Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
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Free Music Notes for A Rush of Blood to the Head
Free Music Review: A lesson in versatility
Hit: 5 Stars
AROBTTH offers a plethora of varying moods, beats, and sounds. A sampling:
Politik: 10/10--A pounding, politically charged opener that connects with the listener's moral compass. Best lyric: Wounds that heal and cracks that fix/Tell me your own politik/And open up your eyes...
In My Place: 9/10--An emotive ballad of soul-searching permeated by an infectious keyboard/guitar riff.
God Put a Smile: 8/10--Vibrant beat helps explore the uncertainty surrounding death. Best lyric: Where do we go, nobody knows/Don't ever say you're on your way down when/God gave you style and gave you grace/And put a smile upon your face
The Scientist: 10/10--Heart-rending tale of love lost; great chorus but stick around for the extended guitar climax, a perfect lead-in for Clocks.
Clocks: 10/10--The definitive showstopper--piano on steroids. Opening lyric: Lights go out and I can't be saved/Tides that I tried to swim against/Have brought me down upon my knees/Oh I beg, I beg and plead
Daylight: 9/10--Psychodelic dichotomy of Druid-like chanting and warm bursts of energy builds to an intoxicating refrain of "slowly breaking through the daylight."
Green Eyes: 8/10--Folksy, acoustic ode to that special someone.
Warning Sign: 10/10--Simply perfect, from extended instrumental intro through aching verses to soothing finale.
A Whisper: 7/10--An ironically loud, jarring presence in the setlist, but its cryptic (mostly unintelligible) lyrics give it a certain allure.
A Rush of Blood: 9/10--Dense, somber look into human instincts toward war and retribution. Best lyric: Some will laugh and some just sit and cry/But you just sit down there and you wonder why
Amsterdam: 10/10--Gorgeous piano for perfect closer about redemption. Best lyric: Come on, oh my star is fading/And I see no chance of release/I know I'm dead on the surface/But I am screaming underneath
Free Music Review: STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL SOPHMORE RELEASE...
Hit: 5 Stars
I have to admit that when I first put this cd into my portable cd player and put my headphones on for my first listen of this album I was a bit hesitant to fall into the music like I did with the bands debut album 'Parachutes'. I ultimatly did not want a HUGE let down-seeing that most bands follow up albums are commonly viewed as there worst. I didn't really get drawn into the pulsating, steady beat of Politik (track 1) at first...but about a minute into the song I found myself really relishing the vocals and the repetitive instrumentation. The album clearly takes off after the first track though. IN MY PLACE is the albums first single, and in my opinion, is this albums "YELLOW". IN MY PLACE is an emotive, catchy song that sets the pace for this brilliant and stunning masterpeice of an album! Chris's vocals soar and flutter throughout the cd in ways that have really put his voice into a class of its own. My favorite track is THE SCIENTIST. The vocals on this song really pull at your heart and if you don't feel SOMETHING while listening to this song, then you should really start worrying! THE SCIENTIST is a very romantic, haunting love song and is the albums most lush, heart-wrenching ballad. The most catchy song on the album, in my opinion, would be CLOCKS. Lead vocalist Chris Martin really hammers on the piano in a way that is reminiscent of a cross between Tori Amos and The Cure (I'm not sure why-but that's what comes to mind folks)and the song is truly a brilliant and mind blowing creation. The albums title song A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD is another deep and moving tune. This cd may take some time to get used to seeing that it doesn't quite have the same musical vibe that it's predecessor PARACHUTES had..but, this cd is definetly one of the best albums of the year and an amazing work of art from a band that I am positive will be around for a LONG time!
Also, check the band out live-I saw them in June and was blown away-They are absolutly flawless live on stage!
Free Music Review: Finally, something GOOD on the radio.
Hit: 5 Stars
I bought this CD for nine bucks at Target after hearing Clocks on the radio a couple times, finding it quite addictive. It's been money well-invested. One thing that needs to be cleared up: These guys are not Radiohead. I repeat, COLDPLAY IS NOT RADIOHEAD, no matter what the guy who plays Cyclops (in the X-Men trilogy) may say. Radiohead is also a good band, but really quite different. Sure, they're both brit bands and they are both moody. But beyond that, no one should perpetuate this tiresome rubber-stamp categorization, which was unwarranted in the first place. Frankly, I had thought Coldplay was actually the Dave Matthews Band -- balladish pop crooned by Chris Martin, who happens to sound a bit like Mr. Matthews himself.
