Coldplay - Parachutes
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Free Music Notes for Parachutes
Free Music Review: Timeless
Hit: 5 Stars
With Coldplay's debut single, Yellow, I remembered hearing lots of fuss about how great the band was. I had heard the song, and I thought it was merely ok. My friend raved to me about how great the album Parachutes was, and yet in my own ignorance I shrugged his advice to get the CD off and went back to listening to the horrible nonsense music I was a slave to at that time. After quite some time, one day I saw the CD on sale for $9.99 and thought what the heck, I need to buy this CD and see what all the talk is about. I bought the CD and took it home for a straight-through listen, without interuption... and loud.The result: I am ashamed of my actions prior to listening to Parachutes. My friend should have beat me up. Coldplay is now my favorite band. Parachutes is one of the most vivid and hypnotic listening experiences I've ever had. Chris Martin's voice is as haunting as it is beautiful. The band finds chords and musical landscapes that create a kind of world of sound to get lost in. Coldplay has found a truly original sound.
The entire album is classic, but here are some highlights: Yellow - it's a dreamlike anthem of love that grabs you and doesn't let go... makes you want to sing along as loud as you can. Shiver - this song has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. No song before has so greatly personified the heart and mind of the eternally hopeful yet forgotten lover. Spies - an eerie, entrancing hymn of paranoia. Trouble - a deep, sincere apology with an almost lullaby-like piano tune. I find myself singing it often. Higher Speed - a trance, an experience... this is the hardest song on the album for me to describe. One of the most soothing tracks. Everything's Not Lost - if you listen closely, you'll realize Chris Martin really is singing to YOU. This is a timeless song of optimism that always reminds you the glass is half full.
With Chris Martin in the spotlight 90% of the time (and there's no wonder why), I think it's important to point out that
Coldplay is a great BAND. Jonny Buckland (lead guitar) is the one you hear sliding the guitar to death and making it produce sounds you never thought existed. Will Champion (drums) is spot on accurate with every beat. Guy Berryman (bass) takes care of those low notes that everything else seems to rest on... listen closely and you'll hear what I'm talking about.
It's hard to believe that Parachutes is actually a debut album. I imagine the dreamy soundscape Coldplay has begun painting will only become more lucid and spellbinding as each new album is released.
Parachutes is a must-have album.
Free Music Review: Good music for people who love sad music
Hit: 5 Stars
This is actually the second Coldplay album I bought (I started with Rush of Blood after getting addicted to "Clocks"). I recall enjoying "Yellow" when the song aired on the radio, but when I finally got around to buying this album, I was very pleasantly surprised by its cohesion and beauty.
All of the songs here are good, but I'll pay most attention to the ones that are particularly striking to me. "Shiver" is certainly one of those songs, a fast, catchy tune that pauses for a few sad lyrics about the one-sidedness of infatuation. This song could have been my own personal anthem from the ages of ten to sixteen, which is part of why I like it so much; but anyone who appreciates heavy-hearted ballads should like this one too.
"Spies" delves into much creepier territory, steeping the listener in a paranoid, nocturnal world where sleep gives no "peace of mind" and the waking hours aren't any better. I sense that Chris Martin is getting at something through an extended metaphor, but what it is, I do not know. It may just be what it sounds like: a spooked confession of xenophobia and fear.
"Sparks," then, is a welcome relief: floating, dreamy guitars married to lyrics so sentimental that they fall just shy of being maudlin. "High Speed" works along the same lines, and is equally good.
"Yellow" is of course the song that many will recognize readily. It is probably the most radio-friendly and pop-oriented, but these aren't strikes against it; you just have to be in the right mood for it. Has there ever been, or will there ever be, a song in which the singer is so obviously in love? I doubt it.
"Trouble" makes good use of piano to drive a sad and moving apology to a loved one. Contrite lyrics and languid guitars complete the mood. If "Yellow" is the honeymoon, then "Trouble" is the aftermath of the first fight.
"We Never Change" and "Everything's Not Lost" end the album on a positive note, and at the same time they set up neatly the emotional plunge of the following LP, A Rush of Blood to the Head.
Parachutes was a risky purchase for me, as I tend to be wary of buying albums without having a good idea of the songs on it. But the risk paid off. This is one of my favorite albums of the last few years, and I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who can appreciate soulful, intelligent pop music.
Free Music Review: Outstanding
Hit: 5 Stars
I heard of Coldplay through the song 'Yellow'. It was very popular at the time of its release and my friends and I always enjoyed saying, '...and it was all yelloooow'. I never really thought much of it until a few months after their 2nd cd was released in 2002. After buying and listening to that cd, I knew I had to own this one as well. Coldplay is my favorite band. Somehow they find a way to express feelings that I thought were inexpressable, through their music and their lyrics. The feeling that they generate is truly beautiful, and in a world where music is full of swearing and hate, Coldplay reminds us that there's still hope and 'Everything's Not Lost'. Now for my ratings for the songs:1. Don't Panic (5/5): What a great way to start off the album. Even though this song is somewhat short, it's still very good.
