Review by Dan:

I didn’t like “X&Y” the very first time I heard it, to me it came across as boring, samey, almost depressing material, and I had more than enough of that type of music to warrant having any more. My views were met with exclamations of the ‘But it’s Coldplay!’ variety, and I must admit I was a bit harsh to judge. Give it a few listens and “X&Y” will open up to you, revealing powerful anthems and soaring melodies that have rapidly become part of Coldplay's signature. Chris Martin introduces “What If” with clear vocals and a piano, developing into a wistful, dreamy individual for the chorus, a mood that resurfaces later, in the title track. “White Shadows” possesses bold, proud rhythms, making it a favourite of mine, and “Fix You” builds slowly into a ballad with a strangely relentless guitar. The riff at the start of “Talk” is unforgettable, piercing your memory and happily taking up residence (it’s decided to stay long term in mine), it belongs to Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love”, but the version here is awesome. Martin’s haunting, questioning piano contribution on “Speed Of Sound” is also memorable, whilst his acoustic strumming is an asset to “A Message”. Coldplay have been talked about as ‘the biggest band in the world’ – “X&Y” is only their third album, so in my opinion that’s a bit premature, however, if they can continue to replicate the quality of their opening trio of LP’s a few more times then I’d be happy to amend my view.