God gave me style and gave me grace, God put a smile upon my face.
In the universe of contemporary music where success still seems to go hand-in-hand with excess - lyrically and musically speaking - Coldplay shouldn't be racking up album sales in the millions, as they did for their debut Parachutes. These days it often seems the only time a band wears their heart on the sleeve in a rock song is when they are screaming out venom and hate, with a matching public persona. Yet, subversively, Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin dares to sing "We live in a beautiful world" ("Don't Panic," from their debut.) He hasn't changed his mind since then, peppering A Rush of Blood to the Head with lyrical images of beauty, love, light and the divine, amidst effortless melodies of hope and joy - that also rock the house.
I can't help but lose myself in the joy of this album. If you ask me, the world needs more genuinely heartfelt songs about love, forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, and how tough relationships can be. Considering this, Coldplay should, by all accounts, be sitting ducks for the secular pop music press. Lead singer Chris Martin doesn't swear, drink or smoke; he's an outspoken advocate for Oxfam (a "fourth rate Bono" in his own words) and his songs are often maudlin, heavy laden with sentiment and emotional hyperbole. The cringe-factor could potentially reach critical levels. Yet they pull it off, earning platinum records and critical acclaim all along. They tug at the heart without sounding saccharine, desperate or insincere. (Yes Vik, even on songs as borderline cheesy as "Green Eyes"! Hard hearts beware, this is sweetness itself.)
What's their secret? Perhaps it's the honesty. The first single, "In My Place" intros with a straight-out rock beat then chimes in with a happy riff that repeats until the verse in minor key, then surges to a triumphant chorus. No mucking around with too much atmospherics, just good song writing. Coldplay clearly work hard at finding that essential and often elusive listenable melody. As with Parachutes, every song on Rush of Blood to the Head has a melodic gem within a setting of driving rock rhythm ("Politik, A Whisper"), jazz/celtic lilt ("Warning Sign") straight folk (title track) and especially the album's stadium anthem, "Amsterdam."
Listening to this record, it reminds me how I have largely grown numb to the avalanche of CCM albums that are released every year. Music that apparently is supposed to communicate an experience of God comes across to me with all the depth of a branded jingle for soft-drink. No tension, no doubt, no questions, no challenge -- in other words, safe, predictable and boring. Thankfully, bands like Coldplay are making the CCM subculture/genre increasingly irrelevant. Don't get me wrong here, "Chris Martin" may be an anagram of "Mr Christian", but his music is certainly no concerted evangelical effort to bring folks to salvation. Nowhere have I read or heard any of the band members professing any kind of faith. Nevertheless, something spiritual definitely shines through their music. These songs communicate an experience of the divine grounded in the fullness of life in their celebration of relationships, the pain of separation and the joy of communion with another. Everything you need to know about God is right there.
As a solid Coldplay fan from their debut album Parachutes, I had fears that the old album #2 syndrome might take its toll on A Rush of Blood to the Head. I didn't have to worry. Coldplay clearly have their heads screwed on tighter than most, and as is obvious from several interviews I have read, they just enjoy making their music. Chris Martin was quoted as saying that they had worked so much on this album that they didn't know whether it was good or not. Rest assured guys, it is. You keep enjoying making music, and I'll keep enjoying listening.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Rebel Base 2002Reviewed by David MartinAuthor's Note: This review might not be as in depth as some of my usual ones - I was excited about the new Coldplay album, and it's been a while since I've been able to tell you about an album before its release date. These are just my initial impressions of what promises to be one of the best releases of the year 2002, and I will likely update after I have the album in my hands and I've had more…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Vik BansalThese days, when a British band shifts seven-figure quantities of albums in the US, it is such a rare event that it warrants further analysis. A few years ago, with Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase, Bush proved that the Brits could rock like its Seattle counterparts. Meanwhile, with What's The Story... and Be Here Now, Oasis demonstrated the sad fact that millions of people are susceptible…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Jeffrey OverstreetSome bands wear their influences on their sleeve. The members of Coldplay wear their influences on their heads. U2, Oasis, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and the Beatles all collide in this band's crystalline, sun-shiny, polished sound. This, their crucial sophomore effort, takes the acoustic pop-rock of Parachutes and morphs it into Coldplay 2.0... an electric-guitar/keyboard version that doubles the…Opus 2002Reviewed by Paul NewboldColdplay have always been the good guys, the honest, respectable, and reliable band. They seem to fluently churn out feel-good anthems from nowhere. Their sound is unmistakable, a warm acoustic guitar with Chris Martin's amenable lyrics. However, A Rush of Blood to the Head hints at a darker side, which may have been overlooked through the "good as gold" smiles and glossy charm of their debut…Similar sounding releases
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