Merge= MofoDaddy Coldplay Appreciation

[Michael Griffiths]

Best Album Of The New Millennium?

Sorry - I know a thread like this has been posted already, but I can't resist...

I just bought A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay, and even though I love All That You Can't Leave Behind, I have to say this is the best album of this Millennium so far. Everything from the beautiful, even unusual melody lines, to the urgency behind the drum and piano and even how the bass is placed so perfectly in the mix, as well as Chris Martin's truly amazing voice -- I'm left in a state of shock. I never gave Coldplay enough credit. This just might be the best album since Achtung Baby, and is certainly the best since OK Computer. Anyone agree?

 

[Flaming Friar Sr]

maybe...
it'll definately need more time to make that assessment (best album since ab? hmmm. no, i kinda like pop very much also ;-))

but yes michael it is an amazing album. definately best album of the year, maybe better than atyclb but im not sure yet.

its fabulous. yesterday i was in a record shop (looking for u2 goodies and whateverelse) i ended up listening to coldplay even though i have the album at home and an listen to it whenever i want to, xcept for work. oh it was amazing. i put the level to the max and was looking around. seeing all these people in the shop while totally flipping to this great, great music. i listened to my favorite 4 (but that changes as with every great album):
politik
in my place
scientist
warning sign

i think maybe the second part of politik together with the intro of in my place is the most incredible part of this cd.

as it has been said many times: everyone should buy this cd.

i saw them live two months ago, which was amazing. but this album surprised me even more. this one belongs in the category "extraordinary". what music is about.

 

[Zoomerang96]

kid a. no question about it.

maybe it helps that for me, i can listen to it whenever im in any mood. i dont have to be in some sort of mood for it to work for me, it works always.

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Re: Best Album Of The New Millennium?

Sorry - I know a thread like this has been posted already, but I can't resist...

I just bought A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay, and even though I love All That You Can't Leave Behind, I have to say this is the best album of this Millennium so far. Everything from the beautiful, even unusual melody lines, to the urgency behind the drum and piano and even how the bass is placed so perfectly in the mix, as well as Chris Martin's truly amazing voice -- I'm left in a state of shock. I never gave Coldplay enough credit. This just might be the best album since Achtung Baby, and is certainly the best since OK Computer. Anyone agree?

Hell yes I agree! Great minds, eh?

Seriously, I keep listening to this album, and it gets better with every listen - I stand by my assertion that it is nothing less than a revelation. It's astounding how good this is, how such a young band can make such a vital work.

ATYCLB and The Rising are both superb albums, but they were created by rock's elder statesmen. Ever since music became controlled by the forces that gave us the Spice Girls and Britney, I was SERIOUSLY beginning to wonder if any young artist or band could make a truly great album.

I wonder no longer.

Bubba

 

[The Wanderer]

Kid A is my pick, followed by Amnesiac; after that I would go with something like the new Elbow cd, or Doves, or even the Pumpkins' Machina

I'm apparently alone in this, but I think the new Coldplay album is massively overrated, I'm dumbfounded that people would say it's the best album, not only of the last two years, but of the last ten

you really think it's better than stuff from bands like radiohead, the verve, smashing pumpkins, jeff buckley, pearl jam, nirvana, rem, doves, elbow, etc? better than Zooropa, Pop or even ATYCLB?

um, no

they're ok, they write some pretty songs that are nice to sing along to, seem to be nice chaps too...

 

[no disk]

Although I like it more than I thought I would, there's no way I can vote for "AROBTTH" as the best album of the 21st century. No way Jose.

It's certainly better than ATYCLB, but Coldplay doesn't come close to matching The Strokes accomplishment with "Is This It."

 

[zooropamanda]

i think u should buy the album and listen it through as an album, not dl'ed off the net.
i dont know why, but i always feel like that makes a difference to the cohesion and feel of an album. maybe im weird like that.

 

[The Wanderer]

well I have the same exact track order, don't get me wrong, I like several of the songs, but I'm a little mystified at this sudden movement to label coldplay the 2nd best band in the world; I'm enjoying a ton of new bands and different music right now and coldplay is in the rotation, but they don't really stand out for me, they're just another good band that has benefited from enormous hype, whereas other bands are putting out just as good of music if not better and are virtually ignored, especially here in the US

no disk, I noticed you saying before that radiohead is too "derivative" for your tastes, well what the hell are the strokes??? that's not exactly a new sound they've got going on there, even though it sounds pretty damn good, btw, I just read somewhere that their new material is brilliant, don't know when it will be released but loooking forward to it....

 

[no disk]

Wanderer, I've heard a bunch of the new Strokes songs live and all but one are excellent. the '03 release can't arrive soon enough.

re. radiohead, yeah, i know - the best explanation I can give for this contradiction is that most Strokes fans I personally know listen to the bands that were stolen from for "Is This It." they like The Strokes b/c the band put a new spin on a great rock fomula and helped turn the tide against the corperate rock juggernaut.

