Coldplay X&Y: Best U2 record U2 never made. I miss U2
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BANZAI
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I really like Coldplay but don't overrate them...Their first two albums are very decent albums but are in no comparison to most U2 albums.
And in my opinion Speed of Sound is not a bad song, but it's also nothing special. It's almost like Coldplay repeating Coldplay (what a lot of people say about U2 nowadays - I don't share that thought)!
And in my opinion Speed of Sound is not a bad song, but it's also nothing special. It's almost like Coldplay repeating Coldplay (what a lot of people say about U2 nowadays - I don't share that thought)!
hmmm...i'm starting to think this topic is exhausted. any thoughts?
namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
KhanadaRhodes said:
Yeah, I have a thought.
Don't bloody close the thread. So what, the topic is a little tired. It's not offending anyone and there is absolutely no trouble here so take your trigger finger and remove it
Miggy D
War Child
It seems that Coldplay is progressing and changing their sound - and it looks like they'll have quite a few more 'rockers' this time around, too!
From MTV.com:
Coldplay Album Preview: X&Y A Complex Stadium-Rocker
So here's a throwaway quote from Coldplay's Chris Martin on the making of X&Y, the band's highly anticipated new album:
"It was very hard for our friends and family, because we became very focused and weren't very easy to talk to. And when we finished the album, we had to try and make friends with people again and try to save our relationships."
Three years ago, no one would've really cared about this statement. Now it's the type of quote that makes tabloids drool ... partially because Coldplay have sold more than 17 million albums worldwide and are, arguably, the second-biggest rock act on the planet, but mostly because, within the past three years, Martin has married Gwyneth Paltrow, aligned himself with causes like Drop the Debt, had a few run-ins with the paparazzi, and fathered possibly the most famous child ever named after a piece of fruit.
Point being, there are a whole lot of people paying attention to Coldplay these days. Fan and industry expectations for X&Y are almost impossibly high (it'll have to both resonate longer and sell more copies than 2003's globe-uniting A Rush of Blood to the Head to be considered a success). And now that Martin is the band's breakout — actually probably only — star, it's pretty safe to say that this is the first record where his lyrics will be analyzed with a fine-toothed comb. And so, with all that in mind, and with the gaze of millions of eyes upon them, how would Coldplay respond?
By making X&Y a complex, shimmering, airy, dark, near-ambient, stadium-rocker of an album that manages to sound (in sections) like Brian Eno, the Beatles, Grandaddy, Mercury Rev and Basil Poledouris' score to "Conan the Barbarian" — but also like every Coldplay album ever released. Which is no easy feat.
"Square One" kicks things off with a wash of gauzy synths that give way to Martin's mellow falsettos ("You're in control/ Is there anything you want to know?") and drummer Will Champion's speedy, breakbeat cadences. Then there's a keyboard line that recalls "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey," or, more importantly, wrestling legend Ric Flair's entrance music) and a guitar solo straight out of a Bond flick. And just as soon as the whole din begins, it disappears, replaced by strummed acoustic guitar and the pitter-patter of electronics.
The somber "What If?" is next, with Martin singsonging, "What if there was no light/ Nothing wrong and nothing right?" over plodding piano chords. Below the surface, strings bubble and simmer until the whole thing boils over in a guitar freakout unlike any the band has committed to tape (the first of many such guitar flare-ups on the disc).
"White Shadows" is a spacey stomper with twisting guitars competing for space atop mammoth drums and droning synths. "Fix You" switches gears, eschewing electronic beats for a creaky church organ that gives way to Martin's mentions of "lights guiding you home" and then a more traditional piano line.
The synths return on the atmospheric "Talk," creating a shimmering landscape complete with lakes of droning guitars and forests of electronic frippery. (When Martin recently told MTV Europe that ambient pioneer Brian Eno visited the bandmembers while they were recording, he wasn't joking.) The album's title track is next, a vaguely Middle-Eastern number that recalls A Rush of Blood's "Daylight" and piles some very pretty strings over all sorts of bubbling electronics.
The first single, "Speed of Sound," follows, and it's about the strangest track the band could've selected to serve as its grand return to the spotlight. Martin's voice is cocooned by the pulses of an electric piano and synth chords that give way to a driving piano line and circling guitars, making the whole thing sound strangely like a minor version of "Clocks."
"A Message" is a sappy, love-struck ballad, with Martin strumming his acoustic guitar and warbling lines like "my song is love" and "heavy hearts made of stone." "Low" is the direct opposite, a straight-ahead rocker with a snapping drum beat and an aggressive bass line. But about three-quarters of the way through, Coldplay give it up, and the entire track dissolves into sine waves of keyboards and the gentle tinkling of a tiny xylophone (making it sound like one of baby Apple's playthings). "The Hardest Part" picks right back up with the piano/synth combo ... for a minute you start to get a bit bored with it all, but then the album snaps back to life with "Swallowed in the Sea."