Next order of business: There are not many albums I can name that are good through and through, i.e., no skipping of any tracks. But this album is like that. There are no weak songs on A Rush of Blood to the Head. Not one. It might just be that I happened to scoop up a moody breakup album shortly after ending a two-and-a-half year relationship, but I listened to these songs for about three weeks straight before I finally eased off. Even now, months later, I sometimes seek out Clocks in my Windows Media Player just because I feel like hearing it. But let me warn you, from experience, that you will not quickly work your way back to normalcy after your breakup by miring yourself in this album. The Scientist alone will perhaps even be responsible for reversing whatever progress you made in your difficult (and probably necessary) process of separation. Anyone who has been stuck on The Cure's Disintegration or Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine can attest to one album's ability to keep you from actually moving on with your life. A Rush of Blood to the Head is kind of like that.
If you're a moody sort, you will be drawn to this album. You may get stuck on it in a big way. You've been warned. Five stars and zero equivocations.
Free Music Review: Coldplay's Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
Coldplay's second album deserved all the commercial and critical success it achieved, it managed to strike the right balance between their stripped down intimate debut album 'Parachutes' and the anthemic melancholy of the follow up album 'X & Y'. 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' is dominated by piano-based ballad's which the band excel at and is preferable to the layer's of keyboard's and synths that feature heavily on 'X & Y' (a strong album but definitely over-produced!).
I've never been particularly impressed by Chris Martin's lyrics but he get's away with it as he sings with a genuine humanity and passion that is gripping and heartwarming and he's on his best form here. Johnny Buckland play's a subtle role on this album, the guitar's are almost non-existent compared to his playing on 'Parachutes' but they are there when the song's demand them and they serve their role well.
'Clocks' is one of those rare songs that has been played to death on radio and television but has never grated on me- in fact, I love 'Clocks' just that little bit more everytime I hear it. The piano riff, Will Champion's drums and Guy Berryman's pulsating bassline help to drive along a song which ranks as my absolute favourite Coldplay tune.
'Amsterdam' is a very close second to 'Clocks', it's my favourite closing track to any album I've ever heard and I hope Coldplay don't abandon songs like this in future, whatever direction they choose to take because they are master's of the slow-building piano ballad and 'Amsterdam' is their best effort in that style. 'The Scientist' almost matches it.
'In My Place' has a gorgeous tune and is one of their best singles, I've always preferred it over 'Yellow'. 'Daylight' and 'A Whisper' are a couple of my other favourite's from this album.
A lot of similar band's have since tried to make an album as consistently strong and emotional as 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' but none have matched it.
Free Music Review: A band matures...
Hit: 5 Stars
Coldplay probably wouldn't thank me for pointing this out, but they do represent a triumph of the underdog. They suffered media disparagement based less on their musical abilities than on their characters. And they've come out on top with "A Rush...".
The album opens with 'Politik''s clanging guitars, offering precisely the potency most observers thought was beyond them. They now sound not just like an award-winning multi-platinum band, but an award-winning multi-platinum band with a point to prove. Their new assurance is everywhere. Chris Martin's gorgeous performance transforms 'The Scientist' from the kind of piano ballad that ineffectually padded out their debut into a showstopping anthem, delicate and powerful in equal measure. 'Clocks' deelivers a sieved-up U2-Big Rock sound, without ever losing sight of the back of the stadium. When Coldplay began their recent Glastonbury performance with 'Politik', the audience roared as if the band were playing their biggest hit. That same bizarre sense of instant familiarity is all over "A Rush....: you feel you already know and like these songs the first time you hear them. The last band to pull off this remarkable feat was Oasis. But you immediately knew and liked their songs because they had pinched them: let's not get into the Beatles-recycling debate. With Coldplay, it is all down to beautifully crafted songwriting and an all-pervading aura of warm inclusiveness. The listener is drawn straight in by the well-worn eastern guitar motifs of 'Warning Sign': my favourite on this album; or the simple melody of 'In My Place'.
However, that sort of immediacy comes at a price. There is no mystery here. It is finely wrought and brilliantly realised, but devoid of charming idiosyncrasy. It is comfortable rather than challenging, varied without being devastatingly original.
It does, however, offer one of the most beguiling sounds in rock: that of a band at the top of their game.