The opposite is true with "Kid A" fans I personally know - they vast majority think radiohead invented a new genre with the album and have no desire to listen to the artists their sound derives from. this perplexes and annoys me. Having said that, "Kid A" is still brilliant in a slew of ways.

I guess its a personal peeve I have against them.

 

[Mark Freedman]

Here's my vote for the best album of 2002. It is BRILLIANT!

 

[barlowdog]

I really find Coldplay kind of bland(and derivative of Radiohead), but I have heard the new album. It hasn't grown on me yet, though I intend to give it some more play and maybe it's charms will reveal themselves.

A few of the best albums of the last two years(U2 excluded):

Flaming Lips--Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The Reindeer Section--Son of Evil Reindeer
Fugazi--The Argument
Pete Yorn--musicforthemorningafter
Death Cab for Cutie--The Photo Album

 

[Michael Griffiths]

you really think it's better than stuff from bands like radiohead, the verve, smashing pumpkins, jeff buckley, pearl jam, nirvana, rem, doves, elbow, etc? better than Zooropa, Pop or even ATYCLB?

um, no

Here's the short answer: um, yes.

Here's the longwinded approach:
I've never been a big Pearl Jam fan, though I do greatly respect them. As for Jeff Buckly, I enjoy listening to some of the songs on Grace, but as an album I've always felt it is lacking. I think he had huge potential, though, to create an album that would have been a "desert island" disc. I enjoy Smashing Pumpkins, too, but their sound grows a bit tiresome for me. I do think Billy Corgan is a brilliant lyricist, though. Urban Hymns is great, but not as good as AROBTTH (for me right now), though it is brilliant. As for Nirvana, see Pearl Jam. Grunge rock was a bit conservative for me, I guess (thank God for Zooropa being released back in 1993). Zooropa, also a great album, but not a truly special one (not as focussed as Achtung Baby or Joshua Tree or AROBTTH). Pop has many brilliant moments, but once again, lacks the final ingredient(s). Same with ATYCLB. REM released only one album (Automatic For The People) that I believe could be considered a true masterpiece. Well, that was released the year after Achtung Baby, but before OK Computer. Remember, I said that the Coldplay album might just be be the best since Achtung Baby. I continued by saying it is certainly best since OK Computer, which I believe is true (which is why I said it). Regardless, I prefer AROBTHH over Automatic For The People. Doves have released one great album and one very good album (Lost Souls being the great album). Maybe it is as good as AROBTTH, but right now I'm digging AROBTTH more than Lost Souls. In a few months, it might be the other way around? That's the best answer I can come up with for you right now.

 

[The Wanderer]

can I make one simple request? for the sake of keeping my eyes from bleeding, can people call it Rush of Blood instead of LMAOROTFFROBTTHFOAD?

well, whatever works for you, personally I rate higher: Asleep in the Back by Elbow; Holes in the Wall by Electric Soft Parade; Hour of the Bewilderbeast by Badly Drawn Boy; In Our Gun by Gomez (not to mention both Doves and Radiohead cds)... all these I rate higher than the new Coldplay, oh, and I also Spiritual Machines by Our Lady Peace, and there are others that I would probably rate just as high

 

[Michael Griffiths]

can I make one simple request? for the sake of keeping my eyes from bleeding, can people call it Rush of Blood instead of LMAOROTFFROBTTHFOAD?

well, whatever works for you, personally I rate higher: Asleep in the Back by Elbow; Holes in the Wall by Electric Soft Parade; Hour of the Bewilderbeast by Badly Drawn Boy; In Our Gun by Gomez (not to mention both Doves and Radiohead cds)... all these I rate higher than the new Coldplay, oh, and I also Spiritual Machines by Our Lady Peace, and there are others that I would probably rate just as high

Well, it's all a matter of personal preference.
Speaking of other great albums, I adore Ten New Songs by Leonard Cohen. If only he used a band on this one, the songs would have been even better. 'Alexandra Leaving' leaves me spellbound everytime. Same with 'Love Itself'.

Getting back to The Strokes for a second, am I the only one who finds them a bit annoying and badly produced? I read a funny review on them once, stating they're one of the best B grade bands around. Ouch. Regarding their new material, one of the members recently said that one of their new songs is, "like, the future of rock n' roll, man!" Should be interesting...

BTW, I do like Elbow, but right now I need something more direct.

 

[The Wanderer]

I don't think the strokes are here to save rock n roll, and I don't consider them to be a great band, but their bass player is pretty fucking good, and holds a lot of the songs together; as per reviews and reviewers, I could tell you what Hot Press called Coldplay, but does it matter? there are critics that have constantly bashed U2 over the years, so I don't care what one guy over here said, and one guy over there... most critics actually agree that the strokes are making some fairly good music, and are an exceptional live act from what I hear

 

[no disk]

I can see people thinking the Strokes are annoying, but I can't agree that they are poorly produced. "Is This It" is a pretty impressive production in these ears.

