well...i didnt even like Coldplay until about a week ago....i read something about x&y in my newspaper and it was praising it as this work of art...they were calling it an epic...comparing to the likes of sgt.pepper...i knew right then they were doing something i had to hear...i immediately came on to the computer and found the site that let you hear the whole thing before it was released...i listened to the whole thing and was blown away...i dont think it was overproduced at all...it just creates atmosphere. It also does have ballads...how about 'what if'? Just because its more layered...i dont think it loses anything..just adds to the atmosphere of the spacey kind of album they were probably shooting for..AND just cause i just started listening to them ...does not mean im ignorant to coldplay cause ive hear their other 2 albums like 30 times in the past week....I love their old sound...I dont think Ive hear one song i dont like...but they evovled into something huge. their songwriting has been taken up a notch...they can create real atmosphere rather then just intamacy like they did with the previous....im not nocking their old stuff...im praising their new....i think its a masterpiece...beautifully produced...and well layered. Sorta sometimes reminds me of something like OK computer...