This is a great record; I'll die on this hill. It's easy to look back on this through the lens of how lame their subsequent records are, or how cringe Chris Martin is as a person, or to pass judgment on the entire album based on their first hit, "Yellow," for which the color variant of this 20th anniversary reissue takes its inspiration somewhat lazily. In actuality, Coldplay broke out in 2000 with a moody, dreary pop sound that was also catchy, offering a more digestible counterpoint to the art school pretense of R*diohead. Or perhaps I was just in the unique position of having the chance to hear the full CD in a friend's car before "Yellow" wore out its welcome on the radio (I think we skipped it on first listen anyway). Listening back to their early brand of downcast mope-rock, exemplified on tunes like "Don't Panic," "Sparks," "Trouble," "High Speed" or "Parachutes," it's impossible to imagine these blokes ever aspiring for the charts, The Chainsmokers, or Gwyneth Paltrow, but alas. Simpler times.
- 180g yellow colored vinyl
- 20th anniversary edition
- printed inner sleeve
- includes hidden track 'Life Is For Living' (not mentioned in tracklist)
- music label: Parlophone 2020
reviewed by departmental dan 11/2020