10 Great Guitarists In Terrible Bands
9. Jonny Buckland - Coldplay
Coldplay have gotten plenty of hate from rock fans across the world. For as catchy as their songs are, the band have seemed to abandoned the genre altogether in favor of making pop music for the masses. While you could argue that the newest iteration of the band has been watered down, the beautiful guitar lines from Jonny Buckland haven't gone anywhere.
The idea of having great guitar parts in Coldplay songs may seem a bit strange, but there's a lot of phenomenal soundscapes happening underneath Chris Martin's keyboard work. Influenced by the Britpop movement of the late '90s, Buckland has displayed a brilliant balance between restraint and finesse throughout Coldplay's career. You can't really call anything Buckland plays virtuosic, but his guitar flutters are the perfect example of serving the song rather than showboating.
On a song like "Clocks," the piano drives the entire melody, but the tune doesn't really tug at your heartstrings until that subtle delayed guitar comes in out of nowhere. Even with some of the more poppy material, songs like "Adventure of a Lifetime" gives Buckland a chance to steer the Coldplay ship, with one of the most infectious guitar riffs of the modern age. Coldplay may be looked at as the most milquetoast version of rock music, but Jonny Buckland has so much more to give than generic stadium rock.