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: my favourite cd!
Hit: 5 Stars
the first time i listened to "a rush of blood to the head", i was expecting more mellow tunes like "yellow", but this album, with more rock sounding songs, is now my favourite.
every song featured on "arobtth" is unique and a perfect example of songwriting. some make you feel like dancing, others make you want to just sit and think about your life, but each has a meaning and a great sounding one at that.
1.politik
this song is my least favourite on the album, but definitely not a bad song. it's a very rock-y song, and too much for the first track, i thought. the lyrics and overall tune are great though.
2.in my place
this song is probably the most mainstream pop, but with these fantastic lyrics, who cares?
3.god put a smile upon your face
this is a really good song to give you a boost or to cruise around with, because its soothing with a distinct rock edge that just draws you in.
4.the scientist
my favourite track, and song, of all time! the beat and tune in this song are so great, you feel like just sitting back and letting it wash over you, but listen to the lyrics and you'll feel so good. chris martin is a genius. i love the video clip for this too!
5.clocks
this song is a highlight! the lyrics are superb and the video clip, though simple, really adds depth to the song. it's poppier than the rest of the tracks, but is a great tune to listen to at night.
6.daylight
slot of coldplay fans think this is the worst track on the album, but i think it's just a more lighthearted song; better to dance to then to analyse. it's definitely the most dance-orientated track though.
7.green eyes
this is where the album takes a turn, not getting better or worse, but going in a more indy/folksy direction, but still with the rock edge. this is another favourite track of mine, and it's a really romantic song.
8.warning sign
another great song, lyric wise. the tune is so excellent and so addictive, it gets stuck in my head for days after i hear it. my second favourite track.
9.a whisper
this track starts off sounding quite indy rock, almost a 60s rock sound, but the chorus is great, and the overall feel of this song is a feel-good vibe.
10.a rush of blood to the head
this song has the best lyrics on the album, and it provokes you to contemplate life and love. the chorus actually is a rush of blood to the head, and is great to have sex to...
11.amsterdam
the slowest and one of the best tracks on the album. a real highlight with a very addictive beat. i usually repeat this song over and over just to hear the great chorus and lyrics.
Free Music Review: Better than anything else
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD ranks number one in my collection most of the time (you have to understand that my number one is always changing - it really depends on my mood) and I really enjoy listening to it every time.
I bought this CD before Parachutes, which does give me a different perspective of the album from people who bought Parachutes before AROBTTH.
My favorite songs:
Clocks
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Amsterdam
A Whisper
In My Place
At least, those were the songs I fell in love with on my first spin. They've stayed with me ever since; but I've really come to love every song on this album. The great thing about the way this album was made was that Coldplay wasn't trying to be anything; they just wanted to make a good album. And I am sure as glad as anything that they recorded 'Clocks' and put it in AROBTTH - it was their freshest track on the CD, and I cannot imagine what the album would be like without 'Clocks'.
People have said that 'God Put a Smile upon Your Face' was too experimental to be released as a single; but truthfully it was one of the songs that made me buy this CD (I know I bought it really late - like 2 years after its release). If you've watched the video, I thought it was a really thought-provoking video and to me it was probably more innovative that the videos for 'Trouble' and 'The Scientist'.
I think the best time to listen to this album is when the weather is gloomy, and if you're not feeling too good. Although you can also listen to it on a sunny day and that makes 'In My Place' sound awesome. Whatever suits your fancy, I guess.
Oh, and did I mention I really love the album cover as well? Solve Sundsbo (excuse the exclusion of swedish 'o's) does a great job at drawing the covers for AROBTTH and the singles it spawned.
Compared to X&Y and Parachutes, I'd say this album is better - the arrangements are great, the lyrics probably are more interesting than the other two as well. Parachutes, musically, was probably better, while X&Y was edgier and had a more 'arena rock' feel, but AROBTTH has the best production out of the three, and the music, though not necessarily showing growth but more of a different direction(I don't think an album necessarily becomes 'good' if the artist appears to the listener to have matured...), definitely appealed to me more.
Not everyone appreciates this album and buy it only for 'Clocks', which is understandable - the first time I bought it that was the only song on replay, but really every song here is a masterpiece. It took me like 2 weeks to really get into it, and I think to the casual listener, they might want something instant rather than cultivated.
Free Music Review: "Open Up Your Eyes"
Hit: 5 Stars
I like to call myself a late bloomer when it comes to Coldplay. This was the first album of theirs I purchased, after hearing the band perform "Clocks" on The Tonight Show. Before that, amazingly, I had never heard "Yellow". Regardless, I now own all their work and I've come to love their music entirely. Their debut was much more subdued and warmer, but "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is by far their most innovative album. It seems more precise and calculated, but also more cohesive. The general rhythm of the album is superb and it flows very nicely from one song to the next. Though not as soft as "Parachutes", it has a quality more immediately appealing and catchy.
Chris Martin's vocals were never anything to scream about when it comes to technical accuracy. Still, there's a great deal of heart and emotion in his lyrics. The entire band seems to mesh together into one. This is very evident throughout each song and especially during live performances.
