Brief Introduction
X&Y is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Coldplay, released 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via the record label Parlophone. The album, which features influences of electronic music, was produced by the band and British record producer Danton Supple. British record producer Ken Nelson was supposed to produce much of the album, however, many songs written during their sessions were ditched due to the band’s dissatisfaction. The album’s cover art is a combination of colours and blocks, which is a representation of the Baudot code.
The album has been considered a landmark achievement of the band, topping many charts worldwide, including the United Kingdom and United States, the latter being their first. With accumulated sales of over 10 million units, X&Y is the best-selling album released in 2005 worldwide. Reviews for X&Y were mostly positive, but critics of the album felt it did not quite meet the standards of its predecessor, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002). The album has spawned the singles "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", "Talk", "The Hardest Part", "What If" and "White Shadows".
Background
In March 2004, Coldplay announced some details in working of X&Y. Initial plans were to stay out of the public eye throughout the year. Vocalist Chris Martin said, "We really feel that we have to be away for a while and we certainly won’t release anything this year, because I think people are a bit sick of us." This plan, however, was not due to the pressure their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, had induced but they were trying "to make the best thing that anyone has ever heard".[1]
In the fall of 2003, Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, and British record producer Ken Nelson had started recording demos while in Chicago, Illinois. The band then entered a London studio in January 2004.[2]
[edit] Recording
The band spent eighteen months working on the album.[3] The released album is the third version which the band had produced during their late sessions, and some have even considered it as their fifth album.[4] The band was not satisfied with the outputs of their initial sessions with Nelson, who produced the band’s previous two albums. The initial set release date was 2004, and the band had to delay the album to January 2005. But as the new target date was approaching, the band again discarded songs, which they deemed "flat" and "passionless".[4] Sixty songs were written during these sessions, fifty-two of which were ditched.[5] The band started rehearsing the songs for a planned tour, but felt the songs sounded better live compared to their recorded versions: "We realized that we didn’t really have the right songs and some of them were starting to sound better because we were playing them than they did on record, so we thought we better go back and record them again." Guitarist Jonny Buckland has said that the band had pushed themselves "forward in every direction" in making the album, but they felt it sounded like they were going backwards compared to their earlier works.[6]
In search of perfection, Coldplay had to "step it up a few notches and work hard at it to get it right".[4] The band chose Danton Supple, who mixed the bulk of A Rush of Blood to the Head, to oversee the production of X&Y.[7] When January went, the band had to finish the album; they were conscious of the pressure as "expectations for the record grew larger" and "completing it became tougher and tougher".[4] Finally, the band was settled with the song "Square One", which Martin has described as "a call to arms" and a "plea" to each of them "not to be intimidated by anything or anyone else". Once finished, the band felt like they could do their own songs and not have to think of anyone else’s demands.[4] During this month, the band was into the final weeks of production and had put the finishing touches on the tracks.[7]
Drummer Will Champion later admitted that the band was not in a rush in completing the album "because the prospect of touring again was so daunting that we felt we should take our time, and also we wanted to make sure that it was the best it could possibly be". The band had no deadline, according to him, which caused them not to feel pressured into finishing something. Once a proper deadline was imposed onto the band, they became more productive than previous sessions. At this juncture, the band had written "about 14 or 15 songs".[8] Martin added that the reason why they ended up late was that they "… kept [adding] finishing [touches to] the record until it was way too late … [they] don’t listen to it at the moment, because [they would] just find something to go back and change."[4]
Cover
The album’s cover art was designed by graphic design duo Tappin Gofton (also known as Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton). The image, which is visualized through a combination of colours and blocks, is a graphical representation of the Baudot code, an early form of telegraph communication using a series of ones and zeros to communicate. The code was developed by Frenchman Émile Baudot in the 1870s, and was a widely used method of terrestrial and telegraph communication.[9]
The alphabet of the code is presented in the liner notes of the album, and if applied to the code of the cover image, reveals "X&Y". The final page of the booklet contains the slogan "Make Trade Fair", the name of the international organization which Martin supports.[9] The band dedicates the album to "BWP" that is presented also inside the liner notes; it stands for Bruce W. Paltrow, the late father of Martin’s wife, Gwyneth Paltrow. All singles released from the album feature their titles in the same code on their respective covers. Martin sometimes wears coloured tape on his hands while on stage, as a reference to the album.