"Sea" is intriguing with its lumbering low end and squeaky electronic noises that crash against a dirgey/dreamy guitar line. As the tune picks up steam, guitars explode and the rhythm section gets all hot and bothered while Martin brags that he "could write a song 100 miles long."
"Twisted Logic" borrows heavily from Pink Floyd, with dark-tinged guitar chords melting in with Martin's thudding piano lines. And the album concludes with a hidden track, " 'Til Kingdom Come," a shambling guitar tune recorded in one take. Martin's weary voice distorts in the microphone amidst some nifty piano work. And just as quickly as it starts, it's over, fading out like the Beatles' "A Day in the Life."
So what to make of X&Y? It's an organic electronica album. An minimalist, experimental disc with a whole bunch of power chords. Brian Eno for frat guys. Read into it what you will, but at the end of the day, it's still a Coldplay album. Which is probably what they were gunning for all along.
From MTV.com:
Coldplay Album Preview: X&Y A Complex Stadium-Rocker
So here's a throwaway quote from Coldplay's Chris Martin on the making of X&Y, the band's highly anticipated new album:
"It was very hard for our friends and family, because we became very focused and weren't very easy to talk to. And when we finished the album, we had to try and make friends with people again and try to save our relationships."
Three years ago, no one would've really cared about this statement. Now it's the type of quote that makes tabloids drool ... partially because Coldplay have sold more than 17 million albums worldwide and are, arguably, the second-biggest rock act on the planet, but mostly because, within the past three years, Martin has married Gwyneth Paltrow, aligned himself with causes like Drop the Debt, had a few run-ins with the paparazzi, and fathered possibly the most famous child ever named after a piece of fruit.
Point being, there are a whole lot of people paying attention to Coldplay these days. Fan and industry expectations for X&Y are almost impossibly high (it'll have to both resonate longer and sell more copies than 2003's globe-uniting A Rush of Blood to the Head to be considered a success). And now that Martin is the band's breakout — actually probably only — star, it's pretty safe to say that this is the first record where his lyrics will be analyzed with a fine-toothed comb. And so, with all that in mind, and with the gaze of millions of eyes upon them, how would Coldplay respond?
By making X&Y a complex, shimmering, airy, dark, near-ambient, stadium-rocker of an album that manages to sound (in sections) like Brian Eno, the Beatles, Grandaddy, Mercury Rev and Basil Poledouris' score to "Conan the Barbarian" — but also like every Coldplay album ever released. Which is no easy feat.
"Square One" kicks things off with a wash of gauzy synths that give way to Martin's mellow falsettos ("You're in control/ Is there anything you want to know?") and drummer Will Champion's speedy, breakbeat cadences. Then there's a keyboard line that recalls "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey," or, more importantly, wrestling legend Ric Flair's entrance music) and a guitar solo straight out of a Bond flick. And just as soon as the whole din begins, it disappears, replaced by strummed acoustic guitar and the pitter-patter of electronics.
The somber "What If?" is next, with Martin singsonging, "What if there was no light/ Nothing wrong and nothing right?" over plodding piano chords. Below the surface, strings bubble and simmer until the whole thing boils over in a guitar freakout unlike any the band has committed to tape (the first of many such guitar flare-ups on the disc).
"White Shadows" is a spacey stomper with twisting guitars competing for space atop mammoth drums and droning synths. "Fix You" switches gears, eschewing electronic beats for a creaky church organ that gives way to Martin's mentions of "lights guiding you home" and then a more traditional piano line.
The synths return on the atmospheric "Talk," creating a shimmering landscape complete with lakes of droning guitars and forests of electronic frippery. (When Martin recently told MTV Europe that ambient pioneer Brian Eno visited the bandmembers while they were recording, he wasn't joking.) The album's title track is next, a vaguely Middle-Eastern number that recalls A Rush of Blood's "Daylight" and piles some very pretty strings over all sorts of bubbling electronics.
The first single, "Speed of Sound," follows, and it's about the strangest track the band could've selected to serve as its grand return to the spotlight. Martin's voice is cocooned by the pulses of an electric piano and synth chords that give way to a driving piano line and circling guitars, making the whole thing sound strangely like a minor version of "Clocks."
