Coldplay

Coldplay is like the current (sad) makeup of the Democratic Party: consummate people pleasers. The music of this megapopular British band can be heard at the dentist's office, in the J.C. Penney housewares department or on this week's very special episode of The O.C. Lead bloke Chris Martin croons behind his piano and the group's sweeping orchestral textures with a voice like Devonshire cream. It's easy to listen to, but the obtuse lyrics, often about sounds and shapes, are somewhat irksome. Coldplay consistently achieves a level of inoffensiveness that's both admirable and suspicious. But maybe we're exploring this superficially. Martin is adamantly anti-Bush, and he has often criticized the Iraq war. Perhaps the lyric Little white shadows sparkle and glisten/Part of a system, a plan from X&Y's "White Shadows" is actually a Coldplay code for undermining the administration by way of laser light shows at planetariums. Bet the Democrats haven't thought of that one.