At a certain point, is it possible that there is simply no new music, no song that hasn’t been heard before?

Emma Dahl expands in her column that dropping an album is a useful tool only for popular artists, and takes the focus away from artistic ability.

Some of us tend to reject popular music simply because it is popular. What causes this knee-jerk reaction? Are we trying too hard to be hip? Emma Dahl has the answers.

I didn't even listen to the previews before buying this album—it's Coldplay, so you know it'll be good. The question is, will it be curl up and read a book with a mug of tea good, or soaring heart-seizing cosmic choirs of inspiration good? As it turns out, some of both. It's vintage Coldplay, personal and moving, shifting between a racing, thrumming tapestry of guitars and synths with Chris Martin's characteristic whoa-ohhh's on "Hurts Like Heaven,"to a rough, low break-your-heart croon on the more subdued track "Us Against the World."