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

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  1. JD
    Jun 7, 2005
    9
    Can't be wrong, almost perfert !
  2. JohnB
    Jun 7, 2005
    3
    Skullcrushingly dull album, I'm afraid. Martin's lyrics have gone from oblique to bonecrushingly obvious, and matters are made worse by the thick layers of bombast added to every song. Yow. Supposedly they wrote sixty songs for this album. Martin presumably still knows how to write a song. Perhaps in the rejected ones there's an interesting album.
  3. ElvisP
    Jun 7, 2005
    0
    Uninspiring, boring, and trite. Another greedy corporate rock puppet.
  4. ReubenP
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    Phenomenal
  5. JKM
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    I've been a Coldplay fan since before Parachutes was even released in the US. I really liked Parachutes, I loved Rush of Blood. I must admit that it took several listens for this album to really grow on me... But, like any great album, it has only gotten better with each listen. While this album has gotten rave reviews by some, I am shocked by the number of negative reviews. You feel I've been a Coldplay fan since before Parachutes was even released in the US. I really liked Parachutes, I loved Rush of Blood. I must admit that it took several listens for this album to really grow on me... But, like any great album, it has only gotten better with each listen. While this album has gotten rave reviews by some, I am shocked by the number of negative reviews. You feel like each song on X&Y was crafted extremely carefully and molded to perfection. This is a classic third album... different enough from the previous two to be unique, but not too different to alienate fans of the Coldplay sound. They are moving in the right direction... I already can't wait for what they come up with next. I would list some favorite tracks, but then I'd have to list every song on the album! X&Y was worth the wait for me!… Expand
  6. StephenP
    Jun 7, 2005
    8
    I've always thought Parachutes was the better of two albums, and now I thinkits the better of three albums. Its an excellent disc but no song on there sticks in my head like Sparks or Clocks
  7. AntonioA
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    I just bought this and it is the most beautiful thing since OK Computer.
  8. KatamaiS.
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    Quite beautiful album. All songs really stick in your head. If you give it 4-5 spins you will think that this is Coldplay's greatest. I was with them from the start. "Parachutes" was good, but "A Rush Of Blood..." was even better, and the change that Coldplay has made with this new album is quite astonishing. I can't understand why so many of the old Coldplay fans, think that Quite beautiful album. All songs really stick in your head. If you give it 4-5 spins you will think that this is Coldplay's greatest. I was with them from the start. "Parachutes" was good, but "A Rush Of Blood..." was even better, and the change that Coldplay has made with this new album is quite astonishing. I can't understand why so many of the old Coldplay fans, think that "X&Y" is a dissapointment. I think that this is Coldplay at there very best, like Zep on "Physical Graffiti".… Expand
  9. RicoHop
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    Coldplay is the best!
  10. ZachS
    Jun 7, 2005
    7
    It's funny that this synth-laden effort actually feels less shimmering than their previous 2 albums. These new songs either sound just like the old ones or, regrettably, like old ones reworked to sound more like they are from the 80s. Technology is fine, but the band sounds better when pianos and guitars take center stage. Please, Coldplay, don't become Radiohead.
  11. marshallp
    Jun 7, 2005
    8
    Dear Coldplay: Ok Boys, a good effort although it's still 2 songs too long: you should have ditched A Message. Sorry, Chris I know you really like it. It's just too... YOU. Save it for a better moment. And Swallowed In the Sea is too easy-fake-genre music. why is it even in there? You're trying too hard for what... a campfire classic. Please! The rest of it: Sonically, Dear Coldplay: Ok Boys, a good effort although it's still 2 songs too long: you should have ditched A Message. Sorry, Chris I know you really like it. It's just too... YOU. Save it for a better moment. And Swallowed In the Sea is too easy-fake-genre music. why is it even in there? You're trying too hard for what... a campfire classic. Please! The rest of it: Sonically, it's a bit overcooked, right? time to strip down. you guys are good enough and big enough that next time you have to let it loosen up a bit on some songs. But again, thanks for having the cojones to do such huge and gracious tunes, no one is this good at it. Lyrically, this is your get-out-of-jail-free card. Are you listening to us, Chris? take note! It is the very last time you should ever shoot for so low a common denominator. I mean come on, man. The world is already listening, take us somewhere fascinating and new next time. We like you and we want to hear it.… Expand
  12. PatrickS
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    Super album, but you'll have to hear it 3 times before realizing how good it is !
  13. HollisH
    Jun 7, 2005
    0
    If by saying: "This is the album we've all been waiting for..." You really mean: "Here's a boring album for you! Please don't buy it!" Or: "I waited for 15 years to hear my father tell me he loved me and all I got was this stupid album." Then I would agree with you;.
  14. mikek
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    I don't care what anybody else thinks, but to me, this is the most beautiful music I've ever heard.
