Anyone heard Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head?

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I know that ILM contributors in general seem to be rather unimpressed by this band and I only know 4 or 5 older songs by them (2 were quite good and appealed to me emotionally) and haven't heard the new album.

But I just read a glowing review in a weblog and saw that at metacritic it gets 91/100 which must be the highest score this year. Uncut says it may well be the best British rock album after OK Computer (which I didn't like though).

What do you think?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 09:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Here is the link to 11 reviews (4 of them with 10/10) at metacritic.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 09:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Coldplay are the Interpol it's not OK to like.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 09:19 (twenty-three years ago)

da sugababez wuz robbed

― Roger Bristol, Wednesday, 4 September 2002 09:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Cynicism slightly aside I think "In My Place" is the best thing they've done (rubbish Embrace-esque chorus aside), but when I played the first track on a listening post the words were so woeful I couldn't bear it.

I don't think the impulses to want music to sound Big and Noble and Expansive and Proper in a comforting sort of way are bad ones, but I don't think it's worth pretending that pandering to those impulses produces 'Great Art' either.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 09:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I think it's by and far the most overrated album of the year. Everyone was suprised by the amount of succes Parachutes has had and they want to be in backing the winner this time around. Chris Martin has a very limited emotional spectrum in his voice. The overall sound is glossy and the sentiments are trite. I don't even think the tunes are very attention grabbing, either. Coldplay, for some reason, have got it in their head that they are up there with Radiohead. They aren't even as good as Starsailor. Mind you, I have even less time for U2, and they seem to do alright...

― JoB (JoB), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 09:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not sure I agree, Tom. Making straight-ahead sing-along rock can (like any facet of music) be done WELL (early Oasis, some Manics, Idlewild, Coldplay), and be done BADLY (Starsailor, Embrace, Stereophonics). If you are good enough, the end result will be GREAT ART.

I hardly think "A Rush..." is up with OK Computer, and I don't think it is the album of the year either. It is a very good album, though, and the plaudits are somewhat deserved.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 10:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Uncut have been st the crack again by the sound of it.

I heard it at a mates place and it sounded much like their last album. So pretty good if you like that sort of thing but really...

not that I should be surprised.

Oh well back to Battiato's concept album Fetus for me.

― tigerclawskank, Wednesday, 4 September 2002 12:26 (twenty-three years ago)

BIG minus points to NME for using the words 'organic' and 'wholesome' in the same sentence.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 14:45 (twenty-three years ago)

They're the Westlife of popular rock, and I find most popular rock pretty bland anyway so that makes Coldplay pretty terrible. It's just total bland shit slapped up with a nice image and some critical acclaim. Total crap, almost the worst of the worst, musical equivalent of getting water down your sleeves whilst washing up.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 14:58 (twenty-three years ago)

ronan you're so kind to coldplay.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 15:13 (twenty-three years ago)

ha TOM:

on my first listen of Interpol's album which i picked up cold i thought the same thing: coldplay != joy division.

― paul b, Wednesday, 4 September 2002 15:22 (twenty-three years ago)

My blood isn't just rushing, it's boiling.

I don't know why I let it make me angry when critics come all over really awful albums.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 16:34 (twenty-three years ago)

>when I played the first track on a listening post the words were so woeful I couldn't bear it.

You mean these words, Tom?

"Look at earth from outer space
Everyone must find the place
Give me time and give me space
Give me real, don't give me fake

Give me strength, reserve control
Give me heart and give me soul
Give me love give us a kiss
And tell me your own Politik"

Sheesus.

― Venga, Wednesday, 4 September 2002 16:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Hating "Yellow" and "Trouble", I am surprised how much I enjoy "In My Place". A fantastic opening followed by a serviceable rest-of-song.

― Vinnie (vprabhu), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 16:47 (twenty-three years ago)

''My blood isn't just rushing, it's boiling.''

finally we can hate something together melissa.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 17:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes Venga except I didnt get as far as you.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 18:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Coldplay minus vocals: C/D?

― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 18:41 (twenty-three years ago)

All right then. I relistened to some Parachutes tracks and have to admit that Coldplay are bland and uninteresting. But I can see what people like in them: the simple melodies, the "organic" feel. They have an immediate emotional appeal but on second listen it all crumbles to dust or more fitting it all bursts like a bubble.

Another proof of my theory that most critics are wrong most of the time. And that an album which gets almost unanimous praise by the critics is not worth checking out. Albums which come to mind: all Oasis albums, OK Computer, Love and Theft (which was rather average for Bobby boy) etc. Or is it the fact that there are so few outstanding albums released today?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 18:41 (twenty-three years ago)

Another proof of my theory that most critics are wrong most of the time. And that an album which gets almost unanimous praise by the critics is not worth checking out.

Josh has won!!

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 18:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Coldplay minus vocals = dud with some nice guitar sounds. Chris Martins singing is easily the most distinctive thing about them, another Oasis parallel. Unfortunately while Liam G's voice is such that it didnt matter what he was singing, the meaning was in the way he sang it, Chris Martin's voice does 'sensitive and worried' best which means you naturally start paying attention to the words and then it all goes horribly wrong...

(There is one good lyric in "In My Place")

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 18:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Coldplay = THE BIRTH OF DAD-GAZE.

― Clarke B., Wednesday, 4 September 2002 19:10 (twenty-three years ago)

''Unfortunately while Liam G's voice is such that it didnt matter what he was singing, the meaning was in the way he sang it, Chris Martin's voice does 'sensitive and worried' best which means you naturally start paying attention to the words and then it all goes horribly wrong...''

Chris' voice isn't great (the lyrics don't matter to me as i can't register them). If thom yorke copied some of Freddie mercury's moves (that really operatic tone) then chris dabbles in this too.

even then it doesn't matter but the music is so bland that I can see the positive side of bands like Limp Bizkit (and that's depressing).

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 20:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Is "bland" on the list of words that don't actually mean anything yet?

― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 21:12 (twenty-three years ago)

It still means something just about but is very very ill=used.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 4 September 2002 21:25 (twenty-three years ago)

graham do you like the new coldplay?

― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 5 September 2002 00:15 (twenty-three years ago)

''Is "bland" on the list of words that don't actually mean anything yet?''

let us empty all words of meaning. than we can start communicating by telepathy (I'd say graham likes the new coldplay).

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 5 September 2002 09:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the music to their new single A LOT. It's really a shame about the singing (HE SOUNDS LIKE DAVE MATTHEWS!!!!).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 5 September 2002 10:06 (twenty-three years ago)

His face is highly smackable.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 5 September 2002 10:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Exactly Dan!!!! I can't get past the voice, he just sounds too much like Dave Fucking Matthews.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 5 September 2002 11:01 (twenty-three years ago)

(Aw, Ronan wants to give the lead singer of Colplay a kiss.)

I want an instrumental version of their new single, or a version with Thom Yorke singing it. Or Kelly Clarkson, HAHAHAHA.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 5 September 2002 12:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Hell, even Justin Guarini would be an improvement. And he would sing it with a big goofy smile on his face, no matter what the content of the song is.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 5 September 2002 12:14 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

Just checking metacritic, I saw that the metascore went down to 76 as Pitchfork and esp. New York Magazine didn't rate this so high.
The overall score is still much too high...
The best score of the year (88) goes to the latest Queens of the Stone Age now. I don't really know them but I guess this is a worthy ;-) successor in the top spot. Another album I don't have to check out.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 10:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Justin Guarini could bust out his dance moves and "In My Place" I would pay for that one. "In my place, in my place, skee dappa skee dappa deee" - insert picture of Guarini's "PYT" moves.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 15:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Heard a couple more songs from the album over the weekend over a record store's PA. ARGH. When every note sounds like Echo and the Bunnymen's Ocean Rain or early Verve with all the life, passion and interest sucked out of it, then something is deeply wrong.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 15:52 (twenty-three years ago)

He likes wearing brown cords.

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 15:10 (twenty-three years ago)

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