10 Rock Bands That Defined The 2000's
3. Coldplay
When Coldplay first formed, any potential fan could have easily thought of them as just another Britpop band. From their first record Parachutes, there is a bit of Travis's Fran Healy in Chris Martin's vocal delivery. But when they hit in 2002 with A Rush of Blood to the Head, the band found their identity quite quickly. And that identity was their gift for writing transcendental melodies.
As they progressed to albums like X&Y, the band carried on writing songs with emotional gravitas without ever coming off as too melodramatic. The record's standout song, "Fix You," came out and seemed to stop the clock with its heart-gripping delivery.
This led to their most sophisticated sonic statement in Viva la Vida, which had the Coldplay trademarks with the production ambitions of a prog rock epic a la Peter Gabriel-era Genesis.
As the band continue on, they have continued to release albums that, while scattered, still contain killer melodic phrasing from Chris Martin. Instead of having the music be angry or depressed, the new sounds they create are decidedly happy and upbeat.
Are they over-hyped? Maybe a touch. This is a band that gets a looooot of praise, but they have definitely earned their spot as one of the most successful bands working today.