"A Message" is a sappy, love-struck ballad, with Martin strumming his acoustic guitar and warbling lines like "my song is love" and "heavy hearts made of stone." "Low" is the direct opposite, a straight-ahead rocker with a snapping drum beat and an aggressive bass line. But about three-quarters of the way through, Coldplay give it up, and the entire track dissolves into sine waves of keyboards and the gentle tinkling of a tiny xylophone (making it sound like one of baby Apple's playthings). "The Hardest Part" picks right back up with the piano/synth combo ... for a minute you start to get a bit bored with it all, but then the album snaps back to life with "Swallowed in the Sea."
"Sea" is intriguing with its lumbering low end and squeaky electronic noises that crash against a dirgey/dreamy guitar line. As the tune picks up steam, guitars explode and the rhythm section gets all hot and bothered while Martin brags that he "could write a song 100 miles long."
"Twisted Logic" borrows heavily from Pink Floyd, with dark-tinged guitar chords melting in with Martin's thudding piano lines. And the album concludes with a hidden track, " 'Til Kingdom Come," a shambling guitar tune recorded in one take. Martin's weary voice distorts in the microphone amidst some nifty piano work. And just as quickly as it starts, it's over, fading out like the Beatles' "A Day in the Life."
So what to make of X&Y? It's an organic electronica album. An minimalist, experimental disc with a whole bunch of power chords. Brian Eno for frat guys. Read into it what you will, but at the end of the day, it's still a Coldplay album. Which is probably what they were gunning for all along.
Flying FuManchu
New Yorker
Seeking Adam said:
Can't help it if I've reached a higher level of U2 fandom/ conscience then some.
Seriously, though you can make little jabs at me all you want but your statement didn't take away from my point. It seems some U2 fans or very vocal ones can't stand the idea of their being any band trying/ achieving any form of greatness. I mean, Coldplay freakin adore U2 and U2 really respects Coldplay. Eno seems to be into them considering that article and and the Edge was really into them (as opposed to Travis) at the time Parachutes was makin' waves. So why the pissing contest?
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Flying FuManchu
New Yorker
Coldplay has two key ingredients to greatness... critical acclaim and they are able to sell records (no small feat for a band from across the Atlantic these days). IMO they have conquered America and are close to pop culture icons considering Martin's marriage to Paltrow (nothing to do with the music of course but significant nonetheless) b/c they are in the mainstream.
I agree with ImOuttaControl's points. I also thought Moses was below soso.
I agree with ImOuttaControl's points. I also thought Moses was below soso.
biff
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Tha main thing that Coldplay has going for them right at this moment? A really massive amount of hype.
how about you not be so bloody rude, huh? this isn't the first time you've acted like this, and i'm telling you now to stop. if i'd thought without a doubt that it should be closed i would've closed it without asking anyone's opinion. since i was thinking it had been getting more than a little heated, i was just asking for people's opinions.namkcuR said:Yeah, I have a thought.
Don't bloody close the thread. So what, the topic is a little tired. It's not offending anyone and there is absolutely no trouble here so take your trigger finger and remove it
so chill, and remember that the mods still deserve your respect and personal attacks aren't allowed at all, especially towards mods.
namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
KhanadaRhodes said:
I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come across as a personal attack, nor did I intend to come across as that rude. But the thing is, you say the thread is 'more than a little heated', and I don't see that. I don't see anything but civil and constructive arguements(for the most part) about the subject at hand. I just feel like, if you think what's been said in this thread this far is all that 'heated', that's a little over-sensitive. I could be wrong, that is just my opinion. But, to answer your question, no, I don't think the topic is tired at all. Scratch my first, overly-impulsive response to your question(your original one), and take this as my reply instead. Again, my apologies for my earlier remarks.
namkcuR said:
elevation2u
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
coldplay is okay...medicore at best, radiohead are awesome, u2 is great
end of story
end of story
For me personally a great band should be able to progress it's sound over a number albums each album having it's on distinct personality, but reatain what the band is. Looking over u2's career their music always evolved right up to ATYCLB. There was always that element in every album that was very 'u2' but you could put two songs on back to back from polor opposite albums and you would walk away knowing that it was the same band, but the sound was unique and different. The last two records have been more leaning to 'vintage' u2 their own progression seems to have slowed down dramtically, and I wonder if they have another brave record like Pop or Zooropa in them.
Anyway, The problem for me with Coldplay is, you can put two songs on back to back from different albums and they sound as if they're from the one album. The progression of sound just isn't there for me. During the '90's u2 through us all curve ball, with every album that came out during that time you were wondering what will it sound like. With a new Coldplay release it just feels like 'more of the same'.
