Forgive me for sounding like a new disciple of the Coldplay Clan, but I really can't help it!
I had been waiting for someone, anyone, to bring out some music that really meant something to me. I'm not one of those people who memorise the names of band members or can tell you the intrinsic ... Read review
Parachutes - Coldplay
Music doesn't come more touching than Parachutes. With their debut single alone, the ... more
emotion-fortified "Shiver", Coldplay proved they could shift between elated and crushed in a breath as singer Chris Martin poured out music's oldest chestnut (uncondit...
emotion-fortified "Shiver", Coldplay proved they could shift between elated and crushed in a breath as singer Chris Martin poured out music's oldest chestnut (uncondit...
emotion-fortified "Shiver", Coldplay proved they could shift between elated and crushed in a breath as singer Chris Martin poured out music's oldest chestnut (unconditi...
Parachutes - Coldplay
Music doesn't come more touching thanParachutes. With their debut single alone, the ... more
emotion-fortified "Shiver", Coldplay proved they could shift between elated and crushed in a breath as singer Chris Martin poured out music's oldest chestnut (unconditi...
Parachutes - Coldplay
Music doesn't come more touching thanParachutes. With their debut single alone, the ... more
emotion-fortified "Shiver", Coldplay proved they could shift between elated and crushed in a breath as singer Chris Martin poured out music's oldest chestnut (unconditional yet unrequited love) with the shakiest of voices and a backdrop of epic guitars that rouse and tug at the heart strings. For 10 tracks onParachutes, he comes out with these, adding new-found meaning to the most tired and overused rock sentiments--love found, love lost, love unrequited, hurting the ones you love and the struggle that is life--over acoustic guitars and emotionally fraught rock. And for once, all the clichés ring true, thanks to Chris Martin genuinely sounding like a man picking over the bones of his life and soul, coming up with equal parts reasons to be cheerful and seriously depressed. Not thatParachutesis a depressing album; there's too much conviction to the guitars and hope in Martin's words for that. Instead it's a beautifully tender balance that comes as close to perfection as anything that's come before it.--Dan Gennoe
A review by marsden on Parachutes - Coldplay July 24th, 2001
Author's product rating:
Originality
Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics
Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks
Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Not applicable
Value for Money
Advantages:
Fantastic writing, lovely melodies and a refreshing front voice .
Disadvantages:
I'm waiting too long for the next album .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Forgive me for sounding like a new disciple of the Coldplay Clan, but I really can't help it!
I had been waiting for someone, anyone, to bring out some music that really meant something to me. I'm not one of those people who memorise the names of band members or can tell you the intrinsic musical qualities of the symphony but I know what I like, and I likes this alot!
The lead singer has a voice that sounds boyish yet portrays that certain wisdom that only comes with age. His voice is simple and clear yet has a quirky way of changing mid-note, this can be a tad bit tiring seeing as though he does it on every song, but hey, I don't care, the songs are all fantastic.
Finally, we have a new band that have got something more interesting to say than 'Oh Baby, why can't we be together' or 'Don't you love the summer, lets dance and sing' or the old cherry 'Wave your hands in the air like you just don't care'. I got a gist about a couple of songs like yellow - is it about a jaundiced baby or is that just my sick mind?, and Don't Panic - pretty much a shut up and stop moaning, look at what we've REALLY got and how it really is beautiful. But forget about that for a moment, and think about how simply lovely the songs are. There are melodies in there that really soothe and de-stress, and tune into your mood so easily. One of my favourite, Sparks, has got this sneaky chorus - the song as a whole feels laid back so you wonder why in a car drive you start yelling '& I saw sparks'. The lyrics are the kind you'll find yourself analysing every other time you put the CD on forever - that is after you've got over the simplistic appeal of the music on its own.
The style is soft yet roughly sophisticated, the music itself is the type that you can't instantly put a finger on but blends easily into the back of your mind. Back or fore ground music its a must for ALL music collections.
Advantages: Great album, fantastic group Disadvantages: None
...kicks straight in immediately after Parachutes and is a nice relaxing vibe. After a couple of minutes of listening to this song it gets a little repetitive but Chris sings beautifully and that definitely saves the song from the scrapheap! 6/10 We Never Change: This song continues with the relaxing feel of the end of the album and Chris is singing about how he wants to live life and I feel like this song was wrote for somebody in particular (maybe ... ...very easy to listen to and once again Chris shows off his vocal skills to excellent heights. 7/10 Everything's Not Lost: This is a great ending to the album, fantastic lyrics, fantastic music, Chris sounds fantastic! This talks about counting up your demons and everything not being lost if you can just drive the bad things from your mind. This song is by far the longest on the album at 7 minutes 15 seconds, I don't feel bored of this song but anymore ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Great vocals and melodys Disadvantages: Bit short
...but it is. Slightly like Parachutes the song, this song is slow and silky smooth, a great song to round off an amazing album.
There is not one bad song on this album and I couldn't reccomend it more highly. There's something for everyone, except for lads who like to sing-along. To you I say "Not a chance, mate". Hopefully they're good live as they'll be at Slane in Ireland during the summer and I'm going. C'mon!!!!!! ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Very good album for people of all musical Tastes Disadvantages: I almost let the overplaying of Yellow ruin it for me.
It was back in 2000 when Coldplay started to make a name for themselves. The debut single “Yellow” was being overplayed to death on the radio and TV and I found it was really starting to grate. It got so bad in fact that I put off buying the album deciding that Coldplay weren’t really worth bothering with and that one song was enough for me. A few months later I happened to hear a different track on the radio and thought that I might actually like ... ...They met at University and from there Chris Martin and the rest of the band decided they wanted to take on the world. Although Chris seems to have also made it his personal crusade to save the Earth as well. That’s getting ahead of myself though. They played a number of gigs around London and eventually seemed to catch someone’s eye and that someone decided to release a few of their tracks. From there things just kept getting better for Coldplay ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Fantastic debut Disadvantages: Can be dull and boring at times
...kinda way. • Parachutes The title track is also the shortest track, but it really doesn't need to be any longer. All there is, is Chris Martin singing softly and playing a little ditty on his acoustic guitar. It might sound a bit rubbish, but the band have found acoustic suits them very nicely (many of their gigs are done this way) and this track is the best example. • High Speed Using the singing-then-pause-then-guitar formula to good ... ...Your decision really whether this is good or not, but it certainly stands it on the album as something different. It's not really wowing chilling out stuff, but it's not hard rocky stuff either. Bit weird. But Chris Martin's fantastic voice draws me back to it. • We Never Change Back to slow, soft, nice indie stuff with track number nine. You might find it maybe too slow, as it doesn't really get off its feet. You may find yourself wanting ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
How does it compare to ...
Value for Money
very helpful
01.09.2001
WOEFULLY GOOD Review ofParachutes - Coldplayby
benicio
Advantages: quality not quantity(at last) Disadvantages: too short for some
I was tempted to buy this album as I had heard the single "trouble" sounded different I thought so gave in to my temptation.And im happy to say i have been rewarded.For at least the last ten years, to do well in this musical field, you had to be a goodlooking celeb, not a musician. You had to be a Britney, or an westlife. Music produced for you, you just come along, sing 6 or 7 lines, record a video and release.
But thankfully for people who actually ... ...exist. A band that have instruments. A band that "play music", an unheard of idea.
Right, enough stuff about how much I hate pop music, and on to a nice little review of the album...
At 10 tracks, and around 40 mins, this album is short-lived, but unlike most records, all the tracks are quality.Something i would controversialy say was missing from David's gray recent album.They do go for the old "quality not quantity" idea. And they do this I am ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Powerful vocal talent Disadvantages: A couple of weak tracks
...Well almost, some of the tracks on this excellent album do remind you of Dylan at his best. David Gray has such a distinct vocal talent and most of the tracks on this album promote this. The mix of Gray's strong voice and the accoustic guitar combine to make a distinct easy listening sound, which is ideal for background music or close listening.
