18 years ago today, Coldplay released “Violet Hill.” It still sucks.
The idea was a war protest song — guitar distortion, Chris Martin attempting something like a growl. What they delivered sounds like someone who found out they were double-charged at Starbucks. Pouty and vaguely betrayed. The Iraq War was still going and Coldplay’s big political statement involved mumbling about priests with poison while being exactly as threatening as a passive-aggressive Post-it note.
2008 was a great year for music. Here’s what you should have been listening to while Coldplay was practicing their frowns: