(Images: Coldplay's image and style then and now - A screenshot from Coldplay's 2005 'Shiver' music video, and a screenshot from the 2011 music video for 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall', also by Coldplay. © EMI Records Ltd.)
Coldplay is a band that's been around... well, it seems like forever! Like most long-established bands, Coldplay's whole sound has changed considerably throughout their career. Over the past 12 years, the band has attracted new fans and thrilled long-time fans with each single and album release, and in the midst of all of this great, successful music, it's easy to forget the album that started off their rollercoaster career: 'Parachutes'. That is why this week's 'Alive in the Superunknown' will be all about 'Shiver' - a song that never did particularly well in the charts, and is often forgotten today under hits like 'Yellow' and 'Fix You', yet is musically brilliant and deserving of a lot more recognition than it has always been credited with.
The song displays a musical crossover between folk and indie rock music, with the strong pulse and momentum of the former, but the heavy guitar and bass presence of the latter. In addition to this, it has a Radiohead-esque chilled out feel, which presides over a lot of Coldplay's early material. Over this hybrid soundtrack, Chris Martin's consistently high vocal standard is expressed to its full potential. He dips in and out of falsetto with ease, and his natural voice is full of the calming and soothing tones that help to characterise Coldplay's individual sound. In terms of the instruments used - a simple vocal, guitars, bass and drums format - and the relatively low level of technicality in each respective instrument's part, the track isn't particularly complex musically. However, this simplicity and minimalism is just what makes the single, and its parent album, so accessible and so interesting.
Also, just as The Police's 'Every Breath You Take' captured the imagination of a generation despite its rather sinister lyrics, 'Shiver' transcends the grey area between romantic love and obsession. The lyrics seem somewhat stalker-ish at the song's outset - "From the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep, I'll be there by your side, just you try and stop me". However, the soft melodies and chords, the use of counterpoint between the bass, guitars and vocals and contrasting dynamics all work together to lead the listener on a journey of understanding. By the end of the track, after Coldplay have worked their magic with their soulful and placid music, it's easy to sympathise with the song's poor protagonist, suffering from the effects of unrequited love.
So, to sum up, 'Shiver' isn't just a piece of music - it's a work of art. Lyrically, it is thought-provoking and interesting, and musically it's one of a kind. It's definitely a far cry from the material that Coldplay are producing at the moment, but that doesn't make it out-dated or unimportant. That just makes it classic.
And because the song's so awesome, here's the music video embedded, so that you don't have to go anywhere to have a listen! That means you have no excuse not to press play...
Next week's 'Alive in the Superunknown' featured track will be...
'45' by The Gaslight Anthem
And remember to stay tuned for Part 2 of the Lower Than Atlantis/Mallory Knox gig review!
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