Coldplay's Rush is near-flawless

Coldplay's second album is atmospheric and haunting

by Nigel Packer BBC News Online

After scaling the heights with Parachutes, Coldplay show no sign of returning to earth with a bump.

Second albums are supposed to be fraught affairs, but no-one appears to have told the foursome, whose new offering A Rush Of Blood To The Head is the consummate follow-up.

It marks a clear progression for their weightless, other-worldly sound - yet never sacrifices the clarity and simplicity which is the basis of their appeal.

Rich in atmosphere and brimming with sumptuous tunes, it brings Chris Martin's piano to the fore and highlights a new-found depth in his cracked, falsetto voice.

Guitarist Jonny Buckland plays a restrained role, content to nudge songs along here and there with a well-timed intervention, leaving Guy Berryman to fill in the gaps with his melodic, wandering bass.

Politik is an ambitious opener, a spacious Floydian epic which alternates between chugging tension and eerie passages of calm before lurching into its euphoric finale.

"Give me heart and give me soul," sings Martin, in what sounds like a manifesto for all that follows.

Classic influences are used to enhance rather than replace the band's own gently haunting sound

Clocks, with its nagging piano triplets, is quirky and beguiling, and destined to grace a thousand television soundtracks in the months to come.

Current single In My Place has a once heard, never forgotten melody, while God Put A Smile Upon Your Face and Amsterdam take a more roundabout route to the heart.

One of Coldplay's strengths lies in their ability to draw on the past without sounding derivative.

The drum clatter which opens In My Place is more or less a straight lift from Led Zeppelin's When The Levee Breaks, while the heady Daylight is a distant cousin of The Beatles' Within You Without You.

Yet the classic influences are used to enhance rather than replace Coldplay's own gently haunting sound.

Martin is in a lovelorn mood for much of the album, but lyrics which would sound mawkish in lesser hands are brought to life by his disarmingly candid voice.

Lead singer Chris Martin is in lovelorn mood on the album

"The truth is, I miss you," he sings on Warning Sign, transforming one of the album's simplest lines into one of its most powerful.

Elsewhere, the band strike a delicate balance between experimental and accessible, with folksy singalong Green Eyes among the more immediate tracks.

The Scientist also feels tailor-made for the stadium-sized success which now beckons. A grand ballad with a gently-swaying tempo, it should really come with its own cigarette-lighter to wave about during the chorus.

With a much-loved debut already under their belts, Coldplay have conjured up a near-flawless second album. In a business renowned for its high burn-out rate, it is a rare example of promise fulfilled.