After waiting 18 months, Coldplay fans around the world are now privy to the band’s latest album release, X&Y. The British rockers do not disappoint listeners with this, their third album, delivering the tried-and-true combination of quiet melodies, driven beats and thoughtful lyrics.

The band is comprised of four men: Guy Berryman, Johnny Buckland, Will Champion and front man Chris Martin. Coldplay was formed during the musicians’ first week of college in London. Becoming fast friends, the men took their respective positions in the group and, under the original name of Starfish, began to play local gigs. Later changing the band’s name to Coldplay, borrowed from another band that decided it no longer had use for the moniker, the group recorded and released Parachutes in 2000 and A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2002. The band’s sophomore album garnered the most recognition in the United States and, to supplement its release, Coldplay began an extensive touring stint.

In starting work on X&Y, band members quickly realized something wasn’t quite right. Says drummer Will Champion on the band’s website, “It had just become quite … easy … . It didn’t have any passion to it, any energy.” Adds Martin, “There was no identity. So we decided we had to strip everything away, to go back into a crummy rehearsal room with beer on the floor and band names etched into the pillars and just play together.” What resulted, after months of “just playing together,” was an album featuring a close-knit band driven by a newfound purpose and inspiration.

X&Y features 12 tracks, all of which tackle ideas of the unknown, life, love and staying grounded. As guitarist Johnny Buckland told Rolling Stone: “We’re always looking for answers to our questions. X&Y represents the answers that we can’t find.”

These ideas of searching and the unknown are all heavily explored in the album’s lyrics. Musically speaking, each song on the album boasts typical Coldplay falsetto, as well as a wistful, pulsing sound.

One of the best songs on the CD is, by far, “Fix You,” with its slow start and gradual crescendo, a trait found in many of the album’s songs. The title track, “X&Y,” delivers haunting vocals, and the upbeat “The Hardest Part” serves as a nice deviation from Coldplay’s more melancholy songs. The hidden track, “Kingdom Come,” is also noteworthy. A song originally written for Johnny Cash but never recorded by the legendary musician before his death, “Kingdom Come” showcases the clarity and folk style of Martin’s voice, proving a natural fit.

The album’s single, “Speed of Sound,” is in a way the most disappointing song on the album, as it sounds uncannily like A Rush of Blood to the Head‘s “Clocks.” The album on a whole does not stray far from Coldplay’s usual sound and style. While the songs on X&Y are not necessarily groundbreaking or earth shattering, the group still comes together for a solid musical offering, delighting both old and new Coldplay fans.

X&Y is filled with personal touches. At a recent concert to promote the album, Martin supplemented “Kingdom Come” with a performance of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” a favorite of the band. The CD sleeve of X&Y reads BWP, dedicating the album to Bruce Paltrow, Martin’s late father-in-law. It is these personal touches that support the rest of the album and exemplify the band’s rediscovered bond and sense of self. X&Y is a wonderful addition to any music collection. While not perfect, it presents a culmination of songs that are sure to please.

Grade: B

Second Opinion

X&Y certainly isn’t the masterpiece that A Rush of Blood to the Head was, but that’s not to say it’s horrible. “Fix You,” which has almost as many layers as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is easily the best track on the album. Other standouts like “The Hardest Part” and “Square One” sound like old Coldplay cranked up a few notches. Martin and crew go for a more arena-rock sound on the disc, often reminding listeners of U2 (at least before they sucked). Though the disc has some hits, the overall feel of X&Y is that Coldplay is content to keep doing the same thing they’ve been doing and figure fans will immediately embrace it.

Grade: B

— Ryan Gauthier, ArtsEtc. Editor