A Rush of Blood to the Head (Capitol)

Coldplay 

A Rush of Blood to the Head (Capitol)

On its 2000 debut, Coldplay sounded like a band that took Radiohead's "Knives Out" a bit too literally, slicing and dicing that group's sound to bits, trimming away all the ambition in favor of sheer digestibility. Ironically, it only made Coldplay that much harder to swallow -- especially with a singer who sounds like a British Dave Matthews and a melancholy as monochromatic as the title of its breakout single, "Yellow."

But on its exceptional second album, Coldplay rebounds with a much stronger blend of austerity and adventure. Yes, the Radiohead comparisons are still apt, primarily because the progression this band has made from its debut is almost as striking as Thom Yorke and co.'s development from Pablo Honey to The Bends. A symphonic slow burn, A Rush of Blood to the Head blends throbbing piano and papier-mâché vocals into satisfying crescendos. The group's disquieting rockers are equally clamorous and calming, and it anchors its beatific, bracing ballads with backbeats that belong on the Autobahn.

  • A Rush of Blood to the Head (Capitol)

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this thread:

Add a comment

Latest in Hear & Now

  • The Magic Numbers

    The Magic Numbers(Capitol)
    • Oct 20, 2005
  • Lightning Bolt

    Hypermagic Mountain(Load)
    • Oct 20, 2005
  • Atmosphere

    You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having(Rhymesayers)
    • Oct 20, 2005
  • More »

Facebook Activity

All contents ©2012 Kansas City Pitch LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this service may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Kansas City Pitch LLC,
except that an individual may download and/or forward articles via email to a reasonable number of recipients for personal, non-commercial purposes.
Website powered by Foundation