X & Y By Coldplay

This album is seriously awesome. It's been speaking to me for days, about where I am as a person, and reminding me of the way to take things forward. It's really important that "Square One" is followed immediately by "What If?". "A Message" comes across to me as being about the importance of personal testimony (both in speech and in action).

You can clearly see the tributes both lyrically and musically to U2 and Bowie among others. I can honestly say, that when I listen to this album, I don't feel the need to skip to another track that I prefer. This is Coldplay's best album to date in my opinion. It's worth you parting with your cash.

Personal highlights for me are:

• Square One
• What If
• Fix You
• A Message

There are certain lines that mean a lot:

"Is there anybody out there who, is lost and hurt and lonely too? Are you bleeding all your colours into one? And if you've come undone, as if you've been run through, some catapult has fired at you, and you wonder if your chance will ever come, when you're back in square one..."

"Ooooooo that's right, let's take a brave jump over the side, ooooo that's right, how can you know when you won't even try? Every step that you take could be your greatest mistake, it might bend or it might break, but that's the risk that you take."

Some people have charged Chris Martin with being overly melancholy, but I always feel that his songs are about personal struggle.... he truly is "The Scientist" from "A Rush of Blood to the Head". He always seems to write where he is at. his songs do have a melancholy side to them, but they always leave me simultaneously feeling a strong sense of hope.

I think I'd get on with Chris Martin, we seem to share an over-analytical approach to life.

Buy the album, you won't regret it.