I'm sure this album willl be huge for them and their tour will be a massive sell out of a tour (but to me massive sales and huge tours does not necessarily mean it's a great record, just one that appeals to the masses). But I'm not convinced by either Speed Of Sound or Talk that leaked earlier in the year that they've actually moved forward enough to warrant being a great band yet. I await to be proved wrong, I don't mind the Coldplay boys, and actually really like AROBTTH, I went off it quick right enough, but it held my attention for a while. Let's see what you got Mr Martin!
Anyway, The problem for me with Coldplay is, you can put two songs on back to back from different albums and they sound as if they're from the one album. The progression of sound just isn't there for me. During the '90's u2 through us all curve ball, with every album that came out during that time you were wondering what will it sound like. With a new Coldplay release it just feels like 'more of the same'.
I'm sure this album willl be huge for them and their tour will be a massive sell out of a tour (but to me massive sales and huge tours does not necessarily mean it's a great record, just one that appeals to the masses). But I'm not convinced by either Speed Of Sound or Talk that leaked earlier in the year that they've actually moved forward enough to warrant being a great band yet. I await to be proved wrong, I don't mind the Coldplay boys, and actually really like AROBTTH, I went off it quick right enough, but it held my attention for a while. Let's see what you got Mr Martin!
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digsy
New Yorker
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.
Last edited:
digsy
New Yorker
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this thread has run and run and its the same stuff repeated over and over again. "u2 are the best, no one will be better blah blah"
well one day U2 won't be around anymore and they wont be performing and they won't be making new records and thats the time when bands like Coldplay (i'm not saying Coldplay specifically) will be.
in 20 years time theres gonna be some band, possibly around already, possibly not, with mad fans like us going "no one can ever be better, i dont believe you think that new band is half as good, this is the best band in the world etc etc".
the last thing these guys are gonna be talking about is U2, it's gonna be their own band of their time. Yes U2 will be remembered the way the beatles are now, but it'll be someone else in 20 years time being defended on forums by over-zealous fans who attack anything else that comes near to being good.
Whether you like Coldplay or not is a matter of personal opinion but there is no argument that they are a very popular highly lauded band in general. And for those who put down Chris Martins ambitions of being the best band in the world and better than U2 - wasn't it a young Bono who got laughed at in the early days for claiming he thought U2 were something special and that they were going to be the biggest best band in the world?!
Coldplay aside, I've always been amazed by some U2 fans inability to accept other really good bands - everything is seen as a threat to the U2 mantle "this band is good, people might start to think they're better than U2... ATTACK ATTACK!"
its funny really, U2 fans are very over-protective and defensive about U2's status when they really needn't be: U2 have quite clearly proved themselves worthy of every accolade they get and by saying another band like Coldplay is really great or an amazing band or might one day be one of the best band in the world is no way taking away from U2 and their godliness now.
so chill chickens
well one day U2 won't be around anymore and they wont be performing and they won't be making new records and thats the time when bands like Coldplay (i'm not saying Coldplay specifically) will be.
in 20 years time theres gonna be some band, possibly around already, possibly not, with mad fans like us going "no one can ever be better, i dont believe you think that new band is half as good, this is the best band in the world etc etc".
the last thing these guys are gonna be talking about is U2, it's gonna be their own band of their time. Yes U2 will be remembered the way the beatles are now, but it'll be someone else in 20 years time being defended on forums by over-zealous fans who attack anything else that comes near to being good.
Whether you like Coldplay or not is a matter of personal opinion but there is no argument that they are a very popular highly lauded band in general. And for those who put down Chris Martins ambitions of being the best band in the world and better than U2 - wasn't it a young Bono who got laughed at in the early days for claiming he thought U2 were something special and that they were going to be the biggest best band in the world?!
Coldplay aside, I've always been amazed by some U2 fans inability to accept other really good bands - everything is seen as a threat to the U2 mantle "this band is good, people might start to think they're better than U2... ATTACK ATTACK!"
its funny really, U2 fans are very over-protective and defensive about U2's status when they really needn't be: U2 have quite clearly proved themselves worthy of every accolade they get and by saying another band like Coldplay is really great or an amazing band or might one day be one of the best band in the world is no way taking away from U2 and their godliness now.
so chill chickens
God Part III
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Coldplay is a bit bland to me.
I love Speed Of Sound, but it's the first ever Coldplay song I loved.
I love Speed Of Sound, but it's the first ever Coldplay song I loved.
digsy
New Yorker
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RA-D said:
why thanks, you're too kind...
DarkAcrobat
The Fly
I think Coldplay never will reach to the heights where U2 reigns...
They would have to change the singer, I can´t hear the Chris Martin´s voice for many time, it will make me feel sick in a little while, by the way, some Coldplay songs are ok, besides the fact that the new single "Speed of sound" it´s a sad and boring "Clocks" version.
