But how can anybody ignore the epic X&Y by Coldplay which is rock and which I like very much? It has, in fact already been judged by many as one of the best album releases of the year. Not only that. It is also dominating sales worldwide and has kept highly-anticipated major releases like Monkey Business by the Black Eyed Peas, Never Gone by the Backstreet Boys and Get Behind Me Satan by White Stripes from making number one on their first week in the market.
I do not know if there will come a time when Chris Martin, keyboards and vocals, Guy Berryman on bass, Will Champion on drums and Johnny Buckland on guitar, will reveal what they did to come up with something like X&Y. That the good, better, best progression of the group’s three recorded albums led to this new one seems almost contrived or better yet, pre-meditated.
Did Coldplay plan that this is what will follow Parachute and A Rush of Blood to the Head? Was taking the music to a higher power rock level a calculated move? If so, then we do not only have four good musicians here but also some very astute businessmen. If not, then these guys are sure getting a lot of blessings for making good use of their talents.
How does anybody make a hit record anyway? There is really no definite answer. I have a feeling these guys themselves were not aware that they were out to cement their place in pop music history while making this album. What came together in X&Y is basically formulaic but the pretty melodies, sentimental lyrics and solid arrangements are set against the tension-filled give and take between Martin’s vocals and the music. The result is high drama in a rock mode.
Come to think of it, I have always likened rock music to opera. Both require a lot of bravura from the performers. That is just what Coldplay delivers with X&Y. This is instantly evident in the first cut, the powerful Square One, where Martin who as you already probably know is husband to Gwyneth Paltrow and daddy to Apple, sings "Is there anywhere you want to go? The future’s for discovering the space in which we’re traveling." This query prepares the listener for a trip across 11 other cuts of similar grand proportions and where ballads and rockers are at their most emotionally gut-wrenching.
First single out is Speed of Sound, which is a good choice as it echoes Coldplay’s signature tune Clocks from the second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. But I would much rather put my money on the inspirational ballad Fix You, which is the kind that plays over and over in your mind. The romantics are likely to go for the ethereal appeal of Swallowed in the Sea. Then there are also What If, Talk, X&Y,A Message, Low and The Hardest Part. As for the true-blue rockers, they will surely love Twisted Logic the closing cut where every element used earlier comes together to put the collection to a crashing end. Stand up and give that standing ovation.
Now, just in case, Coldplay fans get the creeps that their idols might end up the Aerosmith of British rock by their fourth album after listening to this power-packed production, I enjoin them to continue playing the CD even after it has ended. There is a bonus cut titled Till Kingdom Come, a sweet little song that Martin performs with only an acoustic guitar. A really nice touch that should tell us why he won the heart of Gwyneth and the likes of Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck did not.