Coldplay: A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Clear Eco Vinyl)

The year 2002 could hardly have started better for COLDPLAY. When their debut album "Parachutes" was awarded the Grammy for "Best Alternative Rock Album" in February, it was only then that the dimensions of this extremely successful debut album became apparent. After all, "Parachutes" had already been released in the summer of 2000 and in the meantime had been showered with jubilation and honored with two Brit Awards in addition to numerous other prizes. The young British band, who once claimed, not without justification, that their album was much more famous than they themselves were because nobody knew what they looked like, have indeed taken Brit-pop to new international heights. Chubby melancholy and simple beauty were the cornerstones of her album, which sold over five million copies worldwide, a fifth of them in the USA alone. Within a few months, COLDPLAY had advanced from a small club act to headlining major rock festivals and, with songs such as "Yellow" and "Shiver", had provided sonic proof that there was something to be said for the soulless trash that, in their opinion, populated the charts. With "A Rush Of Blood To The Head", they also leave the glamor of the pop business to one side and appear highly focused on every single one of the eleven new songs. Every line, every chorus radiates a melodic power that penetrates deep into the consciousness. The ambition to create a great work is almost physically palpable. On songs like "Daylight" and "A Whisper", COLDPLAY sound more dynamic and focused than ever, with the latter song in particular reminiscent of Pink Floyd in its psychedelic rotation. And the countryesque "Green Eyes", the first, blissfully jubilant single "In My Place" and the almost adorably cathartic title track will make any bon vivant's heart bleed with their irresistible melodies alone. COLDPLAY have set the bar very high and are soaring to new heights with emotionally intense songs that make them hot contenders for album of the year. The upcoming tours promise to be gigantic. It's crazy when you consider that all four musicians in this quartet are still in their early twenties.