I love Neil Young! By himself and in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Mellow music with meaning. Kind of like Coldplay, I guess. It stands to reason, when you think about it. Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin, cites Young as one of his influences. It's interesting that critics are speculating that Coldplay may be the world's "next U2." I tend to disagree. Coldplay is a band unto its own. Really, though, if we must compare, I think Coldplay has the potential to be my generation's The Beatles. They will never be The Beatles or the next Beatles, but I think they can be Gen-X what the Beatles are to our parents. Think I'm exaggerating? Give Coldplay's new album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, a listen.

Songs like "A Rush of Blood to the Head" and "Politik" eloquently express the feelings of socio-political disenchantment common to most young people I know. This is what The Beatles did: they acted as a voice for their generation.

Perhaps burdening Coldplay with the title "Voice of their Generation" is as cruel as comparison. At any rate, what's most important is their music. Poignant, it never sacrifices meaning at the hands of aesthetics.

You know, it really is time for more substantial music (like Coldplay's!) The music world, after all, is cyclical and all that pop fluff has had more than its share of the sun.