Album of the Day

Just as Brit-pop had run its course, a new band emerged to pick up the U.K. music torch: Coldplay. Following a handful of independent E.P.s, the quartet signed to Parlophone and their full-length debut, PARACHUTES, topped the British chart on this day in 2000. A wistful and atmospheric brand of alternative rock led by frontman Chris Martin's high, aching vocals, the album spun off four singles: “Shiver,” “Trouble,” “Don't Panic” and the hit that introduced the group to American audiences, “Yellow." The collection would eventually go double-platinum in the States, and earned critical plaudits as well, including a Best Alternative Music Album Grammy and a Brit Award for Best British Album. Some twenty years after PARACHUTES landed, Coldplay has grown into one of the world's top bands, and that success sounds inevitable on this fine set.