Coldplay

'A Rush of Blood to the Head'



Capitol



Grade: B



Coldplay, the British rockers with the infectious 2000 hit single "Yellow" have returned with their sophomore album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head." The basic Radiohead-like style of the album remains the same as their first CD, "Parachutes," full of lead singer Chris Martin's vaguely depressing vocals and luscious keyboards mixed with slightly more rocking guitars.

The album's opening song, "Politik," asks listeners to "open up your eyes." Coldplay is a very socially conscious band, as the CD's insert asks listeners to make trade fair between richer and poorer countries. The very spelling, "Politik," in its Russified manner denotes a political message.

Not all songs on the album, however, are as political. The first single, "In My Place," which has already received heavy radio airplay, features beautiful music, with Martin singing emotionally about how he was lost in his place and couldn't change. Yet, it somehow seems formulaic, and may have fit better on the previous album than this one.

On "A Whisper," Coldplay finally rocks out with loud electric guitars, hearkening back to the days of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin with this successful experimental piece. "Daylight" speaks of seeing the sunrise, and how humans can never compare to such natural beauty. The slightly Middle Eastern music and falsetto vocals combine for a more joyous song than most on this album.

The title track is a great song that delves into of the sadness of war, of buying a place and "seeing it burn," of "buying a gun and start(ing) a war / If you can tell me something worth fighting for." Lyrically, it is probably the best song on the album. The album cover has a gun pointed directly at the CD's owner, in stark contrast to the peaceful yellow globe featured on "Parachutes."

None of the album's tracks are particularly uplifting. Although guitars are used more extensively than on "Parachutes," "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is a very melancholy listening experience. If Travis is the perky version of Radiohead, then Coldplay is surely the more depressing counterpart. In fact, the album does not truly live up to its name; it is hardly loud or thrilling enough to cause such blood rush.

Coldplay is a fairly young band with a lot of promise, and after a few more albums, perhaps they will reach their full potential and find something in this world to be more cheerful about.