Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)

The Radiohead comparisons begin and end here: the deft use of grand piano and occasional falsetto; a grandeur seldom heard on record.

The Travis comparisons begin and end here: a second album better than their first; soaring, impassioned vocals; the Radiohead clones label no longer valid.

The U2 comparisons begin and end here: sometimes Edge-like guitar, sometimes Bono-like vox; an album made for stadiums; a band taxied into position and ready for take-off.

The Parachutes comparisons begin and end here: a less immediate and intimate album; but, like the first, one that gets better with each listen. Only 'Green Eyes' would belong on Parachutes; the rest are the sound of Coldplay finding a new and even more impressive voice.

A Rush of Blood to the Head is as good as rock gets. Hard to see how anything else released this year can compare.

First published at Records Ad Nauseam, 1 September 2002.

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