Coldplay

Coldplay are the unlikely superstars of soaring, sensitive rock — their claim to stadium-sized greatness is no longer a matter of potential, but one of accomplishment, and the band's rise has been truly rapid. In 2000, when they appeared in the mainstream with "Yellow," they were the shoe-gazers who looked up: a bright spark that would upgrade, in sweeping midtempo increments, to inferno status. Sure, they sell tons of records, but let's not turn into accountants here, rather let's celebrate the sounds: push gently away from the dock with world-class heartstring-tugger "Fix You."

Coldplay's lowly beginnings give way to the stratospheric heights of '08, in Next Steps.

Upon its release, only 500 copies of 1999's Brothers & Sisters EP were issued, which makes the lead track, "Brothers and Sisters," at once a diamond in the rough and a telling insight into the band's origins: the uplifting melancholy and delicately layered song structures are highly effective even at this primitive stage in the band's development. Almost a decade down the road, the Coldplay production line is struggling to cope with the strain of 2008's magnificent Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends — lay your soul on the thermal currents of "Lovers in Japan" and feel the upward surge.

For a while, it looked like Coldplay would run out of steam, but somehow they only seem to get stronger. The outfit has survived repeated bouts of on-tour exhaustion, as well as the distraction of a celebrity marriage (singer Chris Martin to actress Gwyneth Paltrow), to reign supreme. All pretenders to their throne seem inadequate in the face of the band's unhalting brilliance and habit of winning over the cynical with undeniably superb songwriting talents. Many of these tracks have the power to make grown men weep like inconsolable infants. "Speed of Sound" and "Talk," from 2005's X & Y, harness the outfit's trademark mix of soaring melody and mesmerizing simplicity — it's a transcendent formula, supplemented in 2008 by the recruitment of production guru Brian Eno for Viva la Vida, one of the fastest-selling albums of the year.