2. Shiver (5/5): Probably my favorite song on the album. The music and the lyrics are wonderful, and seeing as how many people have gone through what this song talks about, it's easy to relate to as well.
3. Spies (5/5): Somewhat haunting, but still beautiful.
4. Sparks (4/5): A slow song, very good.
5. Yellow (4/5): A wonderful love song. After finally paying attention to what the lyrics say, I have to say this is quite a marvelous song.
6. Trouble (5/5): Another great song, it's upbeat, but not too upbeat. The lyrics are also really great...'If I ever caused you trouble, I never meant to do you wrong.'
7. Parachutes (3/5): This one is somewhat harder to judge seeing as how it's only about 30 seconds long. Even though it's short it's still a nice addition to the album.
8. High Speed (4/5): Another good song. Not too slow or too fast.
9. We Never Change (5/5): A very beautiful song. IMO the lyrics are talking about how people want to change the way they act and be kind to othes, but sometimes they still go back to the way they were.
10. Everything's Not Lost (5/5): A great way to end the cd and prepare us for their sophomore album (A Rush of Blood to the Head). (Also, don't turn off your cd player after the song ends...a few seconds later another song plays called Life is for Living, which is about 30 seconds long, but still good.)
Overall, Coldplay's Parachutes is one of the best albums in a long time. But, as great as this cd is, Coldplay's 2nd album, 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' is even better. Pick up this cd! You won't regret it!
Free Music Review: flawless.
Hit: 5 Stars
Let me begin by stating that Coldplay, in my opinion, is the best band to come out in the past five or six years. Their music is simple, emotional, harmonious, beautiful, and inspiring.
To compare this album to the other two would be difficult. They are all flawless in their own ways. =)
Track by track..
Don't Panic-We live in a beautiful world. Such a great, nice, easy song. The background electric guitar during the chorus is an example of what Coldplay does so well.
Shiver-A more "rock" song. A bit harder, but incredible nonetheless.
Spies-Probably the most interesting song on the album. Lyrics are oustanding, as is the music. (Don't mind i say this about every song.)
Sparks-Extremely mellow love song that's a bit less poppy than "yellow". Excellent (with a nice bass line as well)
Yellow-Popular music at its finest, really. What a great, great, great, great love song. Perfect.
Trouble-A piano inspired song about regret. Fine part of the album. Chorus is exceptional.
Parachutes-Short, but beautiful.
High Speed-My personal favorite on the album(though all the others qualify). It's different, like Spies, with the more deeper questions of life presented in the lyrics.
We Never Change-Beautiful, slow. The melodic electric guitar parts are so so so beautiful and melodic.
Everything's Not Lost-Sing a long! Incredible, incredible with a surprise at the end.
All in all, I listen to this album more than I listen to X&Y. Though both albums are incredible, I enjoy the vintage Coldplay feel very much. Rush of Blood to the Head is equally as good as this. One must understand that there is no such thing as a "bad" Coldplay song. My least favorite song is "The Hardest Part" on X&Y, and it's not a bad song by any means.
If you're looking to get into Coldplay, I would buy all three albums and listen to them in order and enjoy them all.
It's very difficult to actually "critique" and review Coldplay because one can not find any complaints. Get all the albums, listen to them, enjoy them, cry during Fix You and close your eyes during High Speed and smile during Don't Panic and contemplate during Amsterdam and just let each song touch you in a different way. Enjoy the journey.
Free Music Review: A Beautiful Record
Hit: 5 Stars
Coldplay's Parachutes is one of the best cd's I've heard in a long time. In age filled with ....... posers like Fred Durst, and self-indulgent retreads like Creed, it is refreshing to see Coldplay sing about something everyone can relate to; the highs and lows of living and love. The record opens with the meloncholy "Don't Panic" which pairs lyrics like "Homes, places we've grown, all of us are done for" beside the hopeful "We live in a beautiful world." "Don't Panic" sets the tone for parachutes, an album about desparation, unrequited love, and yet full of hope and longing. "Shiver" is an amazing song that managers stir every emotion bouncing about the human heart. A man who sings about feeling abandoned manages to never lose hope when lead singer Chris Martin sings "I will always be waiting for you." The guitar on this album also helps to create the sense of longing and hope that overrides all the pain on this album. Martin's vocals are heavily influenced by the late great Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. The falsetto of Martin also helps keep the mood of pain and longing and honesty that are so dominant on this album. The theme of pain and loss acompanied with an undying hope is present even in the most lamentable songs like "Spies" and "We Never Change." On "Yellow," a song where Martin proclaims to his love "Look at the stars, look how they shine for you," is a song that duplicates the exact emotion of love, of falling in love, of that connection that is often undefinable. With the beautiful lyrics and emotion filled guitar, Coldplay crafts a song that really captures the moment. On "Everything's Not Lost," Martin cries out to us to never lose hope, "If you ever feel neglected, and you think that all is lost, I'll be counting up my demons, singing 'everything's not lost'" No matter how dire the situation, hope will pull us through. Parachutes is an album bulging with honesty and emotion. This record shows that rock still has a power to affect the heart when crap-rock and grunge-retreads drain the emotion out of the music. I urge anyone and everyone to buy this album.