CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Music

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

55 3 Doors Down
69 9th Wonder & Buckshot
77 The Accidental
68 Adele
70 Adem
72 Alkaline Trio
76 Alphabeat
78 Animal Collective
54 Ashanti
66 Atmosphere
50 David Banner
79 The Baseball Project
77 Beck
67 The Black Angels
65 Black Ghosts
82 Bonnie "Prince" Billy
71 Booka Shade
75 Boris
71 Billy Bragg
47 The Brian Jonestown Massacre
83 Bun B
64 T Bone Burnett
65 Mariah Carey
68 The Charlatans
72 Coldplay
78 The Constantines
82 The Cool Kids
78 Elvis Costello & The Impostors
53 Craig David
73 Death Cab For Cutie
47 Def Leppard
61 Gavin DeGraw
64 Delays
66 dEUS
79 Neil Diamond
57 Dirty Pretty Things
57 Disturbed
59 Does It Offend You, Yeah?
73 Dresden Dolls
69 Dub Pistols
71 Duffy
79 Jakob Dylan
78 Earlimart
70 Ecstatic Sunshine
65 El Perro del Mar
82 Elbow
83 Alejandro Escovedo
73 Estelle
72 The Explorers Club
81 The Fall
54 Feeder
72 Firewater
77 Tim Fite
88 Fleet Foxes
79 Flight Of The Conchords
79 Robert Forster
75 Four Tet
47 Foxy Brown
63 The Fratellis
61 Free Kitten
71 French Kicks
79 Frightened Rabbit
73 The Futureheads
68 The Gossip
81 Al Green
47 G-Unit
65 Albert Hammond, Jr.
66 Ed Harcourt
78 Emmylou Harris
89 Harvey Milk
82 HEALTH
57 Heloise And The Savoir Faire
86 Hercules And Love Affair
77 John Hiatt
87 The Hold Steady
64 Vanessa Hudgens
77 James Hunter
70 Islands
69 Jewel
79 Joan As Police Woman
71 Joan Of Arc
58 Scarlett Johansson
69 John & Jehn
59 Judas Priest
57 Kerli
73 Kidz In The Hall
71 Fern Knight
65 The Kooks
69 Lady Antebellum
73 Ladytron
65 Langhorne Slim
77 The Last Shadow Puppets
67 Cyndi Lauper
62 Leila
66 Les Savy Fav
72 Jamie Lidell
71 Lil Mama
81 Lil Wayne
75 Little Jackie
72 Local H
73 The Long Blondes
46 Los Lonely Boys
66 Lyrics Born
69 M83
65 Madonna
78 Aimee Mann
80 Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
67 Mates Of State
78 Matmos
80 James McMurtry
78 John Mellencamp
74 The Melvins
71 Midnight Juggernauts
63 Alanis Morissette
57 Motley Crue
65 Jason Mraz
74 The M's
79 Mudcrutch
77 Mudhoney
54 The Music
71 My Brightest Diamond
70 My Morning Jacket
64 N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]
71 Nas
80 Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis
76 The Night Marchers
77 Nine Inch Nails
78 No Age
76 The Notwist
54 The Offspring
72 Old 97's
85 Opeth
62 The Orb
62 James Pants
43 Katy Perry
71 Phantom Planet
84 Sam Phillips
56 The Pigeon Detectives
67 Plantlife
72 Plies
71 Robert Pollard
83 Ponytail
85 Portishead
75 Prodigy [of Mobb Deep]
69 Pyramids
48 The Rascals
71 Ratatat
86 Robyn
78 The Roots
48 Gavin Rossdale
73 Russian Circles
67 RZA
76 Santogold
72 Ron Sexsmith
86 Shearwater
81 Sigur Rós
78 Silver Jews
60 Carly Simon
62 Ashlee Simpson
76 Sloan
81 Patti Smith and Kevin Shields
74 Son, Ambulance
73 Sam Sparro
76 Spiritualized
90 Steinski
76 Subtle
67 Donna Summer
66 Supergrass
57 Three 6 Mafia
76 Thrice
76 Tilly And The Wall
64 The Ting Tings
51 Tokio Hotel
67 Tokyo Police Club
73 Randy Travis
65 Usher
76 Vetiver
69 The Virgins
77 Martha Wainwright
68 The Watson Twins
64 We Are Scientists
65 The Wedding Present
64 Weezer
76 White Denim
81 Cassandra Wilson
88 Dennis Wilson
61 Steve Winwood
78 Wire
79 Wolf Parade
63 The Zutons

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

A Rush Of Blood To The Head
by Coldplay

Coldplay reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 80 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.5 out of 10
based on 25 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 159 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

The UK quartet follows the critical and commercial success of their 2000 debut album 'Parachutes' with this long-awaited follow-up release, which the band has suggested may be their last.

