Artist of the Month - COLDPLAY

[Corki]

Sorry this is late, but here we go.

 

So, Coldplay was picked as the Artist of the Month for June. This is a group that is quite close to me in more ways than one, considering that Coldplay come from University College, London - and that is where I studied my degree. Also the frontman, Chris Martin, happened to study in the same department as me, which was the Greek and Latin Department. Sadly, he did a inferior degree, since he did Ancient World Studies, and not Classics!  8)

 

Formed in September 1996 by Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland, most of their first year was spent putting the Band together. The first name chosen by the two was Pectoralz, before "Coldplay" was borrowed from Tim Rice-Oxley (of Keane). Rice-Oxley didn't want the name, as he viewed it as too depressing. Gigs were played in Camden during 1997, before the first EP was released in 1998. More EPs were recorded, and once all the members had completed their finals, they signed a 5 album deal with Parlophone in spring 1999. Glastonbury was next up, and they eventually hit the airwaves of Radio 1 (one of the UK's main and biggest music stations) with Bigger Stronger. After a few fallings out, the debut album, Parachutes, was begun.

was the first single, and reached number 4 in the UK single charts. In a way, this song sums up Coldplay's sombre and somewhat depressing feel to their music. The album was released in July 2000, and reached number 1. Sales of the album exceeded what was expected, and 1.6m albums had been shifted by Christmas. Coldplay had hit the big time. After British success, attention turned to North America. A tour and lots of TV appeareances helped propel Coldplay in this area.

 

After the success of Parachutes, the second album was begun. It was titled A Rush of Blood to the Head, and included hits such as Clocks, The Scientist and In My Place. Success continued, with the band headlining many festivals, and Clocks picking up Record of 2004 at the Grammy Awards.

 

X&Y was the third album released, and debuted at number 1 in a massive 22 countries. Personally speaking, I don't think it is as good as A Rush of Blood to the Head. The songs don't seem to stand out as much, but nevertheless, it is still a good album. The lead single was

. Within the last few weeks, the fourth album, Viva la Vida has been released. I haven't got my hands on it yet, but I've heard many good things about it. By all accounts, it is a new direction for the group, and this sounds interesting, considering their sombre tone is their style. Here is their first single from the album, Violet Hill. As you can quickly tell, it does sound different to the Coldplay we know. That sombre sound is still there, but it sounds a bit more rocky. If anyone has listened to the full album, feel free to post comments here.

 

Coldplay has a distinctive sound. Described as "alternative rock", the music does come across quite sombre and depressed. It is reminiscnet of Radiohead, another great British group of this genre. Despite this unhappy feel about their music, I thoroughly enjoy it, and it is great to relax to.

 

So, here is a M-G Brew to one of the big hits of University College, London - Coldplay!

[Mira]

Good Call!

 

How You See The World another one from the album sounds a lot more than their usual. There's one Viva La Vida which has some sort of a Kylie Minogue beat to it.

[snin83]

Good call on the artist of the month.  I like the new single they have out now too.