Music and lyrics
Coldplay has cited various influences in the album. The German electronic music pioneer Kraftwerk is evident on the song "Talk", which borrows its synthetic hook from 1981′s "Computer Love".[3] Also present is 1970s electronic music from the likes of English musician David Bowie and Brian Eno. Coldplay received permission from Kraftwerk to use the main riff from "Computer Love" for the track "Talk", while Eno played backing synthesizer on the track "Low". The first single, "Speed of Sound", also takes inspiration from the drumbeat of English singer-songwriters Kate Bush’s song "Running Up That Hill".[10] According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, the band attempts to "carry the beauty of ‘Clocks’" across the album, borrowing some of its features to songs like "Speed of Sound".[11]
Lyrically, X&Y made an apparent shift from its predecessors. On their previous works, Martin sang mostly in the first person "I", but moves to the second person "you".[11] Accordingly, the songs on the album are reflection of Martin’s "doubts, fears, hopes, and loves" with lyrics that are "earnest and vague".[12]
Release
X&Y was initially intended for a 2004 release, although early news reported it would not be released until 2005;[2] however, because of personal preferences, songs recorded in several sessions were scrapped and had pushed the expected release date to January 2005. However, the new date went by and the band had to set another schedule. By early 2005, the album, rumoured to be called Zero Theory, had a target release date between March and May 2005.[7][13] By early April, the band had finalized the track listing of the album.[14] Eventually, the album was released on 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via record label Parlophone. It was issued on 7 June in the United States by Capitol Records. The album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions. In 2008, Capitol released a remastered version of the album on two 180-gram vinyl records as a part of the "From the Capitol Vaults" series.
The album contains twelve tracks and an additional hidden track, "Til Kingdom Come". It is omitted from the track listing on the album sleeve, but listed as "+" on the disc label and inside the album booklet. It was originally planned for American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash to record it with Martin, but Cash died before he was able to do so.[15] The song "Talk" appeared on the main track listing, although it was thought to have been downgraded to a B-side for the album’s subsequent single releases, after it leaked online in early 2005.[14]
Promotion
Around three months prior to the album release, Coldplay began performing several songs from the album during live performances. The band made a headlining performance at public radio station KCRW-FM’s annual A Sounds Eclectic Evening, staging five songs from X&Y and some of their old favourites. For the song "The Scientist", Martin sang one of its verses backward, a technique he learned in shooting its music video.[16]
The album has four main singles that were released internationally: "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", and "Talk" in 2005, and "The Hardest Part" in 2006. A fifth single, "What If", was released in June 2006 to radio stations in France and the French-speaking portions of Belgium and Switzerland. A commercial CD was also released in Belgium and features the same B-side as "The Hardest Part" ("How You See the World" recorded live at Earls Court), which was released in other European markets as well as Japan and Australia. This single features the "Tom Lord-Alge Mix" of "What If" as the A-side which differs from the usual album version. Finally, in 2007, "White Shadows" was released as a single in Latin America, to coincide with the band’s 2007 Latin America Tour. This also complemented the special "Tour Edition" of the album that was released in these regions.[17]
Critical reaction
The album’s reviews were generally favourable upon release, particularly from mainstream media, but some critics have stated that the album fell short of the standards set by A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y’s predecessor. Coldplay has also received criticism for the similarities between the lead single, "Speed of Sound", and "Clocks", one of the band’s most popular songs to date. Others have noted the obvious similarities to the Irish band U2′s sound that can be heard throughout the album.
Kelefa Sanneh of Rolling Stone magazine was less contented with X&Y, writing it "is something less exciting" compared to A Rush of Blood to the Head that "was a nervy bid for bigness". Sanneh notes that the album is "the sound of a blown-up band trying not to deflate" and "a surprising number of songs here just never take flight". Despite such, he compliments the album for featuring "lovely ballads that sound, well, Coldplay-ish".[18] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic counter-argues, saying that "it’s a good record, crisp, professional, and assured, a sonically satisfying sequel to A Rush of Blood to the Head", stating it as "impeccable" and "a strong, accomplished album". However, Erlewine has sentiments to Martin’s songwriting, commenting that the album reveals his "solipsism is a dead-end, diminishing the stature of the band".[12] Alexis Petridis, in his March 2005 review for the British newspaper The Guardian, had mixed feelings. Petridis praised some of the album’s songs, writing that they are "mostly beautifully turned"; however, he panned the lyrics, claiming "they are so devoid of personality that they sound less like song lyrics".[3] Pitchfork gave it a 4.9 out of 10, claiming it was "…Bland but never offensive, listenable but not memorable."[19]
Commercial performance
X&Y was a commercial success in Europe. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, with accumulated first week sales of 464,471 according to charts compiler the Official UK Charts Company. This made Coldplay’s third consecutive number-one debut. The album went as the second-highest debut in the British chart history.[20][21] To date, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has certified the album eight-times platinum.[22] The album placed at number nine on the list of United Kingdom’s 20 biggest-selling albums of the 21st century, published by the British trade paper Music Week.[23]
The American press have considered X&Y a landmark achievement of Coldplay.[24] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 737,000 copies despite the highly competitive retail week. The album gave the band their first US number-one album by debut,[21] and its initial sales surpassed the band’s previous album releases; Parachutes amassed over 6,500 copies in its debut and A Rush of Blood to the Head with sales of under 141,000. X&Y went as the second best-selling album in the United States for 2005, behind American rapper 50 Cent’s second album The Massacre, which sold over one million units in its first week of release.[24] X&Y also emerged as the biggest-selling debut under rock genre.[21] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has since certified the album three-times platinum for accumulated shipments of over three million units.[25] Altogether, the album emerged as 2005′s best-selling album worldwide, accumulating over 9.4 million units despite the aggregate three percent fall of sales due to digital and physical piracy.[26]
Awards
The album earned the band several awards. In 2006, it won the Best British Album accolade at the BRIT Awards,[27] and International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards which Coldplay shared with American hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas.[28] X&Y had scored Coldplay their third consecutive Mercury Prize nomination. It was also nominated for Best Rock Album at the 48th Grammy Awards, but it lost to U2′s album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.[29]
Track listing
All songs written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, except where noted.
