X&Y
by Coldplay
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Jun 7, 2005
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 33
  3. Negative: 1 out of 33
  1. The Guardian
    60
    They have chosen to opt for the standard formula: it's elegiac, mid-tempo, stadium-friendly ballads all the way.
  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    60
    Your level of interest in their music probably correlates with your willingness to be bored.
  3. Rolling Stone
    60
    A surprising number of songs here just never take flight.
  5. musicOMH.com
    60
    X&Y is far from experimental, but it nonetheless showcases a band demonstrating distinctive signs of evolution.
  6. Billboard
    60
    Too much here sounds like Coldplay-by-numbers, and the lyrics lack the deeper meaning the album seems desperate to provide.
  7. The A.V. Club
    60
    Only three songs really, truly deliver.
  8. Mojo
    60
    X&Y is awash with cliches, non-sequiturs, and cheap existentialism; at times it all becomes nigh on unbearable. [Jul 2005, p.97]
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  9. Trouser Press
    60
    X&Y is well crafted and enjoyable, but it’s bloodless and distant. It feels manufactured, a piece of product in the march to become the Biggest Band in the World.
  10. cokemachineglow
    53
    At least 45 of X&Y’s 63 minutes finds Coldplay overdosing on pointless synthesizers in the name of “expanding their sound” while forgetting to write anything reflecting a decent hook.
  11. Playlouder
    50
    There is no doubt [Martin] has talent, but there are just too many retreads, too many regurgitated ideas, and no fire, no raw anger, no big hairy bollocks.
  12. Pitchfork
    49
    Like Coldplay's two previous albums, only more so, X&Y is bland but never offensive, listenable but not memorable.
  13. Tiny Mix Tapes
    40
    Not great, a few catchy moments, certainly not god-awful, but just bland enough that after three listens, all life is drained from it.
  14. Lost At Sea
    40
    X & Y is uninspired adult pop that drops jaws only in its capacity to elicit yawns.
  15. Under The Radar
    40
    Monochromatic and underwhelming. [#10, p.109]
    All this publication's reviews

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed Album of 2005
13
#13 Most Shared Album of 2005

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 711 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 574 out of 711
  2. Mixed: 75 out of 711
  3. Negative: 62 out of 711
  1. philosophorse
    Aug 4, 2014
    8
    The sounds to this album can make you feel like you're billions of kilometers into empty space, the opposite of what this bloated album is.The sounds to this album can make you feel like you're billions of kilometers into empty space, the opposite of what this bloated album is. It's unnecessarily long, but captivating and emotionally resonant. Lyrics are still... problematic, and they don't do a Viva La Vida to cliche. It's not easy to ignore "ignite your bones".… Full Review »
  2. moonman1994
    Dec 15, 2012
    7
    X&Y isn't a bad album it's just a disappointment after A Rush of Blood to the Head. It relies to heavily on Chris Martin's falsetto. It hasX&Y isn't a bad album it's just a disappointment after A Rush of Blood to the Head. It relies to heavily on Chris Martin's falsetto. It has some great songs on it but overall it lacks the variety of other Coldplay albums. It's good just not great.… Full Review »
  3. cryhardhumor
    Dec 9, 2015
    9
    An album rich in tone and beautifully consistent in its story and instrumentation. The melodies are simple but catchy if not sometimes drawnAn album rich in tone and beautifully consistent in its story and instrumentation. The melodies are simple but catchy if not sometimes drawn out a little too long. Chris Martin's performance brings the album to even higher heights with his off kilter vocals and soothing falsetto.
    CHECK IT OUT?- Absolutely!!
    BEST SONG- Swallowed By The Sea
    WORST SONG- X&Y    … Full Review »
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