Parachutes

Amazon.com Music doesn't come more touching than this. With their debut single alone, the emotion-fortified "Shiver," Coldplay prove they can shift between elated and crushed in a breath, as singer Chris Martin pours out music's oldest chestnut (unconditional yet unrequited love) with the shakiest of voices and a backdrop of epic guitars. For 10 tracks on Parachutes, he adds newfound meaning to the most tired and overused rock sentiments--love found, love lost, love unrequited--over acoustic guitars and emotionally fraught rock. And for once, all the clichés ring true because Chris Martin genuinely sounds like a man picking over the bones of his life, coming up with just as many reasons to be cheerful as seriously depressed. Not that Parachutes is a depressing album--there's too much conviction to the guitars and hope in Martin's words for that. Instead it's a beautifully tender balance that comes as close to perfection as anything that's come before it. --Dan Gennoe Product Description Britpop at it's finest - already a smashing success in the UK. Tracks include "Yellow," "Shiver," "Spies," "Don't Panic," "We Never Change," "High Speed," "Everything's Not Lost" and more. Review Coldplay make straight-ahead, melodic Brit pop that strives for significance with a capital s, even as it has a hard time shaking its influences -- you can also hear the ethereal guitar chime of U2, a bit of Dave Matthews' breathy folk implosion, even a misting of Roger Waters-era Pink Floyd. -- Rolling Stone Shimmering guitars haunt tormented tunes, dark gravel growls vie with Thom Yorke-y high notes. Unquestionably, Coldplay could not have existed without an awe-stricken respect for Radiohead's The Bends, but they are also capable of escaping its shadow... [12/2000, p.94] -- Alternative Press Showcasing the group's boundless warmth and flair for moodily dramatic pop craftsmanship--and, after no fewer than five EPs, proving its ability to sustain a mood over the course of a full-length album--the disc is likable from wire to wire, deviating from that consistency only to hit transcendent peaks with "Spies" and the perfect single "Yellow." --The Onion (A.V. Club) Their debut album's secret arsenal comprises frontman Chris Martin's voice - prematurely aged for someone in their early twenties - and some supple, persuasive melodies. That and a great big side order of melancholy. --Q Magazine There's a magical sound potion that can cure lovesickness, and it's called Parachutes, the first full-length CD by Coldplay.... Every song sounds like a hit. --LA Weekly