A murky, aquatic collection of late-night indie rock. Before the stadiums, there was this: reverb-drenched guitars and a sense of beautiful, lonely isolation.
It's the version of the band that sounds like they're playing at the bottom of a very deep, very blue swimming pool.
A submerged, nocturnal sense of longing wrapped in layers of hazy blue feedback.
Released in 1999, The Blue Room E.P. is the final short-form release from Coldplay before their debut album, Parachutes. It serves as a critical bridge between their lo-fi beginnings and their commercial breakthrough. Recorded with producer Chris Allison, the sessions were famously turbulent, nearly leading to the band's dissolution before they had even begun. Sonically, the EP is characterized by a heavy use of 'underwater' textures, influenced by the band's interest in space-rock and the more atmospheric side of Radiohead and Echo & the Bunnymen. It contains early versions of 'Don't Panic' and 'High Speed,' which show a much more psychedelic and unpolished approach than the versions that would eventually appear on their debut. The EP is highly regarded by fans for its unique, moody production that the band would largely move away from in favor of the cleaner, more acoustic-driven sound of the early 2000s.
Put this on for
Headphones on, eyes closed, letting the blue light of the laptop be the only glowRain streaking the window while the rest of the house sleepsDriving through a tunnel where the orange lights blur into a single lineThat specific quiet when you realize the party ended an hour agoLying on the floor of a new apartment before the furniture arrivesWalking through a park at dusk when the trees turn into silhouettesStaring at a flickering television screen with the sound turned off
Moments worth waiting for
The way the bassline in 'Bigger Stronger' anchors the swirling, psychedelic guitar feedback
The transition into the hazy, dub-influenced middle section of 'See You Soon'
The raw, unrefined vocal crack during the climax of the original 'Don't Panic' recording
Sounds like
1999s production with a 1990s soul
Sits beside
The Bends - Radiohead, Souvlaki - Slowdive, Storm in Heaven - The Verve, Dizzy Heights - The Lightning Seeds
Lyrical territory
existential, self_examination, surreal_abstract
02Deviation
The Blue Room E.P. · vs · Coldplay
Artist
This Album
Low Energy
Energy · ↓ −29% less than usual
On this album, low energy sits about 29% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
