No doubt there's some tall-poppy-syndrome at play – after all, what good is a band when they become ultra-mainstream? – but much of their output since Rush of Blood has been all too easy for those of critical eyes and ears to poke holes in.
By-the-numbers stadium pop-rock (at times sounding more like U2 than U2).
Cloyingly sentimental.
Made-for-FM electro tosh.
And some of the lyrics! "You cut me down a tree / And brought it back to me / And that's what made me see / Where I was going wrong..."
All that said, the band's back catalogue is decent, as evidenced by the 15 cuts below. It's a list dominated by Parachutes and Rush of Blood but 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends holds up pretty well in terms of track quality.
Their Australian tour kicks off in Brisbane tonight, and they hit Melbourne this weekend. As far as concerts go, they put on a good show. I went along when they last toured in 2012 and was impressed... especially when they dug out the nuggets from, yep, the first two albums.
1. Amsterdam A Rush of Blood to the Head
2. Clocks A Rush of Blood to the Head
3. Strawberry Swing Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
4. Spies Parachutes
5. Viva la Vida Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
6. Politik A Rush of Blood to the Head
7. Don't Panic Parachutes
8. Yellow Parachutes
9. Warning Sign A Rush of Blood to the Head
10. Bigger Stronger Blue Room (EP)
11. In My Place A Rush of Blood to the Head
12. Lost! Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
13. Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
14. Trouble Parachutes
15. Low X&Y