  15. JonN
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    The only people who would give this album a 7 or less are those on the anti-Coldplay bandwagon that is rolling around right now. X&Y sees Coldplay evolve once again, and after about 15 listens every track has something to make it special. This is a work of art that has to be heard to be believed.
  16. JB
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    Colplay really grew up on this album, and we get the benefits.
  17. AdamR
    Jun 7, 2005
    9
    It soars, it drops, it leaves you wanting more, it leaves you wishing that Johnny Cash sang "Til Kingdom Come"...most of all it leaves you with that warm feeling that all good albums do. Has great lines "my song is love, love unkown and I've got to get that message home", songs about angst, songs about love, songs about loss, songs about today...it just fits and you will love It soars, it drops, it leaves you wanting more, it leaves you wishing that Johnny Cash sang "Til Kingdom Come"...most of all it leaves you with that warm feeling that all good albums do. Has great lines "my song is love, love unkown and I've got to get that message home", songs about angst, songs about love, songs about loss, songs about today...it just fits and you will love listening to it front to back, which is the true test of a good album.… Expand
  18. CLAIREJ
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    very solid, the tracks are genuine and touching
  19. scottw
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    simply amazing. enough said.
  20. camm
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    a masterpiece.
  21. MatthewM
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    This is a beautifully ambient album. Most of the songs are pretty solid, especially the first four. I think the only one to stay away from is "talk." Great album.
  22. JerryK
    Jun 7, 2005
    1
    Another insipid collection of downer tunes to play with your lame art house girlfriend (or boyfriend). Lighten up, boys - life's short - have some fun.
  23. SteveM
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    I always have high expectations for this band, but this suprisingly exceeded them. There are many classic albums I've collected over the years and this sits right up there with the best of them.
  24. DerekF
    Jun 7, 2005
    8
    Yeah they may have gotten uber popular, but for people like me who don't use that as a reason to distance myself from artists, the album is still good. If you enjoyed Parachutes more than Rush of Blood you will probably be pleasantly pleased with Coldplays newest outing. Big swells, nice warm reverb(y) production, and back to more falsetto rich choruses, what more could you ask for. Yeah they may have gotten uber popular, but for people like me who don't use that as a reason to distance myself from artists, the album is still good. If you enjoyed Parachutes more than Rush of Blood you will probably be pleasantly pleased with Coldplays newest outing. Big swells, nice warm reverb(y) production, and back to more falsetto rich choruses, what more could you ask for. Even though they're as pop as all get get out, they're still good and surely doing their own thing.… Expand
  25. Gnarles
    Jun 7, 2005
    5
    The anticipation factor makes X&Y initially engaging, but it proves to be a yawner fairly quickly. Nothing here is even remotely as memorable as their biggest singles, and as for "Speed Of Sound", they should have just called it "Clocks II", so cynically similar are the two hits. This album is not bad, but nor is it good. In fact, it's very averageness be may the most disappointing The anticipation factor makes X&Y initially engaging, but it proves to be a yawner fairly quickly. Nothing here is even remotely as memorable as their biggest singles, and as for "Speed Of Sound", they should have just called it "Clocks II", so cynically similar are the two hits. This album is not bad, but nor is it good. In fact, it's very averageness be may the most disappointing thing about it. A classic case of a band getting too big too fast and being afraid to rock the boat. Alas.… Expand
  26. aristotle
    Jun 7, 2005
    5
    meh. More of the same. Avoid.
  27. jimmyj
    Jun 7, 2005
    8
    While songs like Square One and Low are terrific, there are some pondering fillers towards the end that are frankly quite dull. And "Fix You" is nowhere near as good as everyone is pretending it is. This is a good album, but not the masterpiece that is being sychophantically claimed.
  28. CristianeS
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    After waiting 18 months now we received our prize! Very good album.
  29. Graham
    Jun 7, 2005
    7
    A very bland album, personally their worst album.
  30. Matt
    Jun 7, 2005
    7
    An OK album. Not as good as the A Rush Of Blood To The Head album, but not bad either. Was hoping a bit more to be honest.
  31. probiotic
    Jun 7, 2005
    2
    bland, unoffensive, takes very little risks. a huge step backwards for this band that started with so much promise.
  32. Lochie
    Jun 7, 2005
    8
    Its a good album, but definitely not in the league of Rush of Blood, which was a masterpiece. But, its still heaps then all those Coldplay copier bands out there. Ignore them and get this album.
  33. RichieY
    Jun 6, 2005
    10
    A fantastic album. Eighteen months well spent by Coldplay. What If and A Message are the standouts.
  34. craphead
    Jun 6, 2005
    0
    I don't even have have to listen to this crappy band to know that they suck, and generic brit pop, and the only reason they're being successful is because mtv and the media is pushing this crap and its pre-emptive hail as the band of our time is total utter bs, why does crappy music have to be made? Why?
  35. SarahM
    Jun 6, 2005
    3
    I just cannot get into this album, no matter how much I want to. It's background music, my mind just wanders away. As a fan I'm feeling a bit let down. I expected more, I expected a step forward. This does not feel like that. The glimmer of a highlight: "Fix You".
  36. fábios
    Jun 6, 2005
    10
    as excellent as a rush of blood to the head!
  37. JessR
    Jun 6, 2005
    0
    Utter crapola. Thanks for nothing, guys.
  38. [Anonymous]
    Jun 6, 2005
    9
    excellent album. some cheesy sappy moments but nonetheless to be expected from coldplay. and really, how can one be upset that coldplay's lyrics are too sentimental and sappy, they've pretty much perfected the mid-tempo ballad, that's like complaining that ac/dc use too much electric guitar. this is an ideal album for fans, but is unlikely to sway new listeners, but excellent album. some cheesy sappy moments but nonetheless to be expected from coldplay. and really, how can one be upset that coldplay's lyrics are too sentimental and sappy, they've pretty much perfected the mid-tempo ballad, that's like complaining that ac/dc use too much electric guitar. this is an ideal album for fans, but is unlikely to sway new listeners, but considering they sold 13 million albums last time, keeping their massive fan base is all they really have to do.… Expand
  39. Raz
    Jun 6, 2005
    10
    This is the album we've all been waiting for...
  40. dand
    Jun 6, 2005
    6
    They smothered the whole record in three kinds of cheese: 80s Yanni synths, cliches-as-lyrics pretending to mean something, and fake U2 guitar. Still, it sounds good, and has a lot of beautiful tunes. A big step back artistically. Probably a big step forward commercially.
  41. Billy
    Jun 6, 2005
    9
    The whole album is not outstanding, but it is a great. The songs i feel deserve a mention are: "Fix You", "What If", "Talk", "Speed Of Sound," and "Square One"
  42. WillL
    Jun 6, 2005
    10
    Easily thier best album to date. Thats really all there is to say, its a masterpiece.
  43. CosmoP
    Jun 6, 2005
    5
    Good but not great. "Low" and "Talk" are the tracks that stand out as opposed to the lame sappy nonsense of "Fix You " or " What If?". But really this is no different that the last two albums. Neither were masterpieces by any stretch. This is music for your mother.
  44. matta
    Jun 6, 2005
    6
    It's disappointing to see Coldplay take such a huge step back. Parachutes was a solid album with some great singles(8) but then came A Rush Of Blood To The Head which was near perfect and established Coldplay as a band that not only appeals to indie and british rock lovers, but to teenage girls and middle-aged businessmen as well. Now they make us wait three years and the best that It's disappointing to see Coldplay take such a huge step back. Parachutes was a solid album with some great singles(8) but then came A Rush Of Blood To The Head which was near perfect and established Coldplay as a band that not only appeals to indie and british rock lovers, but to teenage girls and middle-aged businessmen as well. Now they make us wait three years and the best that they can come up with is X&Y, a cheesy, cliche-ridden album that features at least seven tracks that are blatantly and shamelessly either ripping off or trying to aspire to the same style of U2 (Lord knows why Coldplay would want to try and copy them). Any distinctiveness and originality that Coldplay once had is almost completely lost. The only bright spots are Fix You, which is an insant classic and if Colplay is smart they will make it their second single, Talk, and the first single Speed of Sound. It's sad being a Coldplay fan for so long (ever since I heard an EP with Bigger, Stronger on it five years ago) only to have them release such a mundane third, and possibly final album.… Expand
  45. RaymonB
    Jun 5, 2005
    8
    This is one of those albums you come to appreciate over time. It isn't as easy to take hold of as "A rush of blood to the head" or as mellow has "Parachutes" it takes a second listen and becomes better and better. Often the falsetto's Martin gives birth to are criticised for being sung before. Although that is the his sound, and he puts his own twist to it, especially on this This is one of those albums you come to appreciate over time. It isn't as easy to take hold of as "A rush of blood to the head" or as mellow has "Parachutes" it takes a second listen and becomes better and better. Often the falsetto's Martin gives birth to are criticised for being sung before. Although that is the his sound, and he puts his own twist to it, especially on this album. Songs like Square One are new and innovative without losing that authentic Coldplay sound. I think that most of us don't really care for it to be innovative, we just want more coldplay......… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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. Blender
    100
    [Coldplay] have made their masterpiece. [Jun 2005, p.112]
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    90
    Confident, bold, ambitious, bunged with singles and impossible to contain, ‘X&Y’ doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it does reinforce Coldplay as the band of their time.
    Read full review
  3. The Guardian
    60
    They have chosen to opt for the standard formula: it's elegiac, mid-tempo, stadium-friendly ballads all the way.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »