It’s a fact that, at their peak, Coldplay were one of the most talented bands of their generation. During the noughties, the band utterly monopolised piano rock with songs like ‘Speed of Sound’, ‘The Scientist’, and, of course, the rousing ‘Fix You’ (songs destined to be played over the montages of shows like X-Factor or Britain’s Got Talent).
Now, I too was deterred from Coldplay as my music taste matured. Only since I’ve been relistening to some 2000’s indie/rock classics have I started to pay serious attention to their discography (particularly their first three albums). And they truly were once a proficient, dynamic outfit.
Their sophomore LP, A Rush of Blood to the Head, turns twenty this month. The album captures the greatest aspects of the band, and their clumsier sides which arguably prophesied their now saccharine, forced, toothless output that characterises their recent catalogue (their collaboration with The Chainsmokers was the last straw).
From the off, what’s impressive about the album is how well Coldplay adjusted to their new-found status as a serious act: with their debut LP garnering Brit and Grammy awards, A Rush of Blood has the band more urgent, crisp, and assured, juxtaposing the dreamy and (at times) languid nature of Parachutes. Chris Martin’s vocals shed the indie, unassuming talented boy aesthetic and his piano work is brought more at the centre of the songs.
‘Politik’ epitomises the best (and worst) of the album. Overall, it’s a great opener: the band sound like they’re on a mission with the intro being a rush of banging drums and piano keys and indiscriminate guitar strums, hooking the listener. The euphoric outro, which has lead guitarist Jonny Buckland doing wonderful high-neck fret-work, is delightful. But the lyrics are hit-or-miss. Lines like “give me peace of mind and trust/and don’t forget the rest of us” feel contrived, yet lyrics like “give me love over, love over, love over this” at the bridge wonderfully drive the sentiment of the song better than any other part. The compositions on the LP are very enjoyable generally, whilst the lyrics do leave much to be desired.
The first half of A Rush of Blood is much better than the second half, and it makes sense why all the LP’s singles sprouted from it. The first single, ‘In My Place’ is a solid track: Buckland’s chimey guitar makes the song, it’s very Edge of U2 fame; Martin’s croons at the chorus and the controlled desperation in his vocal delivery at the last leg of the song is judicious. Singles ‘The Scientist’ and ‘Clocks’ are simply iconic, not much can be said barring that drummer Will Champion does a splendid job bringing the latter song home with his neat flourishes given how reserved ‘Clocks’ is. ‘Daylight’ is my favourite: a song with a disco flair is a croon-fest. It has Champion activating his inner John Densmore (The Doors) on the kit, Buckland cleverly using the slide guitar, and Martin employing an icy, boyish croon that cuts through the shimmering wall of sound to an orgasmic effect. I’m astounded it wasn’t a single.
As aforementioned though, the lyrics are inconsistent. They can be very simp-y in moments: take tracks like ‘God Put a Smile Upon Your Face’ or ‘Green Eyes’ with lines like “Ah, when will you work it out, I’m worse than you” or “Anyone who tried to deny you/must be out of their mind” respectively. The LP makes no bones that it’s a pop album. It’s cloying.
The second half of A Rush of Blood isn’t as memorable as the first. Songs like ‘Warning Sign’ are mildly entertaining because the alt-psych instrumental sheen is reminiscent of bands like The Verve circa Urban Hymns. ‘A Whisper’ provides a welcome change of pace: its urgent, acoustic guitar-driven sound reminded me of the more agitated moments of Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace’. The title track is probably the most noteworthy song of the bunch, indulging in the accoutrements of an arena rock song with its big chorus and romantic subject matter, though in a lexicon surrounding war and conflict.
I would say A Rush of Blood to the Head is a great album, especially given Coldplay’s contemporaries. It seems many fans would deem this the definitive Coldplay effort. You would be hard-pressed to not find a comment on YouTube under a Coldplay song during this period that’s not a variation of: “I miss this version of the band”. Although this album does reveal how immensely talented they are, it demonstrates that they weren’t particularly ambitious. The songs don’t stray from topics of love or women – they had an understanding of what sold. Thus, it doesn’t make their subsequent collabs with the likes of Rihanna or The Chainsmokers or BTS that preposterous. Nonetheless, to deny how good they once were would be disingenuous.
Words by Keith Mulopo
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