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Talk to me about Coldplay

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R

Ryck

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I've never been much of fan in the sense that I have little exposure to them aside from radio singles and such. However I've had verious people tell me to buy the new album "oh you like Radiohead? you should get the new coldplay." without any other reasoning aside from my love of Radiohead......so Gaf enlighten me


thanks in advance
 
I think Coldplay is a mix between U2 and Radiohead and that's meant as a good thing. Disappointment comes from expecting too much, X&Y is good but it needs more time to grow on you than their earlier albums.
 
From the NYTimes...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/arts/music/05pare.html?8hpib

THERE'S nothing wrong with self-pity. As a spur to songwriting, it's right up there with lust, anger and greed, and probably better than the remaining deadly sins. There's nothing wrong, either, with striving for musical grandeur, using every bit of skill and studio illusion to create a sound large enough to get lost in. Male sensitivity, a quality that's under siege in a pop culture full of unrepentant bullying and machismo, shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, no matter how risible it can be in practice. And building a sound on the lessons of past bands is virtually unavoidable.

But put them all together and they add up to Coldplay, the most insufferable band of the decade.
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:-/
 
Ryck said:
I've never been much of fan in the sense that I have little exposure to them aside from radio singles and such. However I've had verious people tell me to buy the new album "oh you like Radiohead? you should get the new coldplay." without any other reasoning aside from my love of Radiohead......so Gaf enlighten me
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That advice, although well-meaning, is woefully off target.

Radiohead's music is complex and challenging. Although they have written some catchy songs, they have also experimented with dissonance over the years.

Coldplay's music is highly polished and FAR less risky. It's not bad per se, but it's aimed at an entirely different audience. I don't think they sound anything alike, aside from the fact that their singer (Chris Martin) often sings in falsetto...like Thom Yorke.
 
They are not like Radiohead. Here's a newsflash:

No one is like Radiohead.

True, if you were to pick between Radiohead and Metallica, then Coldplay is more like Radiohead. But do not go into any of their albums expecting anything short of evolved Karma Police esque songs. Expecting stuff like Creep, Just, or Paranoid Android, and you'll be vastly disappointed.

For me, Coldplay is probably my favorite band of all time, at least right now. They have to fight with Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, Matthew Good, and Muse for top billing, but they're there right now.

Their songs aren't identical, but they often re-sample little aspects of their music (listen to Speed of Sound and then Clocks, and you'll see what I'm talking about). Nevertheless, I really like the lead singer's voice, I really like the way the guitar sounds, and I just flat out like the way their songs come together post production (though they're really good live too). If you're looking for some of their songs to check out, my favorites are:

Yellow
Trouble
Talk
Speed of Sound
Beautiful World
Square One
In My Place
Clocks
What If
The Scientist

They're a direct mix between a classical/soft band and a rock band. None of their songs are close to hard rock, but you're not going to hear anything quite like Yellow or Talk in most soft music categories. Personally, "Trouble" is tied for my favorite song of all time (tied with Everlong).

Coldplay rocks, and their new album is pretty good. A lot of people are disappointed with it because they wanted more of an evolution from the band and their music, but in my books, there's no band that can match Coldplay's quality in their genre (Keane is good, but just good), and I'm perfectly fine with getting new music that falls under the same category, since it's just so good.

That's my opinion of Coldplay, anyway.
 
Coldplay are fucking awesome, second favourite band only to Red Hot Chili Peppers for me personally.

I read that NYTimes "review" and I can't believe they're allowed to publish such tripe.

The third album is in no way as catchy, or immediately grabbing as their previous two, but it's a fucking awesome album after extensive listening. There's only 2 songs that I skip on the album, and they're near the end, Swallowed By The Sea and Twisted Logic.

2 bad tracks out of 13 does a good album make imo.

Gonna go and see them live on the 28th which should be awesome.
 
Mike Works said:
They are not like Radiohead. Here's a newsflash:

No one is like Radiohead.

True, if you were to pick between Radiohead and Metallica, then Coldplay is more like Radiohead. But do not go into any of their albums expecting anything short of evolved Karma Police esque songs. Expecting stuff like Creep, Just, or Paranoid Android, and you'll be vastly disappointed.

For me, Coldplay is probably my favorite band of all time, at least right now. They have to fight with Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, Matthew Good, and Muse for top billing, but they're there right now.

