It's Been Awhile

   Well, it's been a few weeks since I have written here. School has been taking up a lot of my time, which kind of sucks. But hey, it's life. Summer is about two weeks away and soon, I'll be able to write in here more and think of more stuff to write about. Right now, my mind is here in school.
   So it turns out Coldplay is going to be one of the headliners at Lollapalooza, along with Eminem, Foo Fighters, Muse, and many many other bands! I'm really excited for it and I hope I can go, it looks sooo awesome!!
   Well, in the past few weeks I really only had time to sit down and listen to one album full out, and that is A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay.

   Like Bruce Springsteen's The Rising, some of the lyrics have been affected by the September 11th attacks, as the band started recording in London a week before the attacks. Did this effect the album in the same way, lyrically, as The Rising? Well, yes and no. I think you can see a bit more urgency in this album than it's predecessor, but at the same time I think Springsteen's is a bit more blunt to see, lyrically.
    This album is a bit heavier musically, then the first one. There is a bit more guitar and piano heavy, though there is still acoustic guitar present.
    My favorite songs on this album: "In My Place", "The Scientist", "Clocks", "Green Eyes", and "A Whisper".
   "Clocks" was, I believe, also one of the first Coldplay songs I ever heard, though I didn't know who did the song at the time. But the piano riff, I think everyone knows now (I can also play it on the piano!). Originally, it was not suppose to be on the album, as Coldplay thought it was too late to add it at the time, and put it aside for a bit. But when, after they decided to rework the album a little, was told by their manager Phil Harvey that they would be crazy to NOT do this song, as it felt like it fit with the theme of the album and that it fit with how they were feeling personally at the time.  Alas, it was included on the album.
   "Green Eyes" is such an amazing love song, a serenade to someone who completes you. Yes, I'm a romantic. I just think it's really a good, light, upbeat, and truthful. It's really a beautiful song. The guitar in the beginning until when the band comes in is just very light and personal. When the band comes in, it really brings it to a climax. Great song!
   "A Whisper" is one of Coldplay's lesser known songs but I think it's very underrated. It's one of the more urgent and fast songs on the album, but it really has something to say. To me, it feels like a panic attack, trying to figure out where to go from there. The singer is singing about how he can "hear the sound of the ticking of clocks" and it's like he is being somewhat disturbed by them. One of my favorite parts of the song. I think we all feel the urgency in our lives.


tour poster

    "The Scientist" is pretty well known, but I think it's very blunt in it's message about wanting "to go back to the start". It's life, when it comes down to it. "Nobody said it was easy". This is a very true song, and I really like it. Musically, it is very beautiful as well. But at the same time, it still makes you want to keep going.
   "In My Place" has one of my favorite guitar parts. This is honestly a song I really took for granted before I really listened to it, it is really good. Another song about waiting and time. You can't change what is, and however you must wait for that good thing, it's worth it. This seems like the waiting aspect. The singer is looking at his past and memories and where he is now (very true to how the band felt at the time, just stuck and wondering what to do now).
    Something interesting I just read now on wikipedia: Chris Martin stated that the title track, "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" is a homage to Johnny Cash. Martin considers Cash one of the "greatest men...with just guitars". Can't deny that Cash is amazing.
    Well, lyrically, Coldplay had a new perspective because of the attacks on 9/11. Martin stated "The new songs are reflective of new attitudes. [They tell listeners] not to be frightened. Anybody can achieve whatever they want to". This was pretty important for the listeners at the time, especially to those here in USA who went through the time period of 9/11. We needed all the hope we could get.
   The theme here is urgency, and I think it's portrayed very well in the album. It really is a good listen, so check it out!
    Well, that's all I got for now. Time to get back to life. Peace out for now.
   
  -The AR


Coldplay Interview on MTV about the album in 2002:


"The Scientist":