It's tough to review an album that you have listened to for over a decade, as the songs are so ingrained in your soul that it is tricky to see them for what they are instead of the feelings they evoke inside of you. This is the case with Parachutes, the debut album from Coldplay, which I remember first hearing whilst working at my first Saturday Job, aged 16, and getting the words to 'Yellow' wrong as I sang along to the radio. It's also notable for being one of the first albums I had ever listened to every song on without skipping forward.

'Shiver' was the lead single for the album, said to have been written by front man, Chris Martin about a specific woman (possibly Natalie Imbruglia). Other reports suggest it was written as part of an advertising campaign for Daikin Air Conditioners, which is a less romantic genesis for the song. The song itself is a nice, slow romantic song that builds up with confidence as the lyrics continue. As a result of being released months before the album release, the song charted quite low at No. 35. It wasn't until their next release that Coldplay shifted into the spotlight.

'Yellow' was the second single released in the UK and immediately garnered public attention. It was the song that first introduced me to the band and it was played heavily over the summer of 2000. I remember thinking the song was called 'Yellow and Blue' due to mishearing one of the lyrics. As I said earlier, it is tough to review the song because I attribute so many memories of my teenage years to it. For me and many others, this was the soundtrack of my adolescence. The strong lyrics and repetitive use of the title in the song are what drive this song, with the fairly slow-paced and basic tune supporting them. Even now, this is probably the most recognisable Coldplay song.

'Trouble' was the third single release and does sound similar in style to Yellow, even using the repetitive use of the title in the song, with the lyrics taking centre-stage over the instruments. It is probably the similarities between this and the previous song that led to the common criticism of people complaining that all Coldplay songs sound the same. I personally feel that Trouble is a stronger and more emotive song than Yellow, but it charted lower than its predecessor in both the UK and US charts.

Other songs of note on the album are 'Don't Panic', which was released as a fourth single in some countries. I love the rhythm to this song and I always equate it to an eco-friendly message since watching the music video, where the band are caught up in rising tides and other natural disasters. My personal favourite is the 46-second 'Parachutes' which has only a few sentences of lyrics, but the tune is so hauntingly perfect. The final song of the album. 'Everything's Not Lost' (including the hidden track) has a nice upbeat conclusion that really helps raise the mood after the slow and reflective songs beforehand.

Oddly enough, Chris Martin and the rest of the band do not like the album and he was quoted as saying, 'We know that's terrible music and we always try to think about what we can do next', but due to the popularity of the songs from the album, they still play them at live performances. I would have to disagree with the band's dislike of their debut, as it is possibly the most listenable of all their albums with no dud tracks to skip past, although their next album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, is equally as fantastic.

This review originally appeared on my blog
(http://spiderjamb.blogspot.com)