Moving back a few years, we're taking a look at the seminal debut album from one of Britain's finest bands of the last thirty years - Coldplay and 2000's Parachutes.
I've been a fan of Coldplay for many years now and whenever I come back to listen to this album, I always manage to find something a little more quirky and fantastic than with the previous time. What makes this, in my eyes, their finest work is how tightly knit the sound is - through any good sound system, it feels like Chris Martin & Co. are in the room with you. There's no finer example of this than the opening track Don't Panic - everything is so light and it's such a bright-sounding song that sets the tone perfectly.
Shiver is one of the best tracks, with its perfect combination of attitude and sentimentality. The light guitar notes from Jonny Buckland complement Chris Martin's delicate vocal perfectly and this exemplifies the sheer power behind Martin's voice perfectly. Sparks is a little more delicate than the rest of the album, but that doesn't detract from its magnificence. It's pretty simple lyrically, but its deeper meaning concerns a failed relationship and the backlash that the speaker has felt as a result of its culmination. What's so wonderful about this song in particular is how it seems pretty simplistic, but in looking deeper, how it becomes a larger metaphor for a wider concept.
High Speed also talks about a failing relationship, but this time the lyrics focus on the rapid pace at its progression, whilst the speaker ponders that it might fly out of control before it's too late. There's an embedded groove to it, with its minimalistic sound and sumptuous lead guitar. We Never Change is dreamy and conversational; it's like you're sat there, with Martin telling you a story for just over four minutes. In all honesty, that's the feel of the entire album's outstanding forty minute duration anyway. Genius.
Parachutes has to go down as one of the best debut albums in music history full stop. It provides a masterclass in the alternative rock genre and with every listen, it just becomes all the more marvellous. It's light, but comes with plenty of attitude in places. A perfect example of the band's cohesion. Simply brilliant.
If you want to pick up a copy, I’ll leave an Amazon link here: https://amzn.to/39AszgK
Or, if you'd prefer, there's a Spotify link below:
More musical magnificence to come next week!
UNTITLED may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through the links on our site. Find out more here.