Main CD
# Title Length
1. "Square One" 4:47
2. "What If" 4:57
3. "White Shadows" 5:28
4. "Fix You" 4:54
5. "Talk" (Berryman, Buckland, Champion, Martin, Hütter, Bartos, Schult) 5:11
6. "X&Y" 4:34
7. "Speed of Sound" 4:48
8. "A Message" 4:45
9. "Low" 5:32
10. "The Hardest Part" 4:25
11. "Swallowed in the Sea" 3:58
12. "Twisted Logic" (actually only 4:31 long, followed by silence until 5:01) 5:01
13. "Til Kingdom Come" (hidden track) 4:12
Bonus Tracks
# Title Length
14. "How You See the World" (only available in some Japan releases) 4:04
Demo Tracks
Talk
[lyrics]Oh brother I can’t, I can’t get through
I’ve been trying hard to reach you, cause I don’t know what to do
Oh brother I can’t believe it’s true
I’m so scared about the future and I wanna talk to you
Oh I wanna talk to you
You can take a picture of something you see
In the future where will I be?
You can climb a ladder up to the sun
Or write a song nobody has sung
Or do something that’s never been done
Are you lost or incomplete?
Do you feel like a puzzle, you can’t find your missing piece?
Tell me how do you feel?
Well I feel like they’re talking in a language I don’t speak
And they’re talking it to me
So you take a picture of something you see
In the future where will I be?
You can climb a ladder up to the sun
Or a write a song nobody has sung
Or do something that’s never been done
Do something that’s never been done
So you don’t know were you’re going, and you wanna talk
And you feel like you’re going where you’ve been before
You tell anyone who’ll listen but you feel ignored
Nothing’s really making any sense at all
Let’s talk, let’s ta-a-alk
Let’s talk, let’s ta-a-alk[/lyrics]
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
What If
[lyrics]What if there was no lie
Nothing wrong nothing right
What if there was no time
And no reason or rhyme
What if you should decide
That you don’t want me there by your side
That you don’t want me there in your life
What if I got it wrong
And no poem or song
Could put right what I got wrong
Or make you feel I belong
What if you should decide
That you don’t want me there by your side
That you don’t want me there in your life
Oooh that’s right
Let’s take a breath jump over the side
Oooh let’s try
How can you know it when you don’t even try
Oooh that’s right
Every step that you take
Could be your biggest mistake
It could bend or it could break
That’s the risk that you take
What if you should decide
That you don’t want me there in your life
That you don’t want me there by your side
Oooh that’s right
Let’s take a breath jump over the side
Oooh let’s try
How can you know it when you don’t even try
Oooh that’s right
Oooh thats right
Let’s take a breath jump over the side
Oooh let’s try
You know that darkness always turns into light
Oooh that’s right[/lyrics]
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
Til Kingdom Come
[lyrics]Steal my heart and hold my tongue
I feel my time, My time has come
Let me in, Unlock the door
I’ve never felt this way before
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummer begins to drum
I don’t know which way I’m going
I don’t know which way I’ve come
Hold my head inside your hands
I need someone Who understands
I need someone, Someone who hears
For you, I’ve waited all these years
For you I’d wait ‘Til kingdom come
Until my day, My day is done
And say you’ll come and set me free
Just say you’ll wait, You’ll wait for me
In your tears and in your blood
In your fire and in your flood
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing
I wouldn’t change a single thing
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummers begin to drum
I don’t know which way I’m going
I don’t know what I’ve become
For you I’d wait ‘Til kingdom come
Until my days, My days are done
And say you’ll come and set me free
Just say you’ll wait, You’ll wait for me.[/lyrics]
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
grab it here! the whole album
FYI:
Demo tracks are converted from lossless FLAC files from my mega-collection into lossy mp3/ogg format for the sake of limited bandwidth. Interested in the whole album in high sound quality audio format? Contact me then!
