FAO Jono

Righto - Coldplay, and why they're s**te.

Firstly, musically. I remember hearing the first single, and liking it.

I only listen to chart-music-radio first thing in the morning - because I'm shocking at getting up, and breakfast radio DJs are so indescribably irritating that they do a better job of shifting me than any number of alarm clocks (see note), and at that time it was fairly rare to hear anything with a bit of depth on Radio 1 . I made a half-arsed mental note to listen out for single two which, when it came along, was shatteringly crap.

The third single was half-decent, though it gave me endless amusement to walk around work singing, "They spun, a (scream) WEEEEEEBBBBBB" etc.

After that, it all went wrong. You'll often find that a band's best work comes in the first couple of albums. When you're playing in bands after work and doing it for f**k-all (I made a huge financial loss during my oft-interrupted 'career' because I was really crap and didn't really take it seriously - and also, I can't get on with other musicians) you really are doing it for the love of it - because you *need* to. I can't imagine maintaining that commitment if I'd ever been paid well to do it. In Coldplay's case, IMVHO, as soon as the bucks started rolling in the band immediately took on the route that thousands of bands have followed previously: they lost their souls, they did it because they COULD, not because they HAD to.

The music is, as others have stated, bland and insipid. That's not an opinion, that's a statement that's difficult to argue, though it doesn't mean that nobody's allowed to like it, or that anyone's dumb for so doing. What IS a matter of (my) opinion is that they're frankly dreadful, they're taking themselves FAR too seriously, that they think they can do no wrong and that every word they sing and note they play is interesting and worthy of merit.

They wouldn't be the first band to have no 'change of pace' - but (and I admit I'm no expert on the band as I avoid them wherever possible) in Coldplay's case the first time I heard them attempt to change pace (with 'Clocks' IIRC) they were actually laughable.

There followed a string of unbelievably slow, turgid, dreary singles (I can't speak for the albums: someone tried to play me the first album once but I begged them to stop - we got onto one of those 'play the first twelve seconds of each song' thing which isn't fair to the band but IS within my rights within The Beholder's Share and all that). The best thing I can say for the band is that they aren't Travis.

Secondly: (shall I do 'secondly' or shall I leave it there? I'm going to talk about the concept of Undemanding Youth........ I'll continue if you're interested in my opinion).

Peace, cheers,
Suggs

(NOTE:separate thread: how many alarm clocks does it take you to get out of bed? Mine is three: a radio at 5.45, a buzzer at 5.55, and a windup alarm clock with a bell on the far side of the room which screams the place down at 6.10 - all of which are a little too easy to ignore).

Posted By: Suggy on June 9th 2005 at 18:15:53

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