The main problem , for me , in Coldplay , lies in the mellow, nostalgic, whiny, and sick singing style of the guy mentioned above.
Bono = Best singer ever, power, spirit, and fire shines in him.
Chris Martin = Sad , boring singer, he remembers me of Thom Yorke, another pathethic case.
So, Coldplay always will be < than U2.
So simple !!.
They would have to change the singer, I can´t hear the Chris Martin´s voice for many time, it will make me feel sick in a little while, by the way, some Coldplay songs are ok, besides the fact that the new single "Speed of sound" it´s a sad and boring "Clocks" version.
The main problem , for me , in Coldplay , lies in the mellow, nostalgic, whiny, and sick singing style of the guy mentioned above.
Bono = Best singer ever, power, spirit, and fire shines in him.
Chris Martin = Sad , boring singer, he remembers me of Thom Yorke, another pathethic case.
So, Coldplay always will be < than U2.
So simple !!.
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Miggy D
War Child
Lo-Fi said:
Wow, so you really think that Parachutes sounds like A Rush Of Blood To The Head?
Interesting - you're hearing something I'm not.
There are musical similarities because it's obviously the same band, but there is DEFINITELY a progression, and a large one at that.
-Miggy
gareth brown
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agreed.
gareth brown
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DarkAcrobat said:
who just happens to write some of the best music on EARTH. Something U2 haven't done for quite some time, unfortunately.
ImOuttaControl
Refugee
Miggy D said:
Agree completely. I even, dare say, that I hear much more of progression between those two albums than "Boy" and "October," or even "Boy" to "War."
I don;t see how Coldplay can be compared to U2 for a couple of reasons.....
1)
U2 released their first 5 records in +- 7 years
Coldplay has released 2 albums plus the new one in 5 years...give it 3 years for the next one so 4 records in 8 years.
2)
Bono vs Chris Martin (songwriter)
at the age of 26 bono has penned down boy, october, war, uf, the joshua tree....if you look at the classics of those albums: i will follow, unforgettable fire, sbs, new yearsday, pride, bad, streets, with or without, still haven't found it's unbelievable...and those are classics for the non diehards...
Coldplay classics up till this point: yellow, in my place, clocks, trouble...a very mediocre speed of light is not a instant classic like in my place which when I first heared it struck me like a lightningstorm(very impressive first single)
3)
Emotion, passion
coldplay lacks something: my girlfriend once said...this guy of coldplay.his voice is so thin so not sexy so empty and I got mad because I loved the band...2 years later and I haven't listened to their 2 records for 1,5 year....
U2 has allways had passion don;t need to go into that ..
Just don't start talking about achtung baby etc those records were mad in u2's 30s....coldplay are not in that agecatagory although I doubt they will be able to make such a record...
and leave htdaab alone...the guys are in their mid 40's for christ sake!!!! for that age it absolutely rocks and live they just can not be beaten up to this point...
Conclusion;
at this point: Coldplay B+
at this point: U2 B+
at the age where coldplay are now: U2 A+
have a nice day
Scrabble
1)
U2 released their first 5 records in +- 7 years
Coldplay has released 2 albums plus the new one in 5 years...give it 3 years for the next one so 4 records in 8 years.
2)
Bono vs Chris Martin (songwriter)
at the age of 26 bono has penned down boy, october, war, uf, the joshua tree....if you look at the classics of those albums: i will follow, unforgettable fire, sbs, new yearsday, pride, bad, streets, with or without, still haven't found it's unbelievable...and those are classics for the non diehards...
Coldplay classics up till this point: yellow, in my place, clocks, trouble...a very mediocre speed of light is not a instant classic like in my place which when I first heared it struck me like a lightningstorm(very impressive first single)
3)
Emotion, passion
coldplay lacks something: my girlfriend once said...this guy of coldplay.his voice is so thin so not sexy so empty and I got mad because I loved the band...2 years later and I haven't listened to their 2 records for 1,5 year....
U2 has allways had passion don;t need to go into that ..
Just don't start talking about achtung baby etc those records were mad in u2's 30s....coldplay are not in that agecatagory although I doubt they will be able to make such a record...
and leave htdaab alone...the guys are in their mid 40's for christ sake!!!! for that age it absolutely rocks and live they just can not be beaten up to this point...
Conclusion;
at this point: Coldplay B+
at this point: U2 B+
at the age where coldplay are now: U2 A+
have a nice day
Scrabble
Bono's shades
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
DarkAcrobat said:
I agree completely - except the part about Thom Yorke being a pathetic singer. I like his voice a lot - he's got an amazing falsetto.
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