This is certainly one of the best albums I have heard this year and is probably only eclipsed by Coldplay's parachutes.
If you are into proper music, i.e none of that Britney rubbish, you will like this, it is great music....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Some good songs. Disadvantages: Some awful songs, drab album cover
...I've always liked Coldplay. This album is nowhere near as high quality as Parachutes, their first album. Still, it is good effort with some good tracks like "Clocks", "The Scientist". There are a few drab songs on here though " Politik" is miserable, "In My Place" is just about bearable, "God Put A Smile On Your Face" is not very good. Green Eyes is pleasant and "A Whisper" is quite good too. I bought this when it came out and I think they have done better and can do better. Overall an average album with good bits and bad bits.
The album cover is probably the worst design I have come across, it looks something like a 1970's computer that scientists do analysis with. I would recommend their first album "Parachutes" instead....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Good songwriting and musicianship, a distinctive vocalist Disadvantages: Too retro for some, perhaps
...For all their retro cool image, and the lead singer's ridiculous ginger afro, Toploader are no fashionable flakes. The music on their first album is etched in quality, crafted with a tradionalists' love for the importance of songwriting over style.
Onka's Big Moka might be the weirdest title of recent times, but it's also one of the most impressive debuts of 2000. Forget Coldplay and their overhyped Parachutes album...here is where you'll find some of the most deeply satisfying mellow rock of the year. Achilles Heel, in particular, is far superior to the studied melancholy of a Yellow or Trouble.
While it does all sound rather 1970s, Toploader are by far the most intruiging new band of the last 12 months, and there's enough here to suggest their solid, often anthemic sound will soon evolve into something even greater....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Album Notes: Coldplay: Guy Berryman, Jon Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin. Producers: Coldplay, Ken Nelson, Chris Allison. Recorded between November 1999 and May 2000. PARACHUTES won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. In 2000, a small wave of British pop bands clearly heavily influenced by Radiohead's brand of anthemic mope rock arose, with Travis, Muse, and Coldplay at the forefront. Coldplay are the most clearly Radiohead-like, compared to the poppier Travis and the more electronic-oriented Muse, and their US debut, the 10-song PARACHUTES, should appeal to any fans of OK COMPUTER or THE BENDS who found KID A too weird for their tastes. (Coldplay even swipe a song title, "Don't Panic," from Douglas Adams, as Radiohead did with "Paranoid Android.) The soaring yet depressing single "Shiver" is a masterpiece of swelling emotion, and the fact that the other nine tracks, even the instrumental fragment of a title track, sound like variations on its theme is more a matter of conceptual and musical unity than a lack of ideas. This album deserves the hype it got on release.
Album Reviews: Q (10/01, p.73) - Ranked #21 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" Spin (1/01, p.73) - Ranked #19 in Spin's "Top 20 Albums of the Year [2000]" - "...[They] hoist their blue guitars and tug on Radiohead's cape....evoking the forgotten shoegazers like Ride....Chris Martin makes early-'90s nostalgia seem like the next frontier." Q (1/01, p.91) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000" - "...[The] soundtrack to cheap vino-and-fag sessions..." NME (12/30/00, p.77) - Ranked #6 in NME's "Top 50 Albums Of The Year" - "...Effortlessly moving and hugely popular at the same time..." Rolling Stone (10/26/00, p.111) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Straight-ahead, melodic Brit pop that strives for 'significance' with a capial 's'....[The album] rises above its influences to become a work of real transcendence..." Alternative Press (12/00, p.94) - 4 out of 5 - "...Shimmering guitars haunt tormented tunes, dark gravel growls vie with Thom Yorke-y high notes....songs dawdle out of either a gentle whisper of sound or an awesome blurge of noise..."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Don't Panic
2.: Shiver
3.: Spies
4.: Sparks
5.: Yellow
6.: Trouble
7.: Parachutes
8.: High Speed
9.: We Never Change
10.: Everything's Not Lost
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Listed on Ciao since : 11/07/2000
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