More of the same, but that's not necessarily bad., June 6, 2005
Reviewer: ff2838 from stanmore, london United Kingdom
I was disappointed with first single "Speed of Sound", but having listened to the entire album, SOS is the weakest track IMO.
One measure I use of the quality of an album is: "Do I skip any tracks when listening to this album" and X & Y passes this examination.
If you did not like A Rush of Blood to the Head, you probably won't like X & Y as it does not represent a radical departure. The lyrics are really substandard, expecially as Coldplay try and promote a serious, intelligent image. So if you look to music for some kind of spiritual enlightenment, don't buy this album, but if, like me, you buy music for aural pleasure then this is a damn fine hour of music.
Highlights for me are White Shadows (which IS original), A Message and the wonderful 'Til Kingdom Come. Weakest tracks are Speed of Sound and Twisted Logic.
Didn't give it 5 stars because
i) The presence of a couple of weaker songs
ii) 5 stars should be reserved for the truly outstanding albums.