Coldplay, Radiohead, etc.

[theDingle]

So what's the big deal? I listened to 2 complete Coldplay CDs, A Rush Of Blood To The Head and Parachutes. Snoozers both. I think the 5th tune off the first one caught my ear slightly, don't remember the title, sounded like a mediocre U2 song.

Can anyone here explain the apparent undue appeal?

[Maestri09]

The music of coldplay is what people deem as intelligent and itellectual, so you'll hear this stuff at cofee shops and bookstores. It's also gotten pretty accessible.

I think it just gets overhyped because people are easily awed by its smooth, mature, sounds. It reminds me a bit of what Radiohead experienced a few years back, that it was some "cutting edge" form of 90's alternative that people supposedly admired, but later fell back into a niche band. That will soon be the case with Coldplay.

I never bought into the hype.

[kylestyle]

They bore me too. A couple of nice songs, but the rest is zzzzzzzzzz..

[theDingle]

Sounds like we're all on the same page here. Speaking of hype, as is usually the case, I think Coldplay owes much of their garnered attention to the fact that Rollingstone mag really got behind promoting them.

As far as Radiohead goes, same here. I watched them in concert on TV awhile back, wasn't a single song (if that's what you call 'em--songs?, eh, what?) that flipped my switch. I do think Paranoid Android (which they didn't perform) was very good, but otherwise...

[kylestyle]

I didn't even realise they were heard of in America.

Radiohead are a different kettle of fish IMO. Paranoid Android (and you mention, Ding) is from the OK Computer album, which has plenty of similarly stunning tracks....though, like Coldplay, there are also a couple of downright boring tracks towards the end which leave me cold.

Radiohead's debut album had the hit song Creep and the second album The Bends had great hits like Just and My Iron Lung, which are far from boring...in fact probably among the more interesting pop / rock songs of the last decade. I had a friend who saw Radiohead in concert and they were apparently pretty amazing.

[2 of 3]

Can anyone here explain the apparent undue appeal?

Yeah, you have to listen to them more that once without forming a negative opinion. Unfortunatley, once that happens, there's no going back. To bad too....you're missing out. They're one of those bands that does nothing for you the first few listens, then after a while you realize they are always in the cd player. Sneaky buggers really.


As far as rolling stone is goes....Parachuts was a hit in the UK, for more than a year before it got to north america,and then they played the death out of Yellow and ruined a perfectly good song.

[HeyJude]

I have the Rush Of Blood album and I find it nice, though I don't play it too often. Their music is quite relaxing to me. The hype that's around them didn't get round here (videos occasionally on MTVE but nothing more, really), and I don't read RS , so there wasn't anything for me that would've made me think abything bad about them. They're not too interesting, but still pretty decent.

[theDingle]

We-e-e-elllll...I suppose if Radiohead is capable of something like Paranoid Android--it didn't quite grab me at first (and what a sicko video they did for it)---perhaps there are a couple more winners I haven't gotten hip to yet. But I would be surprised if there would be any winners from that TV show I saw them on.

[megs]

yeah i have radiohead's "ok computer" album the first half is awesome and the rest is pretty boring

[kylestyle]

yeah i have radiohead's "ok computer" album the first half is awesome and the rest is pretty boring

Exactly! It tails off after such a strong beginning. It's like half a Band on the Run!