Coldplay get an awful lot of stick for, well, being successful. They've stumbled on a formula that's made them pretty much ubiquitous, and there's an awful lot of people who can't forgive them for that. Not that Chris Martin and company care of course, nor should they. As the cliché has it, if it ain't broke why fix it, and Talk demonstrates that there's no need for repairs with Coldplay.
Talk is already famous as 'that one which borrows the riff from Kraftwerk's Computer Love', and is Jonny Buckland's moment of glory. He's the star here, from the U2-esque chiming riffs at the start to the more chaotic notes at the song's climax. Martin's lyrics are pretty sappy - Chris is "scared about the future" and we should "climb a ladder up to the sun" apparently, but it's impossible not to be swept away by the emotional power of the song.
Admittedly you get the impression that X & Y is the last time that the 'Coldplay formula' will be able to be adhered to, but for the moment it's working just fine. Everything sounds like Coldplay now? Well, maybe, but that's hardly their fault is it?
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