Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let's get this out of the way: some people really, REALLY hate Coldplay. And I kind of get it. Coldplay doesn't exactly cater to anyone's masculine side, for one thing. And Chris Martin is such an easy target: he's eager to please, he's not afraid to go into a wobbly falsetto, his "uncoupled" wife's name is effing Gwyneth. Whatever. Forget those people. Focus on what's happening here, because what's happening here is actually quite remarkable. A melancholy break-up album that initially seemed destined to fail (and the critics have already been stomping the crap out of it, writing a review just two hours after hearing a stream? are you kidding me?!), now seems to be connecting with people. At least that's what it looks like from where I'm sitting. Consider the evidence at hand. I was underwhelmed by Magic upon first listen, only to find myself haunted by it lately. There's something lurking within that song and it keeps finding me. And the rest of the album seems to be progressing on a similar trajectory. This is a suite of songs that seem to belong together. And, no, the lyrics are not profound, but neither are they dishonest. Or put it this way: it's not exactly poetry but it really works with the music. How's that? (Alright, I'm starting to ramble now…) Look, I don't know what I was expecting from this album—I was definitely underwhelmed by Mylo Xyloto—but I find myself surprised by it. And quite moved. Listen to it on the headphones, late at night, and see if you agree…