Coldplay — X&Y

If A Rush Of Blood To The Head was Coldplay-lite, then X&Y is Coldplay-ultra lite. Production-wise, this is the group's cleanest effort to date and features some of their best-ever tracks — the epic LP opener "Square One" and single "Speed Of Sound." But it also contains some of Coldplay's blandest work. Chris Martin doesn't even sound like he's trying on "What If," half of Jonny Buckland's guitar work sounds as if he spent the last two years in a guitar clinic with U2's The Edge and by the time the drumline on "Talk" kicks in, we get that Will Champion likes the disco beat. You can't fault the band for writing some really catchy music, but this is the last time the current Coldplay formula will work. If they expect to succeed in the future, it's going to take more than an exhaustive media tour — trying a new direction will be a requisite.

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