For some people, the rise and rise of Coldplay has been just a little bit difficult to understand. After all, their debut album Parachutes was essentially very ordinary, an unassuming collection of polite, middle-class indie-rock which was admittedly bolstered by a couple of excellent singles in 'Yellow' and 'Trouble'. A Rush of Blood to the Head, however, leaves little room for argument - it's nothing less than a massive leap forward that should secure Coldplay's place as one of Britain's biggest bands. It's not that there's anything very surprising here - piano-driven ballads remain the staple Coldplay sound and Chris Martin's vocal range never extends far beyond the wan or the wistful. But everything about this album is calm and assured, the sound of a band who know what they can do and proceed to do it very well indeed. Their former timidity gone, Coldplay somehow manage to take these essentially simple songs and make each one sound immediate, well-crafted and infused with a sense of warm inclusivity that makes Martin's tearful handwringing sound oddly comforting. The U2 comparisons still seem a bit ridiculous - Coldplay are just too unspectacular for that. But this is their moment to take centre-stage - and now that the spotlight is on them, they don't look out of place at all.

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