Coldplay: “X&Y”

We all expected this heavily anticipated album would be No. 1 the first week it came out (it was), but the rumor was that it was not a very good album. “Speed of Sound” is an excellent single for the masses. I really enjoyed “Hardest Part,” although the lyrics are not very profound: “And the hardest part was letting go, not taking part/ you really broke my heart.” It is evident that this album was influenced by the birth of Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter. Coldplay’s “X&Y” does not have the elements of a classic album, like “Parachutes,” but it is not as bad as everyone says it is. It is really mellow, and the lyrics are simple. The thing that keeps this album afloat in the deep, dark ocean is Martin’s voice and the hypnotizing instrumentation throughout.

— Review by Tiffany Kwak, Free State High School senior

My Chemical Romance: “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge”

My Chemical Romance’s newest CD, “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge,” is one of those CDs with a couple of songs you love from the radio, but the rest you’ve never even heard of. “Helena” and “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” have been on the radio for a while now, and they are two of My Chemical Romance’s best-known songs.

On this CD, there is a wide range of songs. “Ghost of You” is a tune about an ex-girlfriend. With lyrics like “I never said I’d wait and lie forever / if I’d known we’d be together” and “What’s the end of the world? What’s the last thing I’ll see? / You’re never coming home, never coming home / And all those things that you never ever told me, and all those smiles that you never ever showed me:” Ghost seems to be one of the more heartfelt songs on the CD.

However, “This is What They Do To Guys Like Us in Prison” is the complete opposite. “In the middle of a gunfight, in the center of a restaurant, they say ‘come with your arms raised high,'” is the opening line to the song. “Thank You for the Venom” is also one of the edgier songs on the CD. MCR has a brilliant way of combining lyrics that stay with you. Strong drum parts and mind-blowing guitar solos make for a very interesting album, to say the least. However, this is probably not one of those CDs that you’ll blast on your stereo with your door open – at least while your parents are home.

— Review by Emily Keizer, a freshman in the Shawnee Mission school district.

Motion City Soundtrack: “Commit This to Memory”

With their first album, “I Am the Movie,” being quite a success, Motion City Soundtrack, hailing from Minneapolis, came back with a new record produced by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182. The first song I heard off of this album was “Everything Is Alright.” This song had an incredibly catchy chorus, and the lyrics were easy enough to memorize in five minutes. The entire album is pretty strong.

The first song, “Attractive Today,” is a nice opener. Justin Pierre, the band’s lead vocalist, sings “But I just need to say good-bye / to all the metaphors and lies / that have taken me years to come up with.” This song really sets the mood for most of the album. There were a couple of songs toward the end that I thought were repetitive and sounded the same. However, Pierre’s vocals are strong, and all of the instruments sounded fantastic. I believe that there was a little less mood on this album than there was in “I Am the Movie,” which disappointed me. My favorite tracks on this album are “Everything Is Alright” and “Resolution.” Overall, this is a good sophomore album by an extremely talented band.

— Review by Tiffany Kwak, Free State High School senior