Films, and such.

listening to: What If? by Coldplay

X&Y Revisited.

When it first came out, X&Y was widely greeted as a huge disappointment. Events leading up the release didn't help: The release itself was delayed for a year, Coldplay were under immense pressure from Parlophone after the label suffered losses and there were even rumours that Coldplay were on the verge of breaking up.

Needless to say, the album suffered under huge expectations. For Parachutes/Rush of Blood fans, it sounded too different. For critics wanting a change in direction, it was too similiar to previous works.

Myself? I fell asleep listening to it. I was really looking forward to the release at that time, but found it really difficult to enjoy the album, particularly since i was looking for a Parachutes type of sound. Plus i kinda hated Fix You, which i found too sappy. Sadly, i waned off Coldplay after this album.

Recently, however, i've rediscovered X&Y. It started with my stumbling upon their X&Y era performances on Jools Holland. I've always like 'Square One' so that was the starting point. After that, i watch a performance of 'Talk', which was the source of much argument back when it was first released. (FYI, 'Talk', depending on your point of view, references or copies Kraftwerk)

Listening through the album again, i can't help but think it's been wrongly maligned. True enough, it wasn't as good as their previous works, but it wasn't a bad album. People were jumping on the anti-Coldplay bandwagon not because it was bad, but because it wasn't that great album that everyone expected. I mean, how many great albums can one band put out in a row. Look at Oasis.

It suffered also because Martin half-heartedly wanted a change in direction, but was too afraid of alienating fans. That said, X&Y sounds as different from traditional Coldplay fare as Viva La Vida, which many critics are suddenly hailing as a dramatic change in musical direction. Don't forget, their sampling of other music genres started from X&Y, with it's electronica tinge. (and let me add that Viva La Vida is over-rated)

Songs on X&Y aren't instantly memorable, but they have their own merit. The lyrics suffer from Chris Martin-cheese, but the music is at times intruiging. I found 'Square One' engaging from the start, and 'Talk' showcases a polished more up tempo side of Coldplay. The latter songs (A Message, 'Swallowed in the Sea') are acoustic fare which remind me of their earlier (and more sincere) sound.

So, well, if you have a X&Y CD collecting dust somewhere, go give it a second chance. You never know what you might rediscover.