Coldplay
““Parachutes””
(EMI)
The vitality of wistful adolescent love and youthful perplexity is captured so unassumingly here. Parachutes sails through heavenly textured melodies with an understated grace, approaching the listener with a child-like bravado. Often foolishly labeled as another U.K. Radiohead spin-off, a more accurate comparison might be Catherine Wheel or the Dave Matthews band, but neither can touch on Coldplay’s overall sense of purity. They rely very little, if not at all, on bizarre and puzzling artistic nonsense. Ultimately, its composed honesty is what earns it such merit. The unfeigned sincerity of lyrics as profound as “For you I’d bleed myself dry” are steadily driven home by singer John Buckman’s convincingly heartfelt overtures. It’s lilting guitars and inspiring piano ministries, such as Trouble’s emotional prelude, gently propel the album, shaping a sweet and glorious voyage. Parachutes is unconditionally an uplifting journey, revealing more strengths with each listen.
