(Members of Coldplay, courtesy www.coldplay.com)
The sound of music permeates all
aspects of our existence. In fact, music is a crucial part of our existence
today. We wake up, we jog, we work, we travel, we eat, we sleep and we even
talk with music in our ears. And it’s not just one single kind of music. There
are as many types of music, if not more, as there are emotions. With new and
upcoming artists experimenting with different sounds/genres, new forms of music
are being created as well. Being surrounded by so many different artists, it is
hard to be influenced by just a single kind of music or to be exclusive to one
particular band/genre. But there will definitely be that one artist/band we
identify with the most. Someone whose songs sound and speak like the way it
would have had we been able to do so.
That someone for me is Coldplay
and the voice of Chris Martin. The first time I heard Coldplay (and saw them,
actually just Chris Martin) was when the music video of ‘Yellow’ was played on
a music channel. I was surfing the channel and saw this somewhat weird looking
fellow crooning away and stopped to listen and see how the video was going to
end. It ended with a sunrise that gave birth to a musical association which is
still going strong.
One cannot deny the effect a
Coldplay song can have. Whether it is The Scientist, Trouble, Warning Sign,
Yellow, Lost, Speed of Sound, Fix You, Lost, Violet Hill, Paradise or Every
Teardrop… the effect is real and deep. One song or the other has resonated with
us and led us through our heart breaks or rough patches in our lives. A
Coldplay song no matter how it sounds, whether ecstatic, painful, hopeful or
festive, never exists in vain.
I remember taking a long walk in
the rain to my office, getting completely soaked while listening pensively to a
Coldplay song like We Never Change, A Rush of Blood, 42 or What If. I have shed
a few tears listening to some other songs like Warning Sign, Trouble, The
Scientist or Fix You, contemplating about a lover or a friend or someone I
lost. Then there are those which renewed the love in me like Green Eyes,
Yellow, In My Place or Strawberry Swing, as if falling in love for the first
time. Not being a heavy metal fan, I used to envy those who would bob their
heads in tandem with the music. But then I did the same with my own Coldplay
songs, banging my head to the Speed of Sound or to the tick-tock of Clocks or
more recently dancing away to the drum beats of Every teardrop. Pick up a
moment from my life and most definitely there will be one Coldplay song or
other that will define that moment for me.
Over the years, the sound of the
band has developed and evolved, especially with their most recent albums. Many
hardcore fans of the original, or should I say earlier sound of the band have
complained about the band changing drastically. I agree they sound a lot
different from their earlier albums. But I don’t believe it is to such a great
extent and so abruptly that they have completely lost their identity.
Change is something that is bound
to happen. We cannot resist it. Each individual goes through changes in their
lives resulting in certain changes in the way they look at things or the way
they feel or act. I certainly have changed a lot since the time I first heard
‘Yellow’ and I am sure the band members and especially Chris must have gone
through a few (not necessarily similar) changes
along the way as well. And it reflects in their consecutive albums.
There is always a risk involved with trying out something new. But that cannot
mean that one should stick to the same old stuff regardless of thinking and
feeling differently. An artist who never risks, risks becoming stagnate and
obsolete.
(Cover Art of Ghost Stories, courtesy www.coldplay.com)
Come May 19 and their new album
Ghost Stories will be out. They have already released a few tracks (Midnight,
Magic, A Sky Full of Stars) and two music videos (Midnight and Magic). As
of now, Magic is turning out to be the swan song for me, especially with the
beautiful music video shot in black and white with Ziyi Zhang.
After the songs were released, I
read a fan saying the band is no longer the same. But for someone like me, who
cannot imagine a world without a Coldplay song, I am already falling in love
with the magic of their latest tracks.
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- CD http://smarturl.it/ghoststoriescd
- Vinyl http://smarturl.it/ghoststoriesvinyl
