Now Idolator defends X&Y! Is it finally "cool" to like Coldplay?

[gai]

In Defense Of Coldplay’s ‘X&Y’

 

 

With the unexpected and total domination of A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay had become the biggest band in the world in the span of just two albums. So follow-up X&Y was their first project as the reigning kings of arena rock, and while it did nothing to suggest they didn’t belong at the top it was almost instantly seen as a disappointment upon its release on June 6, 2005. The reviews were generally favorable, but the positive ones read more like resigned acceptance while the negative ones took offense with the album’s inoffensiveness.

 

In recent years, a backlash to the Coldplay backlash has gained steam, yet even in a world where Stereogum and Pitchfork come to the defense of the most successful band in the land, that third album is spoken of as a lost cause. But with 10 years to absorb it, forget about it and revisit it, I’ve come to the conclusion that X&Y is a more ambitious album than it gets credit for, and that it might even be appreciated in some distant future.

 

Hidden somewhere in X&Y, there’s an adventurous, almost concept album about space and technology. The LP is filled with lyrics about galactic travel and flight, its very first notes reference 2001: A Space Odyssey, there’s a Kraftwerk interpolation and a loose binary code theme overhangs the proceedings. That latter feature is apparent from the “X&Y” title to the Baudot code album artwork to the alternating loud/soft tracklist. And shoehorned into all that interstellar fuckery, for some reason, is what was meant to be a Johnny Cash collab (he died before recording with Coldplay). On paper, this was a bold and quite possibly weird album.

 

But in Coldplay’s hands, it sounded decidedly less adventurous — perhaps the absurd 18-month, three-version recording slog watered everything down. After all, when you compose an album the way Congress tries to pass a bill, you’re bound to grind any sense of discovery into dust and airbrush the remaining blemishes. And yet, it’s perversely impressive how they made potentially risky choices sound so inconsequential. From this album onward, every influence and idea that came into Coldplay’s orbit got sucked into a black hole and spat out into an alternate dimension of weepy stadium crescendos. “Talk” is the best example: I defy you to find another band that would sample Kraftwerk with the clear intent of making it not sound like Kraftwerk… and actually pull it off! Shoegaze, EDM, Bowie, the same thing happened to these reference points when they floated too close to Coldplay’s event horizon.

 

This Chris Martin-ization of every outside element gives the album the overall feeling that everything was calculated and diagrammed out before it was put to tape, whereas the first two albums had moments of spontaneity and imperfection. X&Y was the when the “too perfect, too clean, too safe” criticisms took hold. Yet the pristine nature of the album is an achievement in consistency and scale. The futurist obsession spawned a consistent texture that elegantly bridged the gap between rock’s analog past and its just-beginning digital future. At that time, most electronica in rock was meant to agitate and isolate the listener, but on X&Y the artificial touches were there to swaddle the listener, like the coils of a heated blanket.

 

Regardless of whether a song was soft, loud, upbeat or dreary, there was a blissful, spacey undercurrent here, with something always fluttering in the margins or gleaming in the distance. Peerless production didn’t preclude the album from having duds, of course. Mope-rock filler like “What If” and “A Message” are some of the band’s lowest points. But even so, Parachutes and the stadium-sized Rush Of Blood sound thin and brittle compared to even the weakest moments on X&Y, thanks to this steady, glistening layer of activity which would serve as the template for all subsequent Coldplay albums — even the subdued Ghost Stories had a small-scale decadence to it.

 

But in the garage rock-reviving times of 2005, flaws were still a marker of authenticity for guitar-wielding acts, so the clinical and calibrated richness of X&Y was immensely uncool. This despite the fact that Jonny Buckland hit a bunch of alt cred sweet spots. On songs like “Square One,” “Fix You” and “Low,” he brandished crisp Interpol-meets-The Edge post-punk repetitions. Elsewhere he channeled R.E.M.‘s Peter Buck, with his crystalline leads on “White Shadows” and “Talk” evoking the peals of “The One I Love,” and “The Hardest Part” recalling Buck’s pseudo-Western jangle. This was a surprisingly solid guitar album, but it was too much bleach and not enough Bleach.

 

Such proudly glossy perfectionism is always considered corny in its time, only gaining the respect of the cool kids much later. Just look at disco, solo Phil Collins, ’90s R&B: These were all eminently lame as they were happening, and they all had cachet in subsequent eras because the production values, songcraft and sheer talent stood the test of time. This type of critical reevaluation is happening to an even greater degree in the wake of poptimism, and a prime 2010s example is Destroyer’s Kaputt, which was a critical darling for repurposing ’80s adult-contempo goop, reimagining Steve Winwood as millennial bedroom pop. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a Coldplay-influenced version of that in 20 years, and X&Y would be the pristine and benign album at the center of such a project. Hell, “Fix You” alone could influence an entire generation of post-ironic power balladeers.