Their songs aren't identical, but they often re-sample little aspects of their music (listen to Speed of Sound and then Clocks, and you'll see what I'm talking about). Nevertheless, I really like the lead singer's voice, I really like the way the guitar sounds, and I just flat out like the way their songs come together post production (though they're really good live too). If you're looking for some of their songs to check out, my favorites are:

Yellow
Trouble
Talk
Speed of Sound
Beautiful World
Square One
In My Place
Clocks
What If
The Scientist

They're a direct mix between a classical/soft band and a rock band. None of their songs are close to hard rock, but you're not going to hear anything quite like Yellow or Talk in most soft music categories. Personally, "Trouble" is tied for my favorite song of all time (tied with Everlong).

Coldplay rocks, and their new album is pretty good. A lot of people are disappointed with it because they wanted more of an evolution from the band and their music, but in my books, there's no band that can match Coldplay's quality in their genre (Keane is good, but just good), and I'm perfectly fine with getting new music that falls under the same category, since it's just so good.

That's my opinion of Coldplay, anyway.
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Ahh so they are similar in style to Keane?
 
The new album kicks ass. For me it stuck after the first run through. There is only one song so far that I kinda skipped early on in the album.
 
It's good, but nothing compares to Parachutes. That's a fantastic album. Also, Coldplay live >> Coldplay studio. They should ditch their producer. He makes them too polished. Live, they sound like a lighter Pink Floyd. Really really nice. I enjoyed the show.
 
Ryck said:
Ahh so they are similar in style to Keane?
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Well... similar in genre, but not really in style. I would say that, when comparing every song, Keane is probably closer to Coldplay than Radiohead is.

But yeah, all three lead singers from those respective bands have distinctly different voices. Radiohead's lead singer has a more strainy voice that can go very high and distinct. Coldplay's lead singer's voice whether he's singing low/strainy or high, carries more of a flow, like when someone's singing. Keane's lead singer's voice carries a lot more triumph, it's more boisterous, yet it can still remain light when he wishes it.

But yeah, all three bands use the piano in their songs, and Keane and Coldplay are similar in that area, and some of the background music in Radiohead's songs (like 2+2=5, minus the violin) sounds like some of the background music in Coldplay's songs.

But honestly, just get your hands on Trouble, Beautiful World, and Speed of Sound, and you should know whether or not you'll like them within 10 minutes.
 
Mike Works said:
Well... similar in genre, but not really in style. I would say that, when comparing every song, Keane is probably closer to Coldplay than Radiohead is.

But yeah, all three lead singers from those respective bands have distinctly different voices. Radiohead's lead singer has a more strainy voice that can go very high and distinct. Coldplay's lead singer's voice whether he's singing low/strainy or high, carries more of a flow, like when someone's singing. Keane's lead singer's voice carries a lot more triumph, it's more boisterous, yet it can still remain light when he wishes it.

But yeah, all three bands use the piano in their songs, and Keane and Coldplay are similar in that area, and some of the background music in Radiohead's songs (like 2+2=5, minus the violin) sounds like some of the background music in Coldplay's songs.

But honestly, just get your hands on Trouble, Beautiful World, and Speed of Sound, and you should know whether or not you'll like them within 10 minutes.
Click to expand...

Beautiful World = Don't Panic?

Oh, and Mike Works, check mininova for a torrent of the gig Coldplay did on Monday at Camden. It's worth listening to if you're a big fan. I was *that* close to going to that concert, but I couldn't get the sister to wake up at 4am. Sounds like I missed an awesome show.

Oh, and Ryck, get all three albums. Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head and the new X&Y.

They're all worth getting into.
 
Any opinions on Thirteen Senses - The Invitation album. I heard some samples on amazon and they sound pretty similar to Coldplay and Keane.
 
It's not bad. I listened to it before Christmas so I can't really remember too much, it starts to drop off the further you get into the album in fairness.
 
Yes. They're as safe, predictable, and boring as any of Phil Collins's solo work.

I mean, the band's targeted directly at the Dido-listening 30-year-old professional, who was also targeted by Phil Collins when he was relevant. There's no shame in that. They're good at what they do, which is make inoffensive light rock. Whatever. He's my best point of reference.
 
enjoy bell woods said:
Yes. They're as safe, predictable, and boring as any of Phil Collins's solo work.

I mean, the band's targeted directly at the Dido-listening 30-year-old professional, who was also targeted by Phil Collins when he was relevant. There's no shame in that. They're good at what they do, which is make inoffensive light rock. Whatever. He's my best point of reference.
Click to expand...

Fair enough I guess, but I don't think they sound similar.
 
Geez, thanks for making this thread - I started listening to Parachutes again and forgot how awesome it is.

