Speed of Sound

Coldplay is one of the most surprisingly antagonized and berated bands out there,and I've come to the conclusion that it's for their particular lack of irony and general emotional accessibility. In other words, Pop music. Larger-than-life, Starbucks-embraced pop music. Which is not how they began.

I'm not going to lie--i pull the "i only like Parachutes" and would probably fall out of my chair if someone told me today that Coldplay was their favorite band--i'd question their emotional depth and interpersonal skills. But I think I'm ready to like them again and trash these associations. I'm so over disaffection, particularly with music. Don't you want it to pulse through you? Don't you want to feel it and be proud and move and not just stand there tapping one foot while the rest of your body is stationary?

Coldplay is a perfect example of how you lose the kernel of personal connection and satisfaction when something becomes so mass-market (the same is true for clothes, by the way--trends, designers--I'm kind of grossed out with what's happened to Wang, and don't get me started on TopShop). Maybe it's particular to internet culture 2.0, and how we fiercely carve identities for ourselves out of newness and in opposition to everyone else. We simply cannot be the kind of person we associate with liking __X___. And that's really sad. And I'm not even talking 'guilty pleasures,' I'm talking Sincerity.

I think the tragic passing of Michael Jackson and the acute pain we all felt (as so UNBELIEVABLY memorialized by Luxirare) made it explicitly clear that it's okay to reclaim these personal relationships with Pop. I mean, who could've been showier, cheesier, more accessible, more commercial (schilling pepsi and disney) than Michael? Coldplay is not in the realm of Michael's legend, but their performance and naivete really worked for me. They gave a great show and covered me with tissue-paper butterflies, which stuck to my muddy toes like a pinata.