Best of 2000s: Coldplay - Parachutes (4.5/5)

Coldplay's rise to fame was rather quick and began with this album. Parachutes, released in the summer of 2000, established the band's sound--a laid back approach to pop-oriented rock that captured fans in the UK and the US with such songs as the mid-tempo "Yellow" and piano ballad "Trouble." Later the band would develop its penchant for stadium grandeur, but here the songs were much simpler, composed of gentle melodies from acoustic and electric guitars, piano and Chris Martin's sweet falsetto. "Spies" and "Sparks" in particular are such lovely, gentle songs that would be out of place on any other Coldplay album but this. The band was like a Radiohead without the oddities or a Travis with a bit more oomph. So popular was their sound that, in the few years that followed, bands with a similar sound also became popular (namely Keane) and several existing bands changed their sound to make a "Coldplay" album (i.e. Athlete, Embrace, Supergrass). The album won the Brit award for Best British Album, the Grammy for Best Alternative Album, and as nominated for the Mercury Prize.

Best: Trouble, Yellow, Don't Panic, Spies, Shiver, Sparks