Extended Play: Coldplay

Do you think your favorite artist is a one-hit wonder, or do you wonder if perhaps they have even more to offer?

We’re going to be featuring some of our favorite artists and showing you a side to their music you might not have seen. While the radio is good for the hits, let’s reel in the tunes that got away to see what we’ve been missing. This is Extended Play: Coldplay Edition.

Coldplay is an international name at this point — almost everyone has heard of them. But while you know “Yellow,” “Viva La Vida,” and “Adventure of a Lifetime,” some of their best tracks have gone unnoticed. Let’s take a look at some of Coldplay’s hidden gems. When you’ve released as many albums as Coldplay has, it becomes hard to pick just ten songs — but we did our best.

1. “Shiver” (2000)

“Shiver” is track #2 on Parachutes, but it’s #1 in my heart. This track has amazing guitar riffs, as you can hear at 0:44, heart-wrenching lyrics about unrequited love, and an unbelievable bridge. “And it’s you I see / But you don’t see me,” Chris Martin sings as the music swells. Added bonus? Seeing how adorable Coldplay was 17 years ago in the music video.

2. “Warning Sign” (2002)

“Warning Sign” is a slow track off of A Rush of Blood to the Head. It’s a bit melancholy, with twangy guitar and somber lyrics — pretty in keeping with the sounds of “Clocks” and “The Scientist,” it’s neighbors on this record. The chorus of this song is what gets me each time — “And the truth is / I miss you,” Martin sings, over an incredibly catchy melody.

3. “Swallowed in the Sea” (2005)

I first heard “Swallowed in the Sea” in 2012, seven long years after its release, and I still regret that seven years went by in which I did not give this track the appreciation and recognition it deserves. Let me save you from the same hardship — go listen to this masterpiece. It starts slow and quiet, but builds to a stunning conclusion, all while Martin sings of epic love.

4. “A Message” (2005)

Coldplay tends to write about love quite a bit, but I’m certainly not complaining. “A Message” is no exception, as Martin literally sings, “My song is love.” With solid lyrics, some of Martin’s best singing on X&Y, and a real sense of emotion underlying it all, this track is an underrated stunner.

5. “Cemeteries of London” (2008)

Basically I think of this song as Coldplay’s Halloween jam — or All Hallow’s Eve, as they’d call it. The rhythms on this track are so enticing, and the ominous tone works for Coldplay, somewhat surprisingly. My favorite moment is at the very end, when the spooky piano notes close the track.

6. “Death and All His Friends” (2008)

Even if Oprah, Obama, and Adele all personally gave statements praising Viva La Vida — Prospekt’s March Edition, I would still think this album was underrated. This is where Coldplay really started to experiment with their sound, and I think it was for the best. “Death and All His Friends” is a perfect example of this experimentation and the lovely results it yielded. The verse-chorus format they once adhered to is thrown to the wayside, the instrumentation gets diversified (Mellow piano accompaniment, a full-fledged rock chorus, and a techno lullaby, all in one song? Heck yes!), and it all sounds so much more polished. So go listen to this track, as I secretly know Oprah, Obama, and Adele all want us to.

7. “Glass of Water” (2008)

I love Viva la Vida era Coldplay so much that this album is the only one to win the feature of three songs. “Glass of Water” is a song about uncertainty, the afterlife, and not knowing what comes next. With a catchy beat, clever lyrics, and a reassuring message, this track is not one to miss.

8. “Us Against the World”

This track is a quiet, simple one that inspires me every time I hear it. The second verse is where things really pick up, when Martin and Champion’s harmonies take flight. “Through chaos as it swirls / It’s us against the world,” they sing. Coldplay expertly matches a smooth guitar riff with acoustic strumming to close the track, making the unusual pairing seem so natural that it barely catches your attention as the track builds.

9. “Another’s Arms” (2014)

This track is made by the beautiful operatic sample it uses as a motif, reminding me of Ennio Morricone’s “L’Estasi Dell’oro” and its subsequent feature in Jay-Z’s “Blueprint 2.” The mournful track ruminates on love lost as percussion and piano accompany Martin’s hushed, raspy voice.

10. “Amazing Day” (2015)

The final track in our line-up is “Amazing Day” off of 2015’s A Head Full of Dreams. This underrated, optimistic love song will keep you smiling as Martin sings, “And time seemed to say / Forget the world and all its weight / And here I just want to stay / — amazing day.” You’re in for an amazing day, too, when you listen to this track — or really, any of Coldplay’s epic tunes.

Read our review of Coldplay’s latest EP here to find more good tunes, and find all of Coldplay’s music on iTunes or Spotify.

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