LABEL: Capitol
RELEASE DATE: 27 August 2002
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Alternative, Rock, Britpop

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Entertainment Weekly
Displaying a cohesion rarely heard in albums these days, ''A Rush of Blood'' bobs from one majestic little high to another.
Read Full Review
100
Playlouder
Fierce and noble and fragile and genuinely moving, 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' is a lovely furnace of searing goodness made by some wonderful contradictory bastards.
Read Full Review
100
E! Online
There's nothing quite like the sound of a band at the top of its game.
Read Full Review
100
Uncut
May well come to be regarded as the best British rock album since OK Computer. [Sep 2002, p.118]
90
New Musical Express
It's an album of outstanding natural beauty, an organic, wholesome work.
Read Full Review
90
Billboard
A stronger, more distinctive album than its predecessor in nearly every respect.
Read Full Review
90
PopMatters
Parachutes was impressive, but Coldplay's new album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, is stunning, the amount of growth from Album One to Album Two equally so.
Read Full Review
90
Launch.com
A very tastefully crafted, tuneful, and affecting piece of work with a band that is still just beginning to tap its enormous potential.
Read Full Review
90
Dot Music
The key to 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' is to be found not in Martin's presence, but in the intensity, dynamism, verve and style that Coldplay have now nailed, when comparisons to Radiohead, Echo and The Bunnymen and, perhaps most pertinently, U2's 'Unforgettable Fire', manifest themselves in a series of killer strides.
Read Full Review
90
Neumu.net
It recalls U2's The Joshua Tree, and not just for its stunning guitar work but for its wild passion and spiraling tension-and-release dynamics.
Read Full Review
80
Blender
The sound is simultaneously terse and expansive--moody and powerful, shot through with singer Chris Martin's grainy delivery. [#9, p.145]
80
All Music Guide
A Rush of Blood to the Head might not instantly grab listeners, but it's not tailored that way. It pushes you to look beyond dreamy vocals for a musical inner core.
Read Full Review
80
Rolling Stone
With A Rush of Blood, Coldplay do more than fulfill the promise of "Yellow" -- they surpass everything they've done up to this point, making first-rate guitar rock with some real emotional protein on its bones.
Read Full Review
80
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Dressed up in subtle strings and pianos, and given time to slowly breathe and develop beyond simple pop, A Rush Of Blood's 11 graceful tracks sparkle and swirl, occasionally escalating into a booming crescendo before dissolving back into delicacy.
Read Full Review
80
Q Magazine
A collection of vastly moving songs that will render stadiums as intimate as bedrooms. U2, Radiohead... Coldplay? It would seem so. [Sep 2002, p.98]
80
Trouser Press
The sound is fuller, the arrangements more complex; most importantly, the songs are just a whole lot better [than Parachutes'].
Read Full Review
78
Austin Chronicle
If you're presently in love, A Rush of Blood ... will make you want to frolic like Lily Tomlin with the cartoon animals in 9 to 5. Otherwise, it'll probably make you want to puke.
Read Full Review
70
Village Voice
Coldplay's new record is a little edgier, trancier, and more conversational than their last. It is called A Rush of Blood to the Head, and in waves and swells of major tunes and frisky then looping time signatures, that's just about the effect it has.
Read Full Review
70
Spin
A guitar record equally suitable for a lost weekend or a good cry. [Sep 2002, p.125]
70
Alternative Press
A patchwork quilt of wispy Britpop ballads soaring majestically in an effort to overcome their own blandness. [Oct 2002, p.78]
60
CultureDose.net
Without the emotional resonance of Martin's voice at its most free, Coldplay's brilliantly minimal musical foundation has nothing to support. So it falters.
Read Full Review
60
Mojo
The line between hypnotic and tediously repetitive is occasionally crossed. [Sep 2002, p.94]
51
Pitchfork
But while the sound of this album is more expansive, the influences a bit less obvious, and the approach more varied, the guys forgot to tote along their initial strength: the songs.
Read Full Review
30
CDNow
The most disappointingly safe alternative album of the year.
Read Full Review
20
New York Magazine
It's Coldplay's lack of humor, the very straightness of its lyrics, that makes the dourness so detestable. And where miserabilists past had a strong pop sensibility, Coldplay is content to create directionless palettes of sound.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 159 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Scott W. gave it a10:
Truly a beautifully cold album.The sound of coldplay is perfect in this second album. A classic and one of the the best albums ever made.

