Coldplay seem to hit the nail on the head with ballads, from 'Trouble', to 'The Scientist', to 'Fix You'. Usually, it comes accompanied with a video of Chris walking somewhere and singing at the camera. And a lot of people label this kind of music "depressing". Give any Coldplay lyrics a read though: whilst I can't promise that you'll be impressed, I can confirm that the vast majority of Martin's work is optimistic, upbeat and joyful of life. That goes for the ballads, and the other 80% of everything that they've released: people don't flock to gigs by the arena-load to watch an hour and a half of music that will make them sad. That's a much more niche kind of gig. And anyway, isn't mind-numbing, money-making R&B all the more depressing? It should be admired surely, that someone has turned their pain or sorrow into a piece of art that can be appreciated. Not that any band deserve to have their entire back-catalogue branded with one emotion.