Bye bye Coldplay: I once was a fan
Once upon a time, I liked a band called Coldplay.
They made an awesome song called “Trouble” and another called “Clocks” and I was hooked. I found “Spies” and “Amsterdam” and “A Rush Of Blood To The Head”
Then came X & Y. I liked it at first, but when I tried to explain it to one of my friends, I found out that I didn’t like it for anything other than “It sounded nice when I heard it.” Now admittedly that’s reason enough, but when I heard it repeatedly, it seemed as if they were remixing their older songs. But the thing was, it wasn’t anything memorable for me.
I felt a bit icky. But then news came out of a new album called “42″ which would be 42 minutes long and with a title track called “42″ and I was completely in anticipatory mode – I will ask Mr. H. Alagappa to vouch for when I called him up and said that if this album/song was even a little bit awry, I would get offended (Mainly because of all the interviews and blurbs about how much work they were putting in, and Brian Eno this, and “most important work” that). Which of course it was.
Then it turns out that the album is called *cough* “Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends” – with “Viva La Vida” and “Death And All His Friends” both being titular tracks – not or, but and. I found out about that free track “Violet Hill” – and was unimpressed. It was a decent song, but not nearly good enough. The album, I hoped, would be better.
I was wrong. It’s the best track on a frankly weak album, which now I find has sold FORTY million records! (Am I right there?)
Holy moly! The songs are nowhere near as good as the first two albums, you can tell. “42″ is a confused number. Some of the others sound like old melodies/samples you’ve heard over the ages.
And then, after all the hoopla around last.fm promoting them (and I notice dissing Radiohead – bad move from them I feel 
), came the big news.
Creaky Boards, a Chicago based indie-rock band accused them of ripping off their song Viva La Vida from Creaky Boards‘ (ironical title in hindsight) “The Songs I Didn’t Write” – which in itself is more than a halfway decent song. While that has cooled down, now it’s Joe Satriani’s turn to accuse, and now sue Coldplay over the same song.
And back in Coldplay’s home country, The Telegraph says maybe French sensation Alizee should sue Satriani AND Coldplay.
Whatever. Coldplay – I will always have the first two albums. Like Linkin Park. Yes, that’s how bad things are for us now – your name is below Linkin Park – at least they stole from band member Mike Shinoda’s other crew for Minutes To Midnight.
Bye bye. I will not anticipate eagerly your next album. You’re no better than the Britneys now, and may your expanded sales give you much peace.
And for people saying Coldplay don’t have anything to do with the whole “being inspired from Radiohead” theory. A link. Be happy.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:22 am
I completely agree with everything you have written! I cannot believe that Cold Play is as popular as they are now, as you’ve said most of their songs sound like stuff you’ve already heard. You should checkout this french singer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceSxEjwXHcM, maybe its just me, but this song and Viva La Vida have a strange resemblance while the French song was released way back in 2003!
December 16th, 2008 at 12:31 am
I agree that Coldplay have gotten increasingly formulaic, which gives that sappy, commercial, popmuzak feel to their later albums. But I still like them. I certainly thought of you when I saw a track entitled 42. And DA too. Why do you think he grabbed that number? You say it’s a “confused” number. Is it because it’s the product of 6, commonly associated with evil, and 7, commonly associated with good????
December 16th, 2008 at 9:48 am
@staral:
Yep. Alizee, like the link I have mentioned in the post.
@Dave: Ooh there’s a whole mythology behind why DNA chose that number. Hundreds of guesses, stories, some actually true… despite Douglas maintaining that him and a friend (while writing a script) spent two days trying to find the funniest 2 digit number, and then deciding on 42, I think it was he cumulative effect of the number appearing a disproportionately high number of times in BBC’s radio and TV comedies.
And by “confused number” I meant the song “42″ is a confused song, not the number 42.
December 18th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
The Grammys have once again proved to us that they don’t know crap about music.
Coldplay has 7 nominations. The three main awards and they’ve been nominated in both Pop and Rock categories.
The interesting thing is that Radiohead has 5 nominations, the highest any of their albums have ever received. AND they’re up against Coldplay in 3 categories. If Coldplay win… I predict terrible things will happen. College students in Oxford will kill themselves rather than live in a world where the music community believes Viva La Vida is a better album than In Rainbows.
December 21st, 2008 at 5:23 am
haha, sorry I’m not good with French names
. I didn’t remember what the girls name was when I gave you the youtube link so I didn’t make the connection. I feel stupid! Are you happy about what you have done to me??
December 21st, 2008 at 9:14 am
Well to be honest, a little, yes.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
This is so very true. Recently, even I started hating Coldplay. The band that “once upon a time” was my favorite. But I never tried to understand “why?”. Got the answer here.
RIP Coldplay.
Switching to Oasis now… “Where did it all go wrong?” ..
January 1st, 2009 at 8:34 pm
On second thoughts, I am listening ‘In My Place’ again…
December 6th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I must say, Viva La Vida is like their Kid A moment… Sort of.
It’s an album that is unlike anything they have done previously. Absolutely new and hence, disorientating. It takes time and multiple listens to appreciate.
That’s where the comparision ends, however. While Kid A and Amnesiac were of the same musical standard as OK Computer… Viva La Vida is barely just above X & Y and nothing close to the genius that were Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head
Still, Life in Technicolor and Cemetries of London are passable. And Strawberry Swing has a neat video.