Eshopj V. gave it a7:
In retrospect, looking back from '07 gives enough hindsight that Coldplay's second effort with "A Rush Of Blood to the Head", is nothing more than just lush-laden melodies akin to eating flavoring, in that while they are by all means delicious, they lack much nutritional value to actually be considered "good". Now by all means that dosen't mean this album is just another piece of garbage to be cast aside. With the opening track "Politik", we are cast into a dense world of alternating loud and quiet. "Clocks" cyclic nature and hypnotic tune, does a comendable job of yanking in the listener. "The Scientist", as aft-mentioned, is probably one of the most well-constructed pop songs of our time so far thanks to its simplistic yet yearning tune. However, when one is confronted to actually "look deeper" into the album, it is akin to diving off a twelve foot. platform to a two foot pool. Most of the lyrics are about love, which is however trite in its usage, still a comendable subject. If only it weren't the same story for almost every single track on the whole damn album. Even "Politik"'s meaning is almost misguided and hazy unless you bothered to read the CD booklet, at which point it becomes rather banal in its execution. Previous comments comparing this to "Floyd" are probably the most jarring comparrisons I have ever heard. (With the exception of the penultimate title track, which is one of the best off the album.) If anything they are more akin to later Supertramp, with a little bit of both the world of electic and conventional. (With a more obvious lean to pop.) In closing, while this album is far from the supposed "holy grail" of music that is proponents claim it to be, it is no where near the almost slanderous comments of its detractors. (With the exception that it sounds/tastes like "Radiohead" lite.) With the state that the current trend pop music is in, albums like these while far from what can be considered "great", are still in rather short supply to conventional audiences. With a fourth album due out in '08 headed by Brian Eno, (After the meh-ish nature of "X & Y", a good thing.) we can hope for mabye a slightly brighter future judging from its past.

joseph a gave it an8:
This is definately a great album with fantastic songs and is essential for any coldplay fan. is not as good as X an Y coldplays latest album but is still 1 of there best

gary m gave it a10:
I'm a hard rock/hip-hop fan, so I don't listen to "make out" music all that much. But even I can say this album is awesome. When its all said and done, this will go down as the album of the decade because of its universal likability.

Osa A gave it a0:
I bought this album because it won a Grammy for album of the year so I thought it most be good and decided to by it at Best Buy. The album sounded good at first, but then I realised that is album was not that great and cannot believe it won a Grammy because it was so safe with not too many great songs. The only song that was most appealing and radio friendly was Clocks, which was about it. I was so disappointed that I sold it on Amazon. If you a person who likes poems and deep storyline music that makes you think this album is for you, but not for me unfortunately.

Iban L gave it a3:
Vastly overrated. There are some classic songs but some others are boring, plain and sometimes unlistenable. A step backwards from their fine debut "Parachutes"

dave n gave it a10:
When Coldplay burst out onto mainstream radio with "Parachutes" it was clear that this was a band ready-made for stardom. Parachutes had the perfect indie appeal while showcasing their ability to perfect pop songs. This great CD was in no way a preperation for the brilliant "A Rush of Blood to the Head". From beginning to end, every song is a gem. Politik sucks you in with its intense string section and leaves you there the entire time. Coldplay has already reached their masterpiece 2 CDs in and there is no way to go now except down.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: World News | Fantasy Football | Amy Winehouse | Baseball | E3 | Batman | Firefox 3 | iPhone 3G

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use