That quote is heinous, I remember reading it and thinking Albert must have been high for that interview. You can think things like that, but it's pretty foolish to say it out loud...they're learning...

And i'll take getting called the best B band around over being getting called a bunch of bedwetters any day of the week. lol.

 

[Zoomerang96]

dont forget both of creeds masterpieces, weathered and human clay as well as nickelback and default.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

I don't think the strokes are here to save rock n roll, and I don't consider them to be a great band, but their bass player is pretty fucking good, and holds a lot of the songs together; as per reviews and reviewers, I could tell you what Hot Press called Coldplay, but does it matter? there are critics that have constantly bashed U2 over the years, so I don't care what one guy over here said, and one guy over there... most critics actually agree that the strokes are making some fairly good music, and are an exceptional live act from what I hear

Well, you have said what some reviewers have called Coldplay, so you tell me if it matters. The reason I used the quote wasn't because I felt we should all believe the critics, but because I can see some truth in what that particular critic said. I used the quote to help back up what I was saying, not the other way around.

As for them not being here to save rock n' roll, I realize that. I just find them a bit annoying, and not too interesting, but there could be many reasons for that. All just my opinion.

 

[no disk]

good point re. critics opinions, wanderer.

i couldn't help myself though - that quote is priceless.

 

[The Wanderer]

it's actually ironic because a lot of critics were calling Coldplay a shallow re-hash of mid-90s british rock -- and not providing anything fresh or new or bringing anything particularly interesting to the table, which is what you are basically saying about The Strokes, and using a review to back up this position

now suddenly Coldplay are the darlings of Britain's "nu-sensitive rock" establishment (whatever the fuck that means but that's what it's being dubbed)

there is a void right now in rock music, there are some cool new bands, but even those are highly derivative and retro; and the rock critics are desperately searching for someone to annoint as the next great UK band, the next U2, the next Radiohead... none of these bands are that good though, but the media and music industry don't care, they need somone to fill that void, that's honestly what I see happening right now, once upon a time it was Oasis or The Verve or the Stone Roses or Stereophonics, now it's Coldplay

 

[zooropamanda]

maybe you've got coldplay overkill or something in the States.
here they were "ooh this new brit band coldplay" back before parachutes were released.
it did really really well here and they toured.
now they have released the new one and the raadio guys, especially our only cool youth station, JJJ, have praised it, saying its a very good 2nd album.
A lot of the time these bands who have the big debut, crash and burn. Coldplay have come back with something very good and its getting a fair amount fo radio play here.
maybe we dont gush as much here as what goes on over there, but i do find that certain bands, especially UK ones will have been around for quite some time, find success, and then much later the States will latch onto them and it snowballs.
i love this new album but I'll wait a few months before I can guage whether its in the top whatever of the past 3 years.

 

[The Wanderer]

well no, the mainstream here only gushes about U2, Bon Jovi, Creed and the boy and girl bands, or they get all surly and and talk about Korn and Puddle of Mud, or Papa Roach, maybe mention how wonderful Nickelback is, I think maybe my over-exposure to Coldplay comes from reading this place and every day a new not-so-subtle thread about how Rush of Blood is the greatest thing since Cate Blanchett

 

[brettig]

I call it Blood.

 

[The Wanderer]

there will be aussie Blood spilled on court tomorrow

 

[brettig]

Blood or blood?

I disagree btw.

 

[Zoomerang96]

i am neutral towards coldplay. all i know is that they are waaay better than what i hear on the radio. that doesnt say alot though.

 

[zooropamanda]

cate is great
that was a poem once

 

[The Wanderer]

i disagree too, but what am I supposed to say, but actually enjoy watching hewitt play more than anyone else right now because of his intensity and all-out effort, somebody was complaining on tv the other day about how hewitt is "boring," well I don't know what exactly people are looking for, well yes I do, same people that gushed over Roddick...

coldplay is a good band, but they are sorta like agassi here, wait till they go up against someone real good

 

[brettig]

That's the problem though, Coldplay aren't facing any stern examination of their skill! There is no Lleyton Hewitt in the music industry.

At least one famous interferencer thinks that Roddick is the man, despite his craptacular display yesterday.

 

[The Wanderer]

I was thinking about what you said about Roddick before, do you see him headed down the Pousi/Rusedski path? I know people will also think of Ivanisevic, but he DID win a Grand Slam, and if there was no Pete and Andre to knock him out of Slams in every one of his semis and/or finals, he may have won several more (what was it, I think 6 times in semis or finals to one of those two players)

man, I have to get some rest, Bubba will be back tomorrow with quotes from those UN weapon's inspectors, this thread may be moved to PUP or FYM by the time I awaken...