While not usually my favorite band, the latest Coldplay album did have me turning up the volume for some of the piano-driven riffs and choruses. It's an album that begs to be played loud, and the concert reviews I've read suggest that Coldplay is attempting to become the U2 of our generation with this new album and tour.

Curious, I went looking for some Coldplay t-shirts, and noticed some interesting themes right away. Chris Martin is obviously the highest profile member of the group, but the band clearly takes great pains to present itself as a quartet, clearly seen in the Coldplay shirts below. Whether the artist's faces can be clearly viewed or are represented only by shadows, each shirt depicts 4 distinct individuals, each bringing a different influence to the band's music.

Colplay t-shirt designs are spare and clean, focusing on the artists themselves without any band art, logos, or designs often the norm for tour shirts. To be honest, they're pretty damn boring! The band name is always spelled out in block letters, colors are clearly contrasted; this is a shirt you can wear in front of Mom and Dad, a good wholesome group, they seem to say.

My advice? Liven it up a little boys! I want to see some psychedelic Coldplay shirt art, maybe some crazy designs or some out-there colors. If Coldplay really wants to become the musical standard bearer for this generation, then they're going to have to step out of the straight and narrow mainstream a little bit. Else once that cool piano riff ends, I'll be looking for an old DMB set to pop in while I chill out in my old Bridge Benefit concert.