Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head

We were skeptical of Coldplay’s massively huge debut album Parachutes. It seemed like a blatant ripoff of a much better thing—to wit, fellow Scottish navelgazers Travis—and a kind of superbuffed commercial repackaging of Britain’s wave of earnest young acoustic groups. But as the saying goes, you have your whole life to record your first album and one year to record the second. As such, a band really ought to be judged by its sophomore effort, and we have to admit that we’re entirely impressed with Coldplay’s followup. Ringing melodies, smart lyrics, big rock a la cart. Where Parachutes was a bit thin and tentative at times, Rush has polish, soul, and real depth—the mark of a band that’ll be making fine music for a long time to come, even if they’re on the road most of the calendar year. If we must suffer yet another British invasion, may it be as gentle, tuneful, and bloodless as “In My Place,” that crystalline single you’re hearing all over the radio just now.