 

And that’s all because X&Y is a collection of well-executed songs with impeccable detailing. It is not a masterpiece, but it’s not the insipid slab of generic, big-budget rock that it’s made out to be. To prove it, listen to Mumford & Sons’ soporific, X&Y-aping new album, and you’ll really see how bad “bad Coldplay” actually sounds.

 

x

[gai]

maybe kanye was right (for once) after all? coldplay wouldn't be appreciated in their own time, but more retrospectively?

[Christa42]

The fact that the writer appreciates "One I Love" is a testament to him doing his homework and really listening. Uh but "A Message" is a huge favorite and "What if" has some amazing, get's you in the gut lyrics. What does he mean by "Too much bleach and not enough bleach"? it is too clean?

[I ran away]

Honestly, I don't get it why X&Y did not receive favorable reviews and is still often badly looked upon. Do melodies nowadays count nothing in assessing music ? X&Y is melodic Coldplay in its prime, I agree that AROBTTH is the better album because it has a better flow but there is hardly any single disc that has so many single great tracks as X&Y ! Just think of the timeless melodies of White Shadows, Fix you, Talk, Speed of Sound, What If, The hardest part...and then of course Jonny's incredible atmospheric texture !

I admit I'm a rather melody-driven music listener though, maybe other people are less so. For me, there is nothing worse than music that just floats, has no worthwhile melody and songs that go nowhere (Hence my dislike for tracks like AIMH, for example)

And "What If" and "A Message" are just filling tracks ? Did this guy ever close his eyes and listen intently to them ? There's so much emotion and feeling to be found in nearly all of X&Ys songs (for me, weaker points are only the tracks X&Y, Swallowed in the Sea and Till Kingdom Come, but even they are still pretty good !)

 

So, in summary: "I'll say it loud and clear" I'm glad my X&Y disc is here ! :x&y:

[Prospector]

maybe kanye was right (for once) after all? coldplay wouldn't be appreciated in their own time, but more retrospectively?

 

My thoughts

 

CANT BELIEVE IM FINALLY BECOMING A COOL KID ONLY NOW

[lennyrott1]

Really like these articles. They sum up how I feel too. Definitely not perfect album, and I too think that What If and A Message are only okay compared to the rest of the album. I think the Bleach is referring to the cleanness.. Coldplay does have knack for making their very clean, but that gets them way too much flack.

 

Also, surprised this person didn't mention the crappy lyrics in this record too. Sure, some of them are brilliant, but some are dreadful in my opinion. Really glad to see this album getting some respect on its 10th Birthday though :) It really is a remarkable record and this article perfectly sums up what makes it so great!

[Guest howyousawtheworld]

The fact that the writer appreciates "One I Love" is a testament to him doing his homework and really listening. Uh but "A Message" is a huge favorite and "What if" has some amazing, get's you in the gut lyrics. What does he mean by "Too much bleach and not enough bleach"? it is too clean?

 

He might have been referencing REM's The One I Love?

 

A Message works as a lovely little acoustic tune. Still remain unconvinced by the final product which seemed to be unwillingly dragged to panoramic levels. But at heart, it's a sweet lovely song and I think it just holds on to that on the album version.

 

I think people are right to re evaluate this album. The writer makes a great point about it emerging in a time when raw, garage rock was rearing it's head, most noticeably in the form of the Arctic Monkeys. An almost mini Brit pop revival happened with the likes of Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs and even the original flag wavers Oasis producing albums that were far removed from the spacey, atmospheric rock that Coldplay properly ventured into with this album. That didn't help them with regards to officially being tagged as 'uncool'.

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

I listened to X&Y for the first time again today after a long while.

 

Really, I don't know why I disliked it so much for awhile there. Low has some lyrics that, dare I say, are on par with some of the ARoBttH lyrics. Totally underrated song. Speed of Sound, Talk, and Swallowed in the Sea are excellent also :wacky:

 

Maybe I'm just being nostalgic, but today's listen bumped it up a spot on my list of Coldplay albums :P

[JackZ]

I think it was over-hyped for one thing. People expected it to be even better than Arobtth (which is a difficult thing to be) especially after the delay of its release dropped EMI's stock. Lots of hype there.

 

It's also probably a couple songs too long. Get rid of The Hardest Part and Twisted Logic and it'd be a far more concise album.

 

Disagree about A Message and What If though. The former is great and the latter is good.

[theprospekt]

I too am very happy that opinion has transformed in X&Y and Coldplay's favor.

 

I don't get the hate on A Message though. Among Coldplay's complete discography it's among my favorites. It's a very touching and well executed love song in my opinion.