Yeah, at the core, Coldplay is definitely a hybrid of U2 and Radiohead. A lot of the guitar tuning is similar to U2, but the way that sound is projected is a lot like Radiohead. The overall feeling is kind of spiritual and melodic, but then again a lot of the song's moods seem to reflect Radiohead. The more uplifting ones are indeed more unique to the band.

That's not to say they're a rip of these two bands - they've done enough tweaking to their sound to call it their own, but they certainly have been influenced by their music. Every band does, so it's nothing that makes them look inferior. Unless you're The Darkness or something, there's nothing wrong with having other influences in your music. How could you not?

bell woods, are you okay? Do you have to insult every single band and artist on the face of the earth? I can't believe Sleater-Kinney is the only CD you can enjoy this year. I'd be shocked if 2006 is as good as 2005. Your MP3 player is gonna be lonely for years to come.
 
Diablos said:
Geez, thanks for making this thread - I started listening to Parachutes again and forgot how awesome it is.

Yeah, at the core, Coldplay is definitely a hybrid of U2 and Radiohead. A lot of the guitar tuning is similar to U2, but the way that sound is projected is a lot like Radiohead. The overall feeling is kind of spiritual and melodic, but then again a lot of the song's moods seem to reflect Radiohead. The more uplifting ones are indeed more unique to the band.

That's not to say they're a rip of these two bands - they've done enough tweaking to their sound to call it their own, but they certainly have been influenced by their music. Every band does, so it's nothing that makes them look inferior. Unless you're The Darkness or something, there's nothing wrong with having other influences in your music. How could you not?

bell woods, are you okay? Do you have to insult every single band and artist on the face of the earth? I can't believe Sleater-Kinney is the only CD you can enjoy this year. I'd be shocked if 2006 is as good as 2005. Your MP3 player is gonna be lonely for years to come.
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Hey, remember when you trolled the Coldplay thread I made on OA two weeks ago? Yeah, keep talking.

Diablos
post 05/30/05 06:00 PM
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It leaked in 2002. It's also known as "A Rush of Blood to the Head"

DID I JUST SAY NEW COLDPLAY IS A REHASH OF OLD COLDPLAY

YES I FUCKING DID
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That was a joke (like 99% of the posts I make on OA), and a guess as to what the album would sound like before I actually heard it. X&Y surprised me - I actually like it. I wasn't expecting to. But it proves the band can still write awesome songs.

Coldplay scared me for a sec there, after hearing "Moses" I just thought they were gonna follow the same old formula for their new album. They didn't.

Nice try, though.
 
Coldplay is a rather enjoyable band to listen too, although they're quite predictable and often really too "Be Here Now-type anthemish" where they go for the stadium feel and 'get your lighters out' effect.
 
enjoy bell woods said:
I mean, the band's targeted directly at the Dido-listening 30-year-old professional, who was also targeted by Phil Collins when he was relevant. There's no shame in that. They're good at what they do, which is make inoffensive light rock. Whatever. He's my best point of reference.
Click to expand...

I listen to Dido -- she's cute n' comfortable; kind of reminds me of Roz from Frasier for some reason. I'm not 30 or professional, though.

Diablos said:
bell woods, are you okay? Do you have to insult every single band and artist on the face of the earth? I can't believe Sleater-Kinney is the only CD you can enjoy this year. I'd be shocked if 2006 is as good as 2005. Your MP3 player is gonna be lonely for years to come.
Click to expand...

Ha! I wondered the same thing a ways back, but it's kind of handy really. If bell woods hates it, it's just a sign that I should potentially check out the artist in question, because they may actually be good.

:lol @ ForeignJackass' new avatar.
 
enjoy bell woods said:
Yes. They're as safe, predictable, and boring as any of Phil Collins's solo work.

I mean, the band's targeted directly at the Dido-listening 30-year-old professional, who was also targeted by Phil Collins when he was relevant. There's no shame in that. They're good at what they do, which is make inoffensive light rock. Whatever. He's my best point of reference.
Click to expand...
Whoa harsh, although I used to be the same way... It looks like Ill be picking up Parachutes, and where do I find live material ? Someone mentioned that and Id like to check that out...( A great band will always sound better live)
 
Every song on Parachutes is good. Only 10 songs, but quality > quantity. If someone asked us to list the top 5 or 3 songs from that album, I wouldn't be able to.
 
Coldplay is my favorite band. Each time they release a new album, I listen to it for about 5 months straight and nothing else. Then I continue on hating todays music until they release a new one.

