release date: Jul. 10, 2000
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Ken Nelson, Coldplay
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Don't Panic" (official video) - 2. "Shiver" - 5. "Yellow" (4 / 5) - 6. "Trouble"
Studio album debut by Coldplay. All songs are credited the band consisting of Chris Martin on vocals, acoustic guitar, and keyboards, Jonny Buckland on guitar, and backing vocals, Guy Berryman on bass, and with Will Champion on drums and percussion. The music is primarily pop / rock but there are bits of alt. rock and a distinct element of britpop on this one.
The album rocketed its way to the top of the UK albums chart list and the band won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 2001 as well as winning the Brit Awards also in 2001. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", and it's been registered as the twelve best-selling album ever released in Britain.
Yes, it's undoubtedly fine and I also found the album interesting, though not really great. I find it too slick, too anonymous and somewhat generic in the long run, and I hear too many familiar artists in their music: Travis, Radiohead, U2, but not when they were aspiring to be themselves. It's just something for everyone, and Coldplay are easily favourites of whole families. It's neither too noisy, too hard, too odd, or too provocative an album that would stir up anything. Not that music has to but this is like a band trying so hard to be liked by everyone.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]
