April 17, 1999

Coldplay : Brothers and sisters

[B]'Brothers And Sisters'[/B] at least has a clear eye and an honest face. The youth group outreach projects await.

Just in case the nation's youth are losing their direction, time
for
some moral guidance. Coldplay have their eyes on the land of the bedsit, where non-specific angst and vague defiance stalk the night like hamsters, and songs like 'Brothers And Sisters' are there to take the strain off The Samaritans' hotline.

Unite, is the message here, spread love around - sentiments that should be crass like Chris Tarrant, yet somehow emerge free of evil. That the song springs from the psychic links between Thom Yorke and Bob Mould (acoustic earnestness, airy wailing) helps too; after all, if they came canvassing door-to-door you know you'd let them in. Coldplay are equally trustworthy indie evangelists, and if they're light on fire-and-brimstone thrills right now, 'Brothers And Sisters' at least has a clear eye and an honest face. The youth group outreach projects await.

Stevie Chick