Thumb Wars: A weekly forum for pop culture quarrels.

LOVE THEM

Drawing from a lineage that includes U2 circa The Joshua Tree and the early ouevre of Radiohead, Coldplay stands as one the most-liked British bands of the oughts. Chris Martin's distinctive falsetto over the cavernous warmth of Jonny Buckland's understated lead guitar and backed by the support of drummer Will Champion and rhythm guitar from Guy Berryman creates a lush and nuanced sound that is nothing short of beautiful.

Coldplay's repertoire may be a tad emotionally lopsided, but they have worked exceedingly well within the confines of their aesthetic. The last eight years have seen the band go from lovesick (debut single "Yellow" from 2000's Parachutes), to profoundly sad ("The Scientist" on 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head), to arena-sized rock ("The Speed of Sound" off of 2005's X&Y), and now dance rock (latest single "Viva la Vida"), all with equal adeptness.

Martin may not be the sagest of lyricists, but he's managed to bear his heart while avoiding the saccharine gushing or emo-angstiness. In other words, this gangling lead singer has proved himself talented at writing love songs without sounding sappy and break up songs without whining.

This all makes for a consistency that keeps the fan it attracts. It is possible to listen to each of the band's offerings from beginning to end without skipping a single track, which is more than can be said for most albums in a music industry governed single worship.

This quartet of Londoners may not be as great as the rock giants whose shoulders they stand upon, but their well-executed reliability makes them a band worth returning to.

-Sofia Salazar-Rubio

HATE THEM

Coldplay released X&Y, their third studio album, in the summer of 2005. Allow me to share an excerpt from my journal about that cultural moment: "I walk into Starbucks. Coldplay. I walk into Barnes and Noble. Coldplay. Chris Martin is like God in his cruelty and omnipresence."

Regrettably, three years have passed, but not much has changed. I don't really hate Coldplay the band. I hate Coldplay the concept, Coldplay the atmospheric condition, Coldplay the airborne virus that invades commercial breaks during "Two and a Half Men" with their iTunes ad. I'm already watching a show that spotlights Charlie Sheen playing a slightly more perceptive version of himself. How much more can I take?

It's not the fact that iTunes clipped a music video that drives me crazy, because I can handle scenes of Ne-Yo's "Closer" in the Overstock.com spots. Then again, Ne-Yo isn't doing the obnoxious, one-armed thrusts Coldplay's lead singer thinks are dance moves in "Viva la Vida." Ne-Yo is actually dancing. Ne-Yo is wearing a suit. Ne-Yo politely asks me to buy his album Year of the Gentleman instead of pulling a Chris Martin and implying I should, simply because he sleeps alone, sweeps the streets he used to own, and stands awkwardly against a computer-generated background, pumping his fist.

I spoke with my roommate about the band. He remarked, "I didn't even know what those guys looked like until six months ago." I didn't, either. In most of their music videos, Coldplay stand in the shadows. And unfortunately, shadows, like the band itself, are everywhere. As long as there is a light source and a radio, you can't get away from either.

-Melissa Fall

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