Parachutes – Coldplay

After signing a record deal and entering the studio in 1999, Coldplay was told that they weren’t good enough. The producer they were working with said that they lacked the technical skills required to make it. Internalizing the comment, lead singer Chris Martin fired their drummer Will Champion for “going out of time” and had the band write to a drum machine. After 3 days they were miserable. Martin quickly realized that, “music was supposed to be about the feel of it” and begged Champion to come back. With everyone back together they declared the band to be a democracy and decided to lean into their “technically” lacking sound. What nearly tore the band apart ended up forming the foundation for their sound and longevity. Their debut album Parachutes is a collection of unpolished slow-tempo songs that resonated with audiences around the world. It won a Grammy award for best alternative album, album of the year at the Brit awards, and sold over 13 million copies. You’ve definitely heard the biggest hit from the album, Yellow, but some of my favorite songs on the album are Sparks, Trouble, and Don’t Panic. The guitar riffs are invariably interesting and Chris Martin is practically whispering on many songs. It’s this soft tone that defines the album and would separate Colplay from popular Britpop bands like Oasis. Alan McGee (the guy who signed Oasis) famously called Coldplay “bedwetters music” which illustrates the dichotomy between the voices of the industry and the audiences that the music resonated with. It’s this non technical sound that went on to make Coldplay one of the biggest bands in the world.

New Lost Wings – Wrestling With Angels

You know when there’s a song that’s on the tip of your tongue but you can’t remember it? Last week I was playing my guitar and I randomly played a riff that reminded me of a song that I had heard when I was very young. All I could remember was the opening riff so I recorded it and sent it to my friend Scott who sent me the music video 10 minutes later. It’s this alternative rock band from Sweden that only released one album, but dammit this song holds up. The intro is so memorable it was still stuck in my head 14 years later. The chorus starts with a quiet falsetto melody that builds into a powerful guitar driven anthem. The music video is also very cool. They never made another album which is sad but the lead singer Lukas Lind still makes music. 

Hallelujah! What A Savior – Ascend The Hill

My dad was a pastor, his dad was a pastor, and his dad’s dad was a pastor. It’s in the blood. I grew up learning how to play guitar at church and listening to worship music. I rediscovered this band after searching for this hymn and the song popped up on Spotify. The band is from Florida and the album is a collection of reimagined church hymns with an indie rock feel. The cool part about this song is that they incorporate the melody from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah into the chorus (which is not how the original hymn is sung). It’s one of those songs and albums that is like a core memory for me.

Hope you listen to great music this week!
Dawson