Left Out In The Cold(play)

Oh ho ho, that title makes me chuckle so. According to people who say so, producer Brian Eno - a hero of mine - and Coldplay are in the studio to work on material after last year's Viva La Vida. But he's decided that they will be, for now, leaving lead singer Chris Martin out of the picture.

That I like Brian Eno as a producer does not have a lot of bearing on this issue, since I don't know enough of his work to be a connoisseur or anything, but I sort of like the decision. From an instrumental point of view, it will be interesting for Jonny, Guy, and Wil to try a different atmosphere. One of Eno's famous Oblique Strategies at work? Perhaps.

All of this isn't to say that Chris Martin is becoming a bit of a distraction, exactly. And I still hold him in high regard - he's the reason I got into Coldplay in the first place. But his current role as THE face of Coldplay is a bit off from their original philosophy. When they started out in the late 90's, Coldplay was a pretty democratic band - drummer Wil Champion, especially, was vocal about Coldplay's music not being used in any advertisements. Of course, that's gone out the window now, hasn't it? They were always avid supporters of Make Trade Fair and Oxfam, but - through no fault of their own - it induces eye-rolling rather than fair-trade-making. And it is my humble opinion that their music has moved in a straight line from comforting, inviting, relatable music to over-produced, repetitive, self-congratulatory fluff. This isn't all Chris Martin's fault, but he doesn't give the impression that he's not the most important person in the band, and it's what you don't say that rings the loudest.

When Yellow came out, it changed pop music. We are 9 years beyond that single - my favourite of them all - and it all seems too easy for them now. They've never spoken like The Clash or Dylan, and they've never played like Yes! or Radiohead, but lately it doesn't seem to matter if they've anything to say at all. The critics are in their pockets, the awards are on their mantels. They earned the title of one of the era's top bands, and haven't much defended it.

I couldn't get enough of them when I first discovered Parachutes and A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Their Live 2003 album was my first music DVD purchased. X&Y was good without changing my world. But I have yet to listen to Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends all the way through. I haven't felt the need.

Will Eno's decision to de-Martinize the instrumental process pay off? Time will tell. Will Chris Martin reconsider his ridiculous retirement plan? His ego will tell. Will I rush to the store and buy whatever new material they come out with next? Well... breaking up is hard to do. I'm willing to listen, if they're willing to say something this time around.