Only six years ago, wiseacres dismissed Coldplay as Radiohead Lite; all the melancholy atmosphere, none of the innovation or daring or weirdness. The skeptics disdained singer Chris Martin’s lyrics—shy and goofy, like love notes passed in class—as well as his gangling demeanor, so un-rock-starish that he made The Boy Next Door look like David Lee Roth.

The knee-weakening crescendos of Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head made a superstar of Martin, which now only multiplies his sense of feeling torn by attention. On X&Y he’s bamboozled by celebrity attention—bemoaning “all this space I’m taking up” in “White Shadows,” a glassy, urgent pop song—but he also edges into Bono’s rock-prophet territory on the glowering “Twisted Logic,” riding Gothic guitars while urging listeners not to “fight for the wrong side.” Tabloid writers and unfair traders will probably not load the song on their iPods.

His dilemma is paired with a subtle sonic upgrade: The serene guitars and limpid drums that make Coldplay the musical equivalent of a hot tub here take a blast of cold water, showing a greater debt to chilly rock soundscapers of the ’80s, from Simple Minds to New Order. The melodies, meanwhile, are the most immediately captivating they’ve written, delivering no shortage of spine-tingling stadium-rock moments, from a relentless Classic Coldplay™ piano riff in “Speed of Sound” to an unexpected burst of supersized psychedelia in “Low.”

At the same time, Martin continues to explore his constant theme: “I fucked up, and I’m sorry.” It’s the focus of “Fix You,” a picture of broken-down love framed by churchy organ. Maybe it’s a trick of his clogged, eccentric voice—an accident of British dentistry—but when he sings “When you love someone and it goes to waste, could it be worse?” he sounds sincere. No wonder Gwyneth went ga-ga for the guy. X&Y will make some rock fans fall apart and blubber into their hankies. Others will gag and shout “Sissy!” Chris Martin, weaned on the principles of indie rock but with mountainous goals in mind, should pay no heed. His band have made their masterpiece.

Download: “Speed of Sound,” “Low,” “What If?”