Easy standouts on "A Rush of Blood..." are the opener "Politik" and the hit single "In My Place", both utilizing catchy guitar riffs and a sense of urgency to grab the listener. The former is sprinkled with delicate piano and sudden instrumental surprises, while the latter relies on grand sweeping melodies and rich string arrangements: Both are extraordinarily intense. "The Scientist" is one of the biggest tear-jerkers in melodic rock history with its sensitive piano and gut-wrenching vocal performance by Chris Martin. "Daylight" makes great use of glissandos and crescendos, and is one of the more experimental-sounding tracks on the album. "Green Eyes" is a charming love song that sounds more like old school classic rock than anything else on the album. "Warning Sign" also sounds like a comfortably familiar tune, and the end is pure glitter and emotion with soft piano and vocals. The title track includes interesting sounds of echoes and possibly feedback that add an element of mystery to the progressive and assertive tune. The most recognized and celebrated song though is "Clocks", which in its timelessness will continue to hold strong as one of the most beautiful and likable piano laden pieces ever to be released in the music world. While "X&Y" featured many songs with such a formula, "Clocks" was the featured piece on "A Rush of Blood...", and that makes it all the more special. It almost sounds like there are angels singing along to it. Simply put, it's a perfect song.
The tracks here are all wonderfully written and executed with awesome transitions from soft to hard and back again. Indeed, it is easy to relax to Coldplay's work, and this album is no exception.
Free Music Review: After listening to X&Y, I appreciate this album more...
Hit: 5 Stars
People were expecting Coldplay to "reinvent the wheel" with X&Y, and that wasn't an unreasonable expectation with the amount of time they spent in the studio and the fact that they said they would reinvent the wheel. It appears, however, that reinventing the wheel meant discovering the guitar, and with the disappointment of X&Y, I have come to appreciate this album more, knowing that Coldplay may very well never top the sophomore effort.
The moody guitars in 'Politik' are just perfect to begin the album. The sound is perfect.
'In My Place' has a strong beat and a good guitar phrase as the melody. It's perfect as a slowdance number.
'God Put a Smile Upon Your Face' is the dark number that is sorely lacking in the middle of X&Y ('Twisted Logic' is alright, but 'Low' doesn't really do the job). It's a good one.
'The Scientist' is a great song, and much better than 'Fix You' in my opinion.
The piano riff in 'Clocks' is much better crafted than that in 'Speed of Sound.' I think it's much more catchy, and it will probably always be a top-25 song in my playlist.
'Daylight' is weak; it's probably a bit too long.
'Green Eyes' is a very sparse, acoustic ballad. This is just the kind of thing the album needed after the production in the previous two songs. I don't listen to it as much as the others, but this kind of song largely disappears from the canon after Parachutes.
'Warning Sign' is another of my favorites. It's a good slowdance tune, and the guitar is catchy with the cello underneath it.
I can't stand 'A Whisper.' The dark bombasity from that song is pretty much missing in X&Y, however. It's probably the guitars that get to me, I suppose; I don't like them particuarly.
'A Rush of Blood to the Head' is quite a solid tune. It does what 'A Whisper' tried to do, but much more effectively - it gets you in a solemn mood.
'Amsterdam' fluctuates on me; sometimes I think it's really good, other times it sounds blah. I guess it's not too bad an ending to the album; I do like the lyrics about "you cut me loose."
X&Y, I believe, lacks some of the musical elements that made A Rush of Blood to the Head so successful. AROBTTH will always be one of my favorite albums, even despite the couple of weak tracks.
If I had to make a CD of my favorite Coldplay songs, it would include 'Don't Panic,' 'Sparks,' 'Parachutes,' 'Yellow,' 'We Never Change,' 'The Scientist,' 'Clocks,' 'A Rush of Blood to the Head,' 'Warning Sign,' 'What If,' 'White Shadows,' 'Speed of Sound,' 'Talk,' and 'Swallowed in the Sea.'
Free Music Review: A Sophomore Graduate
Hit: 5 Stars
Brilliant! Chris Martin and crew have returned with their sophomore followup to "Parachutes," and they certainly have not dissappointed. If "Yellow" hadn't originally clued you in to Coldplay's existence (I know I didn't really care), then you are certain to know them by now by their Grammy winning album "A Rush of Blood to the Head," one of the best albums of 2002 by far. I had liked "Yellow," and purchased "Parachutes" afterwards. It was pretty good, but it wasn't something I listened to that often. But Coldplay has certainly grown from that. Unlike "Parachutes," they don't just throw together a bunch of random words, but this time carefully craft them to make a wonderful collection of 11 songs.
"A Rush of Blood to the Head," as the title suggests, gives you a lot to think about. Every song is a winner on here. It starts off with the powerful "Politik," a perfect leadoff song that sets the pace and the questions and longing to be explored throughout the album, in which he begs "Give me peace, reserve control/Give me heart and give me soul." That message sets the basis of the rest of the tracks. I hold a special liking for "In My Place," the first single off the album that wasn't really given much radioplay, but deserved it beyond many others at the time. Martin strains against "the lines that [he] couldn't change," with wonderful lyrics to back his point. Other hits include "The Scientist," in which Martin tells the listener "I'll take you back to the star," which is a nice reference to "Yellow," showing that the band hasn't forgotten the roots from which this album has grown from. "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" is a nice, uplifting ballad, with a nice tune to boot, and the radio-friendly "Clocks" has now become a timeless classic for our generation. Those first five songs are worth the album already. But don't overlook the other songs. The progression from a stronger to a weaker vocal background in "Warning Sign" is just buried with emotion, while "A Whisper" ironically shouts at us "Night turns to day and I still have these questions/You just won't break, should I go forwards or backwards?"
If this album was a book, this would be a book you could analyze for a college class. But that's a good thing! "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is packed with philosophy backed with wonderful instrumentation, asking questions that we have all asked ourselves while making it sound good, while at the same time binding all the songs together with a superb cohesive element, and making a steady progression from beginning to end. It's just too good for it to slip by you. Buy this now and you'll never regret it.