had read such rave reviews I bought the new CD last night. I have it playing in my computer at work, so it is rather soft, but it sounds okay. I can't give it a real listen until I pop it in a play it in my car. That will be the ture test. I am happy there are no Yellowish sounding songs though.We shall see....
Last edited:
zonelistener
ONE love, blood, life
Will try to steer this back on track
sometimes I buy an album, and am not crazy about it the first time I hear it. Maybe you need to let the Coldplay album grow on you a little.
sometimes I buy an album, and am not crazy about it the first time I hear it. Maybe you need to let the Coldplay album grow on you a little.
joyfulgirl
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2001
- Messages
- 16,690
Re: my 2 cents
From Rolling Stone re: "Yellow" : "The guy's voice sounded like a puppy kicked down a flight of stairs, one step at a time, and then kicked back up the flight of stairs. " (Then it goes on to give a good review of the new record.)
I felt a loathing for the song "Yellow" that I had not experienced in a long time. But when everyone here started raving about the new record I tried watching a Coldplay concert on TV last week to see what all the fuss was about, not liking any song I'd ever heard by them (but having never listened to an entire record either). I found them extremely irritating to me in a Yellowish kind of way and changed channels after 3 songs. I figured it was an age thing--that I'm just too old for what strikes me as wimpy music (calm down! just my opinion!). Still, they are better than the vast majority of what's out there. Some of the music is actually really nice and makes me WANT to like them, but I can't get past the voice and just their overall vibe.
Lemon Meringue said:
Coldplay was a tougher sell for me. I hated the popular song Yellow. (I wanted to stick a sock in his mouth.
We shall see....
From Rolling Stone re: "Yellow" : "The guy's voice sounded like a puppy kicked down a flight of stairs, one step at a time, and then kicked back up the flight of stairs. " (Then it goes on to give a good review of the new record.)
I felt a loathing for the song "Yellow" that I had not experienced in a long time. But when everyone here started raving about the new record I tried watching a Coldplay concert on TV last week to see what all the fuss was about, not liking any song I'd ever heard by them (but having never listened to an entire record either). I found them extremely irritating to me in a Yellowish kind of way and changed channels after 3 songs. I figured it was an age thing--that I'm just too old for what strikes me as wimpy music (calm down! just my opinion!). Still, they are better than the vast majority of what's out there. Some of the music is actually really nice and makes me WANT to like them, but I can't get past the voice and just their overall vibe.
Popmartijn
Blue Crack Supplier
Re: Re: my 2 cents
This can always happen. For me, I have the same thing with the Smashing Pumpkins. The music is quite good, some songs are great and they were better than most contemporaries. But I couldn't hear Billy Corgan singing for more than one song in a row. Man, that was irritating.
C ya!
Marty
joyfulgirl said:
This can always happen. For me, I have the same thing with the Smashing Pumpkins. The music is quite good, some songs are great and they were better than most contemporaries. But I couldn't hear Billy Corgan singing for more than one song in a row. Man, that was irritating.
C ya!
Marty
Saracene
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Coldplay have a lovely sound, but unfortunately it becomes a teensy bit boring when taken in album-length doses. I feel the same about Chris Martin's voice; he's charming if a bit too timid, but when he sings in the same melancholic, weary manner song after song, I just get a bit restless. I must say though that Rush... is a great improvement on Parachutes, with more variety in tempo and better-defined songs. It runs out of steam a bit in the second half of the album, but the first five songs are great, especially the slinky "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face".
Michael Griffiths
Rock n' Roll Doggie
First of all, I just want to say that Chris M. has got to have the best voice in pop/rock music today. As one reviewer described his performance on the new record, "Singer Chris Martin takes his voice on soaring flights, reaching places only Jeff Buckley previously dared to go." Not bad for someone with a timid and weary voice.Saracene said:
The one thing I have to disagree with Saracene on is that the last second half of the album "runs out of steam." Let's just take a run down of the last half:
7. Green Eyes
8. Warning Sign
9. A Whisper
10. A Rush Of Blood To The Head
11. Amsterdam
Okay, so out of these five songs, straight away we have four possible classics, 'Green Eyes' being the most obvious candidate. Like I said earlier, it's that classic Beatles' song - you know, the one that Oasis wished they had written. It's like it was hidden away in a classic rock vault somewhere waiting to be discovered. This will become the summer theme song to many a couple's relationship for years to come.
'Warning Sign' is possibly the best song on the album (though it's so hard to tell when you have songs as good as 'The Scientist' and 'Politik' to compete with). 'A Whisper' is total experimentation for Coldplay, and sounds like nothing else that's being made in mainstream music today - and that goes for even Radiohead. (Someone asked earlier who Coldplay are trying to sound like, U2 or Radiohead? They aren't going for either one. They are unique, but of course they have their influences, just as everyone does.) The closest thing that 'A Whisper' sounds like is maybe early Police - definitely not of this time.
'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' - the urgency behind the pleading and emotional kicks of this song really take flight. This is not sombre music at all. This is flat out rock and roll. Chris's voice soars over the fantastic guitar, bass and percussion in a way that evokes a live feel. This tune needs a good stereo. This is also one of the (many) best songs off the album.
'Amsterdam' - a gorgeous tune built around an ingenious piano arrangement. It doesn't need to be loud. The feeling would be destroyed. Coldplay really walk a fine line toward the end, allowing the song to take off with guitar and drums - but they manage to pull it off. You can almost feel the song begging to be kicked up a notch, and it works. When I first heard that ending, I had a huge smile on my face realizing that Coldplay had just done what I wanted them to do, they gave the song a way to become itself by igniting a small fire under its core - and the ending, "...You came along and you cut me loose..." perfectly closes the album in the most direct and beautiful way.
So let's recap: 5 amazing songs, 4 classics, and a great denoument and poignent closing sentiment. If this album does run out of steam in the second half, it only does so because it has used every particle of it to its utmost capacity, and I would say only by the time we hear the last note of the last song, does this album run out of steam. In short, it gives you everything the band has got at that time. By the end of this record, you don't need stream any more. The tracks are just kind of left behind in a fog, giving way to something much more refined and limitless. The ending is almost like epiphany found, opening up possiblilty once again.
really
The Fly
I really like reviewersMichael Griffiths said:
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