Coldplay’s 2000 single “Yellow” became an almost inescapable phenomenon. Featuring shimmering acoustic guitar crescendos and Chris Martin’s glossy vocals, the song appeared on the British band’s debut studio album, Parachutes, and crystallized their commercial power. Coldplay embodied acoustically-driven post-Britpop, but with each subsequent album they shifted towards a more anthemic pop-rock sound. They partnered with Brian Eno on several LPs, including 2008’s Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, 2011’s Mylo Xyloto, and 2017’s Kaleidoscope EP. For their 2015 album A Head Full of Dreams, they worked with Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, and Tove Lo to explore heartier EDM influences. No matter the styles they chased, Coldplay has never escaped their uplifting, impassioned sound suited for stadium arena shows.
Green measures on the Music of the Spheres tour, monitored by MIT, are “a good start, but clearly there’s still room for improvement,” the band said
Janet Jackson, Blink-182, Erykah Badu, Pearl Jam, Liz Phair, and more of the most essential tickets of the year
Janet Jackson, Blink-182, Erykah Badu, Pearl Jam, Liz Phair, and more of the most essential tickets of the year
The technological possibilities for bringing music into the virtual world seem endless; all that's missing is an artist-driven breakout moment.
New releases to look forward to in the coming months, from Normani, Tirzah, Lizzo, Young Thug, Low, Sufjan Stevens, and others
A breakdown of the shifting politics, loyal fans, diverse sounds, and random nonsense that defined this year's UK mega-festival.
Pitchfork's annual roundup of our favorite music photography of the past 12 months includes live shots, animated GIFs, and portraits of Radiohead, Kanye West, Girls, and LCD Soundsystem, among others.
The Coldplay frontman on looking up to Brian Eno, being friends with Jay-Z, stealing from Bruce Springsteen, and the difference between his band and Radiohead: "At the end of the day, I'm a slave to catchy songs."
As Coldplay and Florence and the Machine know, "Big Music" rewrote rock as a sort of secular gospel music. Tom Ewing explores whether this epic style is worth believing in.
Coverage of the Chicago festival including Cults, Smith Westerns, Death From Above 1979, Beirut, and more.
We kick off our run of year-end features with a look at the top music videos of 2009.
The best tracks of the decade that changed everything for radio, the underground, and your iPod
We present the 2008 Year in News, a roundup of music-related triumph, tragedy, and kookery from the pages of Pitchforkmedia.com over the past year.
Albert Hammond, Jr. scores some sweet seats at the Garden, recommends a record shop for masochistic musicians, and toes the line between friend and fan to some local artists. [Interview: Tyler Grisham]