Coldplay - X&Y (2005)

'The Speed Of Sound' was a magnificent introduction to Coldplay mark III. They had harnessed their undoubted talent to produce an intriguing mix of driving guitars, cascading vocals and intergalactic keyboards. Sadly, 'The Speed Of Sound' is as good as 'X&Y' gets. Apart from the newly acquired digitals the album operates well within the confines of the Coldplay template. Chris Martin's lyrics remain decidedly of the self, there are few hints of humour or attempts to tackle issues beyond the generic. As ever Jon Buckland's guitar escapades are ubiquitous and Will Champion beats the skins to within an inch of their life. What is surprising, however, is that Martin's voice is disarmingly flat at times, not as if he is holding back, rather that the fire in his belly has been quenched. The same can be said for the music, giant salubrious riffs drift by at will but that's the rub.The chords don't lodge in the memory, the joy they bring is fleeting. No matter how pristine the production is, no amount of studio wizardry can hide the stench of half-baked ideas.

As you'd expect from a Coldplay album there are diversions of worth. 'A Message' will feature on several dozen OC moments because it bathes in Coldplay's collective creative waters and Martin's sentiments are clearly discernible. 'Fix You' is another bright moment with the singer, for once, sounding genuinely affecting as a lone keyboard provides the only company. The absence of blunderbuss allows the song to mature with each subtle shift in vocal lilt. Not even the introduction of the near messianic choir towards the end can spoil things. 'Square One' is a moderately good opener that takes a surprising amount of plays to reveal itself. It is trademark Coldplay but like 'The Speed Of Sound' there is no obvious chorus. It takes a blinding volley of words and a cavalcade of guitars to mask this oversight. This is music on a grand scale, perfectly honed and slickly executed. Strip away the gloss, however, and what remains has all the intrigue of an episode of 'Murder She Wrote'. 'The Hardest Part' is made all the more appetising because it initially, at least, plays it straight. For once the acoustics don't resort to gangling guitar-led assuages of the senses.

'Talk' clearly stands out amongst the mediocrity but hardly comes close to being the moment it was supposed to be. It is raw, brash, jam packed full of eerie noises, bass tugs and Kraftwerk's helping hand ('Computer Love'). The U2esque licks screech rather than shimmer detracting from the heartfelt sentiments in the words. 'Swallowed In The Sea' is a one trick pony but its outward charm will have many listeners weak at the knees. This is inoffensive stuff, something daytime radio will view as manna from Heaven. 'Til Kingdom Come' could be a Johnny Cash stroll and appears out of the blue at the tail end of the album. This is Coldplay going back to basics letting the tune rather the surrounding palaver take centre stage. And it succeeds in restoring some faith in what could yet be achieved. But for all the half victories there are bitter defeats every couple of songs, no more so than 'What If', which is unquestionably the nadir. Slack piano keys, vocals catching plenty of z's and the complete lack of a meaningful hook means this wastrel outstays its welcome for far too long. 'White Shadows' is less appalling but apes U2 to such a degree that I was scrambling for the inlay card to see if Larry Mullen had sat in on drumming. Martin even adopts a nasal Bono impression that is uncannily close to the original. 'Twisted Logic' completes the hat-trick of warts with a warren of turgid guitars, backward philosophies and limp melodies.

'X&Y' is the sort of album you'd expect Coldplay to knock off in a throwaway jamming session. Considering the amount of time it took to come up with the goods (a couple of years) there now must be an obvious concern that Coldplay have burnt themselves out. The several dozen songs that were discarded must have been absolute stinkers considering the efforts that survived the cull. 'X&Y' plays like a series of b-sides with no obvious continuum. This is a batch of inoffensive songs with minimal appeal that for the most part lack that hint of genius. The bare facts are that 'X&Y' simply does not work, the formula has not only diluted but is beginning to sound a tad passé. Consequently 'X&Y' stumbles well short in consolidating Coldplay's legend and if anything is a step backwards. It's not inconceivable that many fans have already begun to retreat to some of the wonders of the bands first 2 albums. At their best Coldplay can be uplifting and ambitious, at their worst they are an EMI's marketing executives wet dream. Unfortunately on this occasion the suits have had their victory and 'X&Y' has ended up being about as enticing as a Gwyneth Paltrow acceptance speech.

Rating: 5/10

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