Volume CXXXII, Number 6 October 25, 2002 f

Coldplay heats up
BRIAN DUNN
ORIENT STAFF

The past five years in the United States have been one of the darkest periods in mainstream music. The staleness of early 90s rip-off bands and overblown teen sensations has ruined any hope of an American music revival. All the while, the Brits have been have been enjoying much more prosperity fueled by the dynamics of bands, both new and old, who are interesting and who constantly push the boundaries.

After Coldplay, the new heroes of British radio, broke into to the world of Britpop with their 2000 release, Parachutes, they went into the studio in 2001 looking to redefine themselves and make an album with a little bit more ambition.

A Rush of Blood to the Head (rumored by the band to be their last album) truly finds Chris Martin and company in their best form.

Coldplay took what they did best on its last effort and added a bit of edge and energy that Parachutes certainly lacked. While many of the yearning love songs from Parachutes were certainly great in their own right, they lack the depth and power of most of the material that these Londoners put forth on this latest release.

The opening track, "Politik," pulsates with an urgency that is entirely new to Coldplay, and the Britpop scene. It immediately builds its tension around a pounding three chord sequence that only moments later moves into a chilling chorus that would raise the hairs on the neck of any battle hardened Britpop fan. Nonetheless, it is, like the rest of the album, still distinctively Coldplay.

However it feels not only haunting, but absolutely sincere, unlike some of the tracks on Parachutes which seem years behind the progession of A Rush of Blood to the Head. This feeling is once again very clear on "A Whisper" and "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," which find Coldplay at their most experimental.

The only flaw that the Coldplay team made with A Rush of Blood to the Head was the lead single, "In My Place." Not only is it not up to par with the singles from Parachutes, but it doesn't show the casual listener the songwriting leaps that this quartet made in the past two years.

The piano-ballad, "The Scientist," is by far the best track that Coldplay has ever done, and one of the best songs to come from the Britpop scene in years. It combines Bono's vocals of Achtung Baby and the feeling of early Radiohead circa The Bends to create a moment, coupled with their new edge, that alone warrants the purchase of the album.

The following track, "Clocks," combines this same magic with the distinctive Coldplay sound to truly convince the listener that Coldplay has finally found what they were looking for.

On the previous outing, Coldplay created an album that was cohesive and beautiful, but never spectacular. This time around, they create a feel that is much more eclectic as songs like "Clocks" and "The Scientist" fit perfectly into the mix of louder tracks like "Politik." Consequently, some much-needed diversity is added to the mix. Now let's just hope that Coldplay will stay together and amaze us again.