"Parachutes" - Drop in

Imagine for a moment that you are on vacation in London. While touring the city at night, you find a small, out-of-the-way pub and venture in. The pub includes a quiet, dark lounge. While sitting at one of the tables, the lights come on above a small stage at the front of the lounge. A quiet, and seemingly shy group of men make their way to the stage, unobtrusively picking up their instruments and beginning to play. The lead vocalist’s voice, though quite beautiful and melodic, has a typical cockney accent, and the overall sound of the band is quite subdued, fitting the scene perfectly. This is the impression I was left with when I first heard “Parachutes” by Coldplay.

While I would never consider myself a fan of “lounge music”, there is something I find very appealing about this album. Perhaps it is the feeling of depth and wisdom that comes through the band’s music, the very real feeling of emotion, or perhaps it is the more subdued sound, a very relaxing sound. Perhaps it is a combination of both factors.

The Album:

The album contains 10 songs, with a 1 bonus track at the end of the CD. The album plays for just over 41 minutes, and the playlist reads as follows:

Don't Panic
Shiver
Spies
Sparks
Yellow
Trouble
Parachutes
High Speed
We Never Change
Everything's Not Lost
Life Is For Living [bonus track]

The Music And Lyrics:

I became interested in the music of Coldplay when I heard the first track taken from this album, “Yellow”. Soon after hearing this song, I listened to snippets from a few other tracks on the album. At first, I was apprehensive as to whether this would be an album I would really enjoy. The music seemed so subdued, almost restrained. The music all seemed to sound the same also. However, I went ahead and took a gamble and purchased the album.

While the music produced by Coldplay is in fact more subdued than the music I typically listen to, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the album, and continue to enjoy it. I had expected the music to have an almost depressed sound, and although it is quiet, the actual feel is more emotional, much more intense. The combination of the song’s lyrics, the beautiful vocals of the lead singer and the music itself reveal a great outpouring of emotions, and in most cases, declarations of love.

For me, there is no better song on the album than “Yellow”. It is a song that caught my attention the very first time I heard it, and has never released its grip. While the song’s tempo is a little faster than the other songs on the album, it still reveals the beautiful proclamation of love. And in this case, the description of love is unconditional love, a love that seems to know no bounds:

”Look at the stars,
look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow

I came along,
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called 'yellow'”

A number of songs on the album feel as if they are almost “fill in” songs, quietly filling in the space between the more intense and interesting songs on the album. Another of the more interesting songs is “Spies”. Living up to its name, this song has a slightly mysterious sound, interlaced with an almost seductive beat.

”And the spies came out of the water
And your feeling so bad cause you know
That the spies hide out in every corner
But you can't touch them no
Cause they're all spies
They're all spies”

The song that probably best demonstrates the beautiful vocals of the band’s lead singer is “Parachutes”. Even though he has a distinct cockney accent, even when singing, the lead vocalist’s sound can be very “sweet”, and very beautiful at times. Although it is a very short song, lasting only 45 seconds, the music has a very real sound, with the guitarists movements along the strings able to be heard.

One of the most surprising sounds on the album can be heard through the last song, “Everything’s Not Lost”. The song has a definite upbeat feel, the lyrics speaking of hope not being lost. This is not what surprised me about this song however. What did surprise me is how this song reminded me of music released by “Paul Williams”, a musician who has written quite a bit of music for various movies including “The Muppet Movie” and “Toy Story”.

”When I counted up my demons,
Saw there was one for every day,
With the good ones on my shoulders,
I drove the other ones away

So if you ever feel neglected,
If you think that all is lost,
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah,
Hoping everything's not lost”

Overall Opinion:

I was more than skeptical when I listened to small snippets from this album, but since listening through the whole album (quite a few times), I have become a believer. This band has introduced me to music that I would not usually consider appealing. Even though the overall sound on this album is subdued, the overall feel is relaxing. And the band’s thoughtful lyrics add even more interest to the music.

Even though the majority of the songs on this album have a similar sound, I have yet to become bored with the album.

While this album probably wont appeal to those who enjoy louder sounds, I do feel that it is an album that will surprise a lot of people. For those who enjoy the song “Yellow”, I believe you will also enjoy the remainder of the album, though none of the other songs can quite match the first release taken from the CD.

Basically - I love it.