 

 

[smoke is rising from the houses]

[WeddingDom]

A Message is my favorite song from X&Y. Glad this album is getting the recognition it deserves :D

[POTALe Master]

This Chris Martin-ization of every outside element gives the album the overall feeling that everything was calculated and diagrammed out before it was put to tape, whereas the first two albums had moments of spontaneity and imperfection. X&Y was the when the “too perfect, too clean, too safe” criticisms took hold. Yet the pristine nature of the album is an achievement in consistency and scale. The futurist obsession spawned a consistent texture that elegantly bridged the gap between rock’s analog past and its just-beginning digital future. At that time, most electronica in rock was meant to agitate and isolate the listener, but on X&Y the artificial touches were there to swaddle the listener, like the coils of a heated blanket.

It's actually for this that it's my favorite album of theirs. The album from start to finish feels like it had a sweeping amount of time and effort poured into nearly every note -- much like a progressive rock album (though I consider the album too poppy to fall under that label). "What If" and "A Message" are strong points of the album. It's "Swallowed In the Sea" and "Till Kingdom Come" are the two lowest points of the album (but I still never skip over them).

[beastwars]

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a Coldplay-influenced version of that in 20 years, and X&Y would be the pristine and benign album at the center of such a project. Hell, “Fix You” alone could influence an entire generation of post-ironic power balladeers.

 

And that’s all because X&Y is a collection of well-executed songs with impeccable detailing. It is not a masterpiece, but it’s not the insipid slab of generic, big-budget rock that it’s made out to be. To prove it, listen to Mumford & Sons’ soporific, X&Y-aping new album, and you’ll really see how bad “bad Coldplay” actually sounds.

 

 

Absolutely true. Last years' pop rock has been greatly influenced by Coldplay's work in their first 3 albums, especially X&Y. I always consider them as a trilogy, with "Parachutes" representing the recent past of that time (second part of the 90's), "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" being the perfect snapshot of that present time (first years of the 00s) and "X&Y" a sort of prophecy of the near future.

"X&Y" also has a very personal mood, that anticipates the feelings of the modern men (uncertainty for the future, unaffection, ecc) and incorporates them in a sonically perfect landscape that remains original despite all his influences are emphasized.

It's for these reasons that I consider it my favourite album of them and I think it's the only seminal album they made in their whole career. I disagree with the article when it says that it's not a masterpiece, IMO it's on the same level of his predecessors, its only flaw it's the fact it wasn't musically trendy in 2005 alt rock and pop culture.

It's the album where the critical compromise is more evident: they couldn't be marked as alt rock neither pop, so they were considered too bland or too elaborate at the time (and still today).

If there's an adjective that represents Coldplay's first part of their career (especially X&Y) it could be only one: misunderstood.

 

p.s. I think that there are only two songs that are not so great but still good:

1) A Message: I just think it doesn't fit with the rest of the album and its lyrics are not so original

2) Fix You: I know my opinion is very unpopular, but I think it would have been the most boring song of them without that amazing outro. That's why I hate when the band play live only "Fix You" from X&Y. Now you can kill me if you want :laugh3:

[I ran away]

Absolutely true. Last years' pop rock has been greatly influenced by Coldplay's work in their first 3 albums, especially X&Y. I always consider them as a trilogy, with "Parachutes" representing the recent past of that time (second part of the 90's), "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" being the perfect snapshot of that present time (first years of the 00s) and "X&Y" a sort of prophecy of the near future.

"X&Y" also has a very personal mood, that anticipates the feelings of the modern men (uncertainty for the future, unaffection, ecc) and incorporates them in a sonically perfect landscape that remains original despite all his influences are emphasized.

It's for these reasons that I consider it my favourite album of them and I think it's the only seminal album they made in their whole career. I disagree with the article when it says that it's not a masterpiece, IMO it's on the same level of his predecessors, its only flaw it's the fact it wasn't musically trendy in 2005 alt rock and pop culture.

It's the album where the critical compromise is more evident: they couldn't be marked as alt rock neither pop, so they were considered too bland or too elaborate at the time (and still today).

If there's an adjective that represents Coldplay's first part of their career (especially X&Y) it could be only one: misunderstood.

 

Well said, I like your take on it !

[Batman]

2) Fix You: I know my opinion is very unpopular, but I think it would have been the most boring song of them without that amazing outro. That's why I hate when the band play live only "Fix You" from X&Y. Now you can kill me if you want :laugh3:

I agree with you here on the outro part. Without it it would have been pretty annoying and bland

 

 

 

 

 

uR STILL GONNA LOSE A LEG MUHAHAHA

 

 

 

[I ran away]

Err, OK. I don't agree with the additional comments ! :)

[Batman]

Err, OK. I don't agree with the additional comments ! :)

 

:lol:

 

YOU! COME BACK HERE!! :saw:

[Feldmeister]

Easily the album I've listened to the most

[I ran away]

:lol:

 

YOU! COME BACK HERE!! :saw:

 

 

*dies honorably defending X&Y* :dead: