Coldplay

Coldplay, everyone's favourite British band (to hate), has something they can dangle in front of their naysayers' faces, and that thing is a really strong and solid second album. Whereas a lot of bands (British ones especially) fizzle out of the spotlight after their first successful record, these four men have written and recorded an album that is a real masterwork in the world of epic, arena-sized pop rock. Yeah, you can see the U2, Talk Talk and the really strong Echo & the Bunnymen influences, but Coldplay have really taken it up a notch since their 2000 debut, Parachutes. A Rush of Blood To The Head is a breath of fresh air, thanks in large part to the fact that there is no "Yellow" equivalent to confuse the feebleminded. Instead of being driven by a sure-fire pop hit, Coldplay has chosen mature songs like "In My Place" and "The Scientist," two songs that feel a little uplifting and a little confusing, but with plenty of emotional outpouring. While the band has been continually mistaken for writing depressing tunes, A Rush... is deceiving in the fact that there is always an obvious glimmer of hope just sitting there off to the side waiting to be embraced. Coldplay has the heart and soul of all of the bands that have come before them, it just may take them a couple more records before people start believing in them. But for now, those who do believe have everything they could want in a second record from Coldplay.