Coldplay 
A Rush of Blood to the Head
/parlophone; 2002/

rating : 8

 

 

 

more info :
www.coldplay.com

I don't even know why I listened to this in the first place. I think I heard a b-side to the new single on a compilation somewhere and found it good, better than what I thought Coldplay could do, they were standing on the same shelf as Travis and Starsailor in my music drawer. So I downloaded A Rush of Blood to the Head and I was surprised. Parachutes was far from being awesome, even though I realized about a week ago how cute Trouble really was. I think that Chris Martin's collaboration to Faultline's Your Love Means Everything also helped me realize how good his voice was.

Anyway. This album's really good. All the songs are cleverly penned and meticulously arranged. Most of the songs are long (well, five minutes long) but not boring, they delicately unfold before our eyes, like The Scientist, with it's touching "nobody said it was easy/it's such a shame for us to part" chorus. I haven't been moved this way since high school. I mean, moved in a passive way. Coldplay makes you feel dirty while moving you, whether you like it or not. And he's got a voice. Green Eyes couldn't be cuter, the song is basically Chris Martin and his guitar moving you. And he makes it sound quite easy. "and honey you should know/that I couldn't go on without you." how bitchy is that ? but it works. even if it hurts a bit in the beginning. Warning Sign has the cutest chorus line of the month™: "and the truth is/I miss you/yeah the truth is/that I miss you so." You can't possibly resist that. It made my goth friend smile.

But really, the best song on this album is, how original, the title track. "I'm gonna buy this place and see it burn/and do back the things it did to you in return." Instant classic. I think this is the first time this happened to me. Coldplay really had to release a great album to make me change my mind about them. They can be proud of themselves.

-Barbara H

/sept  1st 2002/