Parachutes

Travis, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Dave Matthews Band, Badly Drawn Boy and early Roger Waters led Pink Floyd are names of bands thrown around by reviewers trying to pin a label on this astonishingly mature debut album from Coldplay. That "Parachutes" can earn Coldplay comparison with these artists is great, but it shouldn't be seen as a negative, as I think that it's because they found their own sound very early in their career. That their music happens to feature some phrases, licks, melodies, or vocals that may or may not sound like other artists, does not signal their influences or that they are setting out to be like those artists. Which band doesn't have those problems when they start out? Answers on a postcard, please.

It's amazing to see how much space and openness is in their songs. Wide open melodies, embracing sparse use of instruments, using the words as tools of impact. These are the sort of things you see being used by established artists usually, not a band on a debut album... specifically not a British band on its debut album. One thing is for certain, the whole band wear their hearts on their collective sleeves when it comes to song writing and in Chris Martin they have a vocalist who can deliver that emotion in spades. The album certainly touched a chord within the British public, which is shown by the fact that it is the 12th largest selling album of the 21st century in the UK. It also produced one of the first anthems of the new century, "Yellow", which is still regularly performed at their concerts, often with the crowd out-singing Chris as he conducts them.

1."Don't Panic"  2:17

2."Shiver"  4:59

3."Spies"  5:18

4."Sparks"  3:47

5."Yellow"  4:29

6."Trouble"  4:30

7."Parachutes"  0:46

8."High Speed"  4:14

9."We Never Change"  4:09

10."Everything's Not Lost" 5:28

11."Life Is for Living" 1:36 (Hidden track)

The first single from the album was "Shiver", which sank without a trace on its first release, would do much better when re-released in 2001. The next single for release was "Yellow", a song which appears to be about giving everything for love - "For you I'd bleed myself dry" - but which Martin has described as "metaphorical slants on the extent of his emotional devotion (to the band)". It was their first Top 10 hit in the UK and performed well across the globe. "Trouble", which followed as the next release, certainly spoke of unrequited love and regret. Despite being inferior 'single' material, as expressed by the band, it was carried by the momentum created by the previous single, and the albums sales, into the Top 10. But this album had much more going for it than the singles. From the great opening track, "Don't Panic", driven by an acoustic strumming overlaid with basic but effective soaring guitar, to the closing, inspirational "Everything's Not Lost" the tracks seem to fall into place, like the pieces of a jigsaw completing and capturing a perfect moment in musical time.

Shiver

Yellow

Trouble