Weekly Media – June 3rd 2005
All musicians in bands have one thing in common. They are there because they love making music and therefore being paid to do this for a living is a dream come true. Fame however is a far more fickle creature and the majority of musicians chase it. Only a few ever succeed and only a fewer percentage ever achieve major stardom. This week sees the release of Coldplay’s third album. Already one of the most famous bands in the world, this third release is their bid to become the biggest band in the world. Do they succeed?
The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground
The Raveonettes – Chain Gang Of Love
2 Many DJs – Radio Soulwax Presents Pt. 2
‘X&Y’ has been a long time in the making. It has been three years since the multi-platinum, world conquering success of ‘A Rush Of Blood To The Head’ and there have been a large number of people questioning where on earth Coldplay step up from there. A band’s ideal second album moves the goalposts so dramatically from the first, that the first now seems risible in comparison. ‘A Rush Of Blood To The Head’ did this, moving the quiet melodic strummings of ‘Parachutes’ into a far more wide reaching soundscape laden with piano and guitar hooks. The same is expected of this third album – it has to make ‘A Rush Of Blood To The Head’ look dated and shift the notion that Coldplay are one trick ponies. Thankfully, both for them and us, it does.
‘X&Y’ marks a huge progression in sound for the band. The term ‘band’ in this case is interesting too. Quite often during the first two albums, one felt that Coldplay were in fact a one man show, dominated by Chris Martin and his piano. However here, each element of the musical set-up depends on one another. None of the songs would stand up particularly well if one part was removed and this is what makes it great. Bass, drums, guitar, piano and organ all mesh to create a huge sound and some genuinely fantastic songs. ‘Fix You’ is perhaps one of the most moving and inspiring songs I have ever heard and Coldplay repeat their trick of writing something that you feel is both directly meant for you and at the same time applicable to everything else. I defy anyone not to feel something when the guitar line comes in half way through that song, building to a spangly climax. It’s a classic within two listens. That is of course one of the album’s highlights and it is an album of notable moments. In every song there is something to love. It is certainly something you have to get into, far less immediate than the previous two albums and for the casual listener it is somewhat of an undertaking at over an hour in length. The sole complaint is that sometimes the songs can blend into one big Coldplay mass but as a statement for world domination, it is hard to beat. I imagine I will get tired of it though, once it’s everywhere. And with the quality of the songs, it will be.
Other bands never achieve the fame they covet during their lifetimes. It’s only after they have finished can their influence be truly measured. One of the most influential bands ever for present day music is the Velvet Underground. It is fair to say that they helped create rock and roll; they certainly created a drug culture at the very least. They were the brainchild of Andy Warhol and never before had a band so closely combined art and music. Their greatest achievement was in teaming up with the black angel of Europe Nico and creating their debut. It immortalised heroin in rock culture as never before and the song ‘Heroin’ still stands as the musical epitome of a drug rush. As shown on the latest Oasis album, their songs such as ‘I’m Waiting For The Man’ are still being copied, demonstrating their originality and influence. At the time, their music was daring and experimental. It is a credit to them that even today it sounds as vital as it did then. Required listening.
Whilst there is a time and a place for experimentation, there is also a place for throwing back and reliving past eras of music. And this is exactly what the Raveonettes have done. Hailing from Denmark and following an almost Dogmé style of rules to music making, they have captured the sounds of 50’s rock music in a sexy swagger crossed with tinges of the blues. All songs are written in B flat major and aren’t much over three minutes, but there is more than enough to sustain interest here. The boy/girl duo maintain a sexual intrigue and keep it short, sharp and sweet at all times. The vocals are gorgeous and breathy dispatched with detached decadence and the whole album reads as a cinematic B-movie template.
In a column celebrating musical innovation (well, to an extent) it seems pertinent to mention 2 Many DJs. Not content with the songs in their own right, here in this hour long non-stop compilation, the Belgian duo have blended and melded 45 songs into 30 tracks. This compilation just does not pause to draw breath at any point and it is perhaps the ultimate party album. It is also a masterclass in dj-ing – who would have ever have imagined that The Stooges could be crossed with Salt ‘n’ Pepa or that Dolly Parton sounded good with Röyksopp? Some of the mixes are laugh out loud funny whilst others make you wonder why the original record wasn’t like that in the first place. This series of DJ mixes is 10 long, but Part 2 is the only one ever officially released (though how it got clearance I’ll never know, they certainly never got copyright for any of the samples used) and in my opinion it is the best of the lot and well worth having.
