X&Y

Lost my 1st...Not sure how! They just keep getting better and better in my opinion. If you like this one you HAVE to get Viva La Vida!

6/21/08 Before you read this review check out Coldplay's latest CD "Viva la Vida". It is light years ahead of this CD "X&Y".

I guess I am so addicted to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and other great bands of the 70s-80s that Coldplay falls flat on it's face for me. Or, my expectations of "almost uniformly" stellar British rock bands is unrealistic.

As most people do when listening to music, one finds that you do compare the new with the old. And so, in fairness to the change in technology and my own personal taste, I compared this band to my current favorite in world rock music, the astonishing rock-your-rear-off Afro Celt Sound System Band whose singer Iarla O'Liondird's vocal range is so utterly astounding. (Even Josh Groban plays AFCSS at his live concerts).

After listening four times to this CD "X&Y", I still found Chris Martin's nasal, and at times, irritatingly whiney voice boring and monotonously repetitive. He is up and down his vocal range over and over on nearly every song. About midway through the CD it felt like I was listening to the same song over and over with musical variations. For me the song lyrics were mostly juvenile and often trite. Especially on the song "X&Y". HOWEVER, Their band members' musicality and instrument talent is undeniable. For this reason I can say I somewhat enjoyed the CD. Overall, if I have to pick a listen to again, maybe, these songs merit a redux: "White Shadows"; "A Message"; "Low".

I first heard this On Holiday and ever since then It has never gotten too boring or too tired to listen to..excellent ++++++

This is one of the best album of all times. Every song is amazing. No fillers here.

I think this is an all-around great album. There is something about "Fix You" that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Of course, there is also "Speed of Sound" and "The Hardest Part," which seemed to be the biggest tracks off this album. The bonus track, "'Til Kingdom Come" isn't too shabby either.

Anyway, being one with a discerning ear and a home theater setup that can expose flaws in recordings, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that this album is a victim of the loudness war and contains almost no dynamic range. There are long passages of songs that border on clipping and are just plain LOUD. Of course, I've come to expect this from all new recordings, so I won't dock the album that much.