| The
first Coldplay song I remember hearing was “Yellow”. I wasn’t really
into that song so I never gave the band the attention they deserved at
the time. I credit my friend Susie Slaney for opening my eyes to
the undeniable distinctive talent of Britain’s current favourite sons.
While she was my neighbour in Toronto we must have listened to A Rush of
Blood to the Head no less than several dozen times. She took me to
see them in concert at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto on June 11, 2003
and they almost blew me away. The musicianship of Chris Martin (vocals/piano),
Jon Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drums) and Guy Berryman (bass) is
exquisite. The fact that they are four close friends from college,
have a strong social/moral/political conscience, are influenced by U2,
The Stone Roses and Radiohead and sound a bit like Pink Floyd sealed the
deal in capturing my consideration. Chris Martin is definitely the
most romantic lyricist since his and my hero, Bono and he’s an advocate
for Make Trade Fair. My kind of guy…even though I don’t find him
particularly sexy. When I read recently that Chris’ wife, Gwyneth
Paltrow, was as nervous to meet her hero Bob Geldof at the Live 8 London
concerts as I was when I met him, I thought that Gwynnie and I definitely
have a few things in common.
X&Y
is a collection of songs about relationships between men and women, the
discovery, the fear, the joy, the tears – what is spoken and what is left
unsaid - but mostly the fear that love won’t be enough. It is Coldplay’s
best work to date and for a band that didn’t even form until 1998, that’s
no small achievement. This band is as passionate as U2 or Jeff Buckley
and it’s passion that inspires me every time. Their alternative soft
rock is ethereal, sweeping, expansive, urgent and operatic. X&Y
is mostly mellow and reflective but the closest thing it has to a rocker
is the hit “Speed of Sound”.
The
CD opens with the Floydish “Square One”, its best lines being “You just
want somebody listening to what you say/it doesn’t matter who you are”,
followed by the gorgeous “What If”:
“What
if you should decide
that
you don’t want me there by your side
that
you don’t want me there in your life
what
if I got it wrong
and
no poem or song
could
put right what I got wrong
or
make you feel I belong"
The
music of “White Shadows” reminded me of something I recently heard by The
Arcade Fire which isn’t a wonder as Coldplay has no doubt influenced many
up and coming bands including Athlete, Snow Patrol and Keane. “Talk”
reveals the singer’s fears to his brother and “X&Y” is probably about
his relationship with his wife, and the fear that he won’t be able to love
her enough. My favourite song is the heartbreakingly romantic “Fix
You”, a song Martin must have written for Paltrow:
“When
you try your best but you don’t succeed
when
you get what you want but not what you need
when
you feel so tired but you can’t sleep
stuck
in reverse
and
the tears come streaming down your face
when
you lose something you can’t replace
or
you love someone but it goes to waste
could
it be worse
Lights
will guide you home
and
ignite your bones
I
will try to fix you
High
up above and down below
you’re
too in love to let it go
but
if you never try you’ll never know
just
what you’re worth"
I’m
practically crying now because I’ll probably never know what it feels like
to be loved that much. Feckin’ soppy Coldplay! This is an album
to be cherished by all romantics everywhere as its themes are universal.
There is no denying that this band is extremely capable and will be around
for a long time. However, I’m looking forward to their next project
with the hope that it will surprise me and sound just a little bit unlike
Coldplay so I’ll have to buy it. Their first three collections are
enough of a good thing already and the Belfast born Snow Patrol is my favourite
band of this genre. Coldplay have certainly tugged on my heartstrings
but I’m waiting for them to grab me in the groin.
Check
out www.coldplay.com
for all the latest on the band.
christine@partyinkingston.com |
