The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Review
Why Coldplay belong beside the Beatles
EVERYDAY LIFE
Coldplay Parlophone
Singing with sorrow about repression, conflict and racism on the mellifluous Trouble in Town, Coldplay’s 42-year-old frontman
Chris Martin interrupts his litany of despair to softly proclaim: “Oh my goodness, there’s blood on the beat.” It may be the most English cri de coeur ever laid down on record, yet is no less effective for it. Perhaps because goodness is at the very heart of Coldplay, a band who believe in the power of music to uplift and transform, who play as if they can save the world with a melody. And as the quartet deftly change gear, opening out into a wild, free-flowing jazzy tumble beneath a news recording of an aggressive US policeman, the effect is gripping and devastating, because it feels like the most mild-mannered band on earth being pushed to the end of their tether.
Like their heroes U2, Coldplay are so utterly sincere and lacking in the couldn’t-give-a-damn posturing that passes for coolness in rock culture, you sometimes feel you have to apologise for liking them. Which is ridiculous given all they have achieved. They are one of the greatest British bands of this century, and certainly the most popular. Starting with Parachutes in 2000, Coldplay have released seven multimillion selling albums, their atmospheric and emotional singalong anthems filling stadiums. But where do you go when you are already one of the biggest bands in the world? Even bigger is not always better.
Everyday Life is a double album, 16 songs spread over 53 minutes, with the first half titled Sunrise and the second Sunset. Doubles can be a risky format, hinting at self-indulgence and a lack of editorial control. Yet the extra running length can also provide breathing space for musicians to experiment outside their usual parameters, classic examples being the Beatles’ White Album, London
Calling by the Clash and
(less successfully) Rattle and Hum by U2.
Everyday Life belongs on this hallowed ground. It feels organic, analogue and playful as Coldplay dip into different musical genres, trying their hand at choral, classical, gospel, blues, folk, African funk and a blissful slice of doo wop on Cry Cry Cry, with Martin pitched against his own falsetto.
The music is often rough around the edges, linked by snatches of field recordings, with a feel of real instruments being played rather than swept
It feels like the world’s politest band reaching the end of their tether