10 Overrated Rock Music Albums Of The 2000s

Coldplay’s first two records showed little indication that Chris Martin et al had designs on being the biggest band in the world. Parachutes and A Rush Of Blood To The Head comprised mostly stripped back, semi-acoustic downers making use of Martin’s thin but expressive vocals.

But that desire was clearly always there, because third record X&Y is a brazen attempt at superstardom. And while there’s nothing wrong with that kind of ambition, the shift in size stripped away much of what was good about the group. Lead single “Speed of Sound” was Martin cosplaying as Bono, often finding himself in registers he couldn’t quite reach.

“Talk” was a little better, though most of the good elements of that song stem from its smart sampling of Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love”. The writing’s on the wall from opener “Square One”, whose stripped back intro transitions into a full throated verse which must have had the Coldplay lads awaiting a lawsuit from U2.

Worst of all, though, is “Fix You”. An embarrassingly mawkish tune with Dummies’ Guide To Emotional Lyrics quality writing and a chorus begging to be played on coverage of the World Cup and the like, it became a huge hit, but who’d be caught dead listening to it today?