Coldplay - Music of the Spheres
- Thread starter B.A.D.
- Start date
She/Her/Queen
He was always my fave. The only reason why I watch Coldplay’s videos because I can’t stand Chris.
I actually think their last album was quite experimental in style and I genuinely adore it, it's up with Viva La Vida, Ghost Stories and A Rush Of Blood.
I was literally going to say that we needed to talk more about Guy. Chris wishes.
I completely agree. I loved the last record. Much grittier and more experimental(in a good way).
I remember reading back then that they claimed Mylo Xyloto would be their last album and honestly that would've been kind of iconic. Although I'm glad we got Ghost Stories later, as is the last album of theirs that I use, Mylo Xyloto was to me the last time they tried and pushed the envelope even a little.
This is far from hideous and of course it has budget, the video and visuals overall are great and don't get me wrong a BTS collab can be rad, if done properly. But the sound is just so watered down and reused, it almost feels like a parody of life, at this point you could make a very convincing Coldplay song using the formula they've used for the last 3 projects.
I don't know, maybe Chris Martin is just fine doing this kinda of power ballad song over and over and infuse some if any experimental bits here and there and call it a day.
I came here today because I read that Chris just said the band has 3 more albums and that's it and I was like... babe that was 3 albums ago, just call it quits.
This is far from hideous and of course it has budget, the video and visuals overall are great and don't get me wrong a BTS collab can be rad, if done properly. But the sound is just so watered down and reused, it almost feels like a parody of life, at this point you could make a very convincing Coldplay song using the formula they've used for the last 3 projects.
I don't know, maybe Chris Martin is just fine doing this kinda of power ballad song over and over and infuse some if any experimental bits here and there and call it a day.
I came here today because I read that Chris just said the band has 3 more albums and that's it and I was like... babe that was 3 albums ago, just call it quits.
I don't disagree with their take on some of the music based on what I've heard so far, but I do genuinely despise this narrative of a 'desperate pop pivot'. It suggests that working with the likes of Max Martin, who is a deeply talented writer and producer, to create pop music deserves derision and scorn. I appreciate this is nothing new as pop music has been thrown under the bus by music critics for a good 50 years, but Coldplay have been in the firing line with this same critique for 10 years now. This isn't really a 'pop pivot' considering the band have released pure pop music off and on again since 'Mylo Xyloto' in 2011. The suggestion that this album is a sudden contrived plea for relevance and success is absurd.
The pattern for Coldplay, cognitively or otherwise, for the last decade has been an album of uplifting pop songs followed by an album that was darker in tone, then back again. The Guardian review writes of 'Everyday Life':
I don't understand what the writer wants from them. There's an air of disdain about the experimentation with style on 'Everyday Life' and the suggestion that at least one song sounded unpalatably raw, but in the same sentence he implies it should have been more experimental because the album played too safe?
The residual gatekeeping of the late 90s NME and Q Magazine era of music journalism where you had to perform heteronormative indie rock to be considered valid artists still seeps into critics' Coldplay discourse. It is deeply frustrating as it seemingly denies everything the band have done for 10 years. I didn't need a Coldplay collaboration with BTS or with Selena Gomez in my life, but how is it any different from collaborating with Rhianna, Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue or Avicii? Coldplay are still being held hostage by an expectation that they are going to make 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Part II' which willfully and ungenerously ignores almost 20 years of music they have released since. Alexis Petridis' comment here that Coldplay have made a 'realisation' that they prefer pop instead of rock is utterly moronic and at least a decade too late.
Even though I am already anticipating that 'Music Of The Spheres' won't be as enjoyable for me as 'Everyday Life' was, the comment that it is 'undignified' to make this type of music is the same entitled pop-bashing that Coldplay have endured for what feels like a lifetime. They have always struck me as nice, humble musicians who imbue what they do with sincerity, honouring and respecting all the different types of records they have made. Their ability to create joy for a live audience, especially in stadium settings, is second to none, and they have made use of their privileged platform to invest in many charitable causes over their career. All music is a matter of taste and I completely appreciate that 'Music Of The Spheres' won't suit the tastes of a lot of people (perhaps even myself included) but the endless s**tkicking of this band feels cruelly unnecessary at this point.
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My admiration for Coldplay has definitely waned over the years. Their first 4 albums were excellent. Mylo Xyloto, Ghost Stories and A Head Full Of Dreams had their highs and lows. But I think that's where things started going downhill.
Everyday Life was a SIGNIFICANT improvement. It was a difficult album to get into initially. But that was good - it meant that many songs would grow on me over time. However, that record was flawed too - mainly because of all the short songs and excerpts. But I can forgive them for that. The album, overall, was great.
I'm about to play the new album - I have very low expectations from this. Let's see how this turns out.
Everyday Life was a SIGNIFICANT improvement. It was a difficult album to get into initially. But that was good - it meant that many songs would grow on me over time. However, that record was flawed too - mainly because of all the short songs and excerpts. But I can forgive them for that. The album, overall, was great.
I'm about to play the new album - I have very low expectations from this. Let's see how this turns out.
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They definitely collaborate with whoever’s relevant at the moment, but their collaborations have never veered away from their artistic identity. I’m really struggling to understand when did critics classify them as “not pop” though, they’ve been very pop since the beginning ddddd
That‘s exactly what this deserves.
Brutal review on Pitchfork too, worst score I've seen in a while:
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/coldplay-music-of-the-spheres/
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/coldplay-music-of-the-spheres/
Leave it to Chris Martin to COME THROUGH with an extravagantly pedestrian cosmic christian stadium rock masterpiece where he will go from Bon Iver to Nirvana and say fuck (!) over the course of three minutes and then exchange platitudes with Selena Gomez and deconstruct human-kind.
I'm lowkey living, it's one bop after another.
I'm lowkey living, it's one bop after another.
Lisa Scott Lee found shaking and crying, etc.
I don't pay attention to reviews (I guessed the Pitchfork score before clicking on the link and was, no word of a lie, 0.1 out) but this album is leaving me empty so far. It just feels too calculated and overblown.
Their more low-key/less commercial albums (Ghost Stories/Everyday Life) are always better than the albums designed to do well commercially and lead big stadium tours.
That Pitchfork review is pretty funny to read but I'm not sure I agree with it. This doesn't feel that different or any more of an attempt to go big or remain popular than Mylo Xyloto or A Head Full of Deams. The latter was produced by Stargate and had a Beyonce feature. This one just has more of a concept, which probably makes it an easier target for critics.
That Pitchfork review is pretty funny to read but I'm not sure I agree with it. This doesn't feel that different or any more of an attempt to go big or remain popular than Mylo Xyloto or A Head Full of Deams. The latter was produced by Stargate and had a Beyonce feature. This one just has more of a concept, which probably makes it an easier target for critics.