I'm just gunna dive right in. Because I truly with all of my heart am enjoying this album faster than any of their other albums and any other album of the year. In case you are wondering, yes, thats a big deal for me. There are so many tracks to cover, and so little time. This one's gunna be a long one folks. You in for the ride?
It took 36 people to write, record, mix, produce, "Enoxificate" and dust off this work of art, Mylo Xyloto. They had this incredible idea to release the album before the end of 2010 as a "Decade Ender" which, i think, goes along swimmingly with the experimental theme that this album has going on, but alas, it wasn't even near completion. APPARANTLY, according to Metacritic, the album only recieved 57/100 which to me is just a bit rude. Simply because they aren't writing the same exact songs they were writing a couple years ago doesn't mean their current music is any better or worse than their old. It means that as artists and as a group, they have matured. And with that maturity comes what i like to call "Music Maturity" and i believe it is a common theme in artists that stay in the public eye for around a decade or more. Their whole point this time around was to create something that was new, experimental, fun and something that you could take a step back at the end of the day and say, "hm. thats an incredible album". Which i think they definately accomplished with "Viva La Vida" and now they are doing the same thing with this one.
A lot of people are upset because they are hearing a more poppy, mainstream sound from them on this album but i can assure you that is not all that is on here. YES ill give it to them that they managed to widen their perspective a bit and they did get a couple songs with some pretty intense beats that i definately pulled out my studio headphones for. My personal favorite off the album, "Princess of China" (Ill come back to it), "Paradise" and "Up in Flames" are the more beat driven tracks, which too be honest, i think just added to their ability to kick ass on a track. I think Paradise was AMAZING with all of its different elements and anthem-like chorus. But that beat. Holy Moses. The way that bass and beat go together can make a satan worshiper fall to his knees. Princess of China. WOW. Now when i heard they were collabing with Rihanna i got my hopes up. I had already heard paradise so i figured it was also gunna have a kick ass beat. and it did. (thank god). Nowadays a lot of people toss around the idea of collaberation. They have stupid ideas and they do not have the right mix of people going on. The true idea of a collaberation is to take a risk, and to take two artists and have them have something in common through that track. almost a bridge in music, to make the two just CLICK so that you dont even think twice about the fact that there are two different people on the track. SOME collaberations, ill keep my mouth shut now, are just off and sound horrible. But i have to say, Coldplay and Rihanna hit it home with this one. Great songwriting, GREAT production and what an incredible way they blended with one another. At one point they are singing the same melody line together and it still sounds incredible. I hope this track shocked people and in a good way. They took two types of music and literally formed a bridge. They took a HUGE risk, it has Rihannas name on it and it has Coldplays name on in. Two people with a lot of credibility and they took that risk and made magic with it. It was more than a collaberation. It was a duet. And props to Brian Eno for taking Coldplay's sound: strings, drums, Chris Martin's vocals, a raging guitar line, and taking Rihanna's sound, her voice, the DEEP beat, the ever soft spacy sounding synths in the background and literally swirling them into one track. They all did such a beautiful mixture here. I cant stress enough how amazing it was. I'll leave it at that.
I think one of the basic themes as far as lyrics go for this album was definately positivity. So many of these songs talk of hope, happiness and love. Even if they had their sad tracks, every album does. Paradise, U.F.O "then that light, it's your eye, i move i swim", Charlie Brown, hurts like heaven "no we won't let them take control", every teardrop is a waterfall and much more.
Another one of my faves was "Every teardrop is a waterfall". Its very classic Coldplay with a nice twist. The guitar work almost sounds like bagpipes!!! i love it. It reminds me of a song that i listen to when im running in the mornings. Very runner's high. If youre trying to find some sort of good in the world, this is the track for you. If you haven't heard the entire EP, i definately recommend it. The EP included "Every teardrop is a waterfall", "Major Minus" and (I DIE) "Moving to Mars". Now, i was sorely not impressed with "Major Minus". Granted, ive still only had a couple listen throughs to the album. But "Moving to Mars" really blew me away. Sadly, it never made the album. But its a mixture of "death and all his friends, and 42 from the last album. So nostalgic and sorrowful, i had it on repeat for a hot second. It eventually picks up in the middle and has a pretty cool music interlude that i thoroughly enjoyed but those lyrics are pretty awesome. "and i heard it on the radio that one day we'll be living in the stars. maybe moving us to mars." Anyways, listen to the trio of songs. pretty great.
I feel like im writing too much so im gunna pick one more track and roll with it and then ill be done. As most know, I'm truly a sap. I'm a sucker for Coldplay and Adele-like sad love songs. I just am. "Us against the World" hits home for a lot of people im sure. "And if we could float away, fly up to the surface and just start again, and lift off before trouble erodes us in the rain" "and i just wanna be there when the lightning strikes....and sing slow it down". Besides having that classic depressing acoustic Coldplay sound to it, the lyrics are beautiful. A song about wishing you could go back right when things started going wrong. To be there on the sidelines and telling yourself to slow it down. Giving yourself pointers from the future. Because lets be real. How many of us have wished that before? I know i have. One of the reasons i think Coldplay reaches across to SO many people who listen to all different types of music is through their ability to relate. They started out writing alternative rock music and had that occasional love song that blew everyones mind whether it was acoustic or not. "Yellow", "The Scientist", "Violet Hill". Think about how many people know these songs. Its truly a groundbreaking thing they have done. Chris Martin said in a recent interview that he "knows his lyrics are shit" but i beg to differ. They are complex and beautiful. Some of the realest out there.
Anyways, I'm going to conclude this short novel. I don't know yet what songs will be chosen for singles or how many singles will be released but i definately feel they can't go wrong with this album. They set themselves up for success and i can see this album continuing to get recognized for quite some time. Of course i have my hopes for singles but you never know. I truly hope that if you have the time you listen and look up the lyrics. This album is filled with amazing lyrics that i never mentioned. These guys know music. Thank you Coldplay. Always know i can count on you.
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