Coldplay Takes Aim

[Robbien]

At a press conference in Hong Kong, the band's frontman made both a jab at Vice President Dick Cheney and fueled speculation that Coldplay may go the route of Weezer and disband.

When talking about why they don't get into fights with other bands, Chris Martin spoke out against the second in command, "You know, if you don't like , just listen to something else. We'd much rather have a fight with Dick Cheney, you know - people who really do things that we consider to be bad." The comment brought laughs from the crowd and prompted the moderator to add, "Did everybody hear that?"

http://www.tmz.com/2006/07/13/coldplay-takes-aim/

[Maven]

1. Nice comment, but

Coldplay is still a more mass-market-friendly photocopy of Radiohead--even their name is pastiche.

[cenacle]

2. I love Coldplay...

especially their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, an album I would put on a list of the best rock albums of all time. I don't think they have anything in particular in common with Radiohead, except both are great British rock bands. If anything, in terms of contemporary bands, they have some commonality with U2, whom Chris Martin seems to admire a great deal.

Chris Martin and Thom Yorke don't write similar lyrics, the former being more of a romantic, yearning kind while the latter is brilliant and dark and cynical. For me Coldplay has the feel of a band like the Beatles, though not in that class yet for sheer number of great albums, and Radiohead reminds me of Pink Floyd, though again without the same number of great works. But I do love both Coldplay and Radiohead, and for me they both rock superlatively.

I hope Coldplay find a way to keep together; X & Y was a disappointing album lyrically though not musically. They may find their way to the heights again since, in my opinion, they've been there at least once.

[Maven]

3. I didn't say they shouldn't coexist

but in NO WAY should Coldplay be put on a par with Radiohead--I'm sorry, the former is a more easily digestible facsimile of the latter. From the falsetto/whiny vocals to the use of piano and synth, the abstruse song lyrics (which Coldplay merely translated to displaced emotion rather than detachment and angst), even the visuals are a copy.

See this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/arts/music/05pare.html?ex=1275624000&en=cbaa2f1d6333a5fd&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[gatorboy]

4. I hear the same argument with Muse but I don't hear it.

Coldplay 's music is much more radio-friendly than Radioheads. But radiohead's experimental sound is miles ahead of anything Coldplay does. Same with Muse. The vocalist sounds similar to Thom Yorke but as far as their sound goes, Muse as more in common with Queen than Radiohead.

Which reminds me, Thom Yorke was on Fresh Air yesterday, I think...

[Maven]

5. See, now I wouldn't say the same thing about Muse

While at some points his voice happens to sound a *little* like Thom Yorke's, their vocal styles are not the same, the lyrics are completely different, and they don't use the same melodic patterns--listen to the most recent Muse album, especially...really good.

[gatorboy]

6. The new album's pretty cool.

The Queen stuff's there plus they seem to have pulled out a few Black Sabbath sounding riffs. Very good album, but way too short.

[rucky]

7. NOOOOOOO!

First Granddaddy and now this?

at least we'll still have Radiohead.