"...It does, however, offer one of the most beguiling sounds in rock: that of a band at the top of their game, sure-footed and oozing certainty. As Oasis's early success attests, confidence can cover a multitude of deficiencies, and Coldplay sound like a very confident band indeed. So confident, in fact, that their shortcomings seem almost beside the point. After all, you don't fill stadiums by being ponderous and arcane. If an audience has to think about a song for too long, they forget to get their lighters out. A Rush of Blood to the Head achieves precisely what it sets out to do. It sounds like an album ready to take on the world, and win."