Parachutes is their best album - you should check it out first. It's similiar to Pearl Jam's Ten, in that every single track kicks ass. A Rush of Blood and X&Y are outstanding as well, but each has a couple of tracks you'll be skipping over.
 
Pitchfork is the most biased, snobby, unfair, overrated publication devoted to music on and offline. I have absolutely no respect for them, their site and their reviews whatsoever. They kind of remind me of what a stupid democrat would do to rival the Fox News Network - have an all democrat news network with left-wing versions Bill O'Reilly's and Sean Hannity's.

It's no different, really. They're like, trying to be the indie Rolling Stone, which is just as annoying as Rolling Stone's "if it ain't mainstream enough, no more than 3-3.5 stars unless we're in a really good mood or someone is paying us" mentality.

It would be wise of the pretentious fucks at Pitchfork to review indie music and indie music ONLY. We get it - anything remotely mainstream will likely get a 5 or less! So boring and predictable anymore.
 
siege said:
Coldplay is my favorite band. Each time they release a new album, I listen to it for about 5 months straight and nothing else. Then I continue on hating todays music until they release a new one.
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Each and every time Franz Ferdinand releases a CD, I'm completely amazed by their innovative songwriting and really entertaining songs. Come on, Coldplay has released 3 CDs, and the last one has been out for 2 days.

edit : And the positive reviews it got is from ... well.. not really reliable sources (EW, NME...)
 
siege said:
The problem with most music critics is that are elitist snobs who lowball anything mainstream.
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Radiohead isn't exactly lowballed by critics. Or U2, for that matter. Or, well, a fucking load of commercial bands, or people like Alicia Keys, and Norah Jones. This "elitist snobs" argument is good until you reach 20, and start noticing that most of the mainstream music IS indeed boring, repetitious and without any interest.
 
Great, now SP has joined the thread. Each time we have a Coldplay thread, the same people come in and start hating.
 
Foreign Jackass said:
Radiohead isn't exactly lowballed by critics. Or U2, for that matter. Or, well, a fucking load of commercial bands, or people like Alicia Keys, and Norah Jones. This "elitist snobs" argument is good until you reach 20, and start noticing that most of the mainstream music IS indeed boring, repetitious and without any interest.
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Foreign Jackass gets it right.

And for your fuckin' information, Pitchfork is too kind to mainstream music. Wanna bother checking their 50 Cent, Audioslave (newest), or Radiohead reviews out?

Don't be thick.

Note: This is not an endorsement of Pitchfork. It's just that of all things to accuse Pitchfork of, that's like the least creative. They suck in many ways, but you need to figure out why they suck for yourself
 
I am SO sick of this bickering. I don't care who started it, but the meta-discussion about blanket musical tastes is now over. Yes, certain people here have strong opinions about music. No, Pitchfork is not canon by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, hyperbole causes riots. No, I don't want to hear it any more.

Feel free to keep discussing opinions about Coldplay, good or bad.
 
coldplay are music as lifestyle accessory. music as furniture. there are really good bands with muzak tendencies...air, say. but coldplay somehow seem in their ideal element when filtered through the pa system at a mall or a movie theater lobby. that nytimes article strikes the right note. except that i personally can't summon any venom in reference to coldplay. and that travis and embrace actually predate coldplay by quite a bit (though they are nearly as boring).
 
As much as it physically pains me to admit, ebw is right about coldplay. And not necessarily in a bad way. Last night, I heard Chris Martin say almost word for word the same thing as EBW just did(the "inoffensive light rock" comment, except Martin used the phrase "slightly feminine light rock").
 
drohne said:
coldplay are music as lifestyle accessory. music as furniture.
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dun nun.....

dun nun.....

dun nun... dun nun...

dun nun.. dun nun.. dun nun.. dun nun..

dun nun dun nun dun nun dun nun

dunundunundunundunundunundunundunun

DUN!!!

rolleyes.gif
 
IMO that Pitchfork review was actually pretty fair. Although the reviewer doesn't like Coldplay, he doesn't spend the first half of the piece by laying it on the band. It's certainly far better than the "meta" or just plain offensive reviews that they would usually put up.

As for the band itself...... Personally, I don't like the new album.
I think Coldplay has produced some good pop singles in the past, but my personal opinion is that they're getting worse by trying to expand that sound.

If there's one thing I remember from Parachutes, it's how _initimate_ certain songs were --- almost to a haunting sort of level. And I think every album after that have been really lackluster in that regard. They had potential with songs like Don't Panic, Everything's Not Lost and Trouble - but where's that stuff now?
 
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