Coldplay's fun. And enjoying their music is infinitely more fun than hating on it - though I know many would disagree. They soundtracked my middle-school years so I'm more than a bit biased on the topic...but anyways. As an album, this one's pretty damn good though I generally prefer 'Viva La Vida...'. Songs like 'Politik', 'In My Place', 'Green Eyes', and especially the title track are damn near flawless mellow pop-rock songs. 'The Scientist', however, is a godly song to me. It soundtracked little (11 yr old) me worrying about having to study for a science test or some shit and I related to those scientific metaphors about the confused aftermath of a torn relationship literally. It's dumb as all hell but it doesn't change the fact that it brings a tear to my eyes whenever I hear the song back and start reminiscing. I have many cringe memories when it comes to my relationship with certain songs as a child, but I refuse to make that particular memory one of those. I get it - they're a streamlined 'Radiohead' and slower 'U2', and listening back to this, I agree, but also I just sorta don't care at all. If this blissfully calm, catchy, and melodically sharp album was the zeitgeist of the 2000s mainstream pop-rock scene, then I'd say the 2000s were a damn good decade for the genre.