Cliches: Often true

I noticed that Coldplay were going to be on this past weekend’s Austin City Limits and figured this to be an opportunity to find out why this English band is a critical darling and commercial success. The only Coldplay songs I can really recall hearing more than once previously are Yellow and the latest single, Speed of Sound. So fire up the Tivo, no problem. Last night, deep into December repeat hell, hit play. Watch all the way through, even the two songs with Michael Stipe joining in, but no cigar. The appeal does not penetrate my musical shield. I’ve read that some people consider the group Radiohead-lite but then that’s another one you can keep for yourself.

The cliche of this post’s title is that the music we like in high school is what stays with us forever after. So all you early ’80s hair band junkies, guess what? Thinking about the show this morning Dave Matthews Band also came to mind as an even more popular band which I’ve never enjoyed. Coldplay at least I can point to too much of Chris Martin’s falsetto vocals and incomprehensible lyrics but DMB is harder to say. The lack of electric guitars is no problem, some of my favorite music (Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, for instance) are largely acoustic.

Honestly I have yet to find a band whose first (commercial) release was after 1980 who have made a whole album I really enjoy, much less a career’s worth. What year did I graduate high school? 1979. U2 are the last group to make my personal pantheon. Until about ten years ago my answer was U2 and REM but Stipe and Co. fell off about the time Losing My Religion became the single most aired song on any medium, when Peter Buck decided to stop playing the jangly electric guitar grooves I loved so much. Say what you want about Bono’s ego or politics but those guys know how to rock and have kept their music fresh.

Please send your hate mail to kissmyass@yourmusicsucks.org.