The fire from my belly and the beat from my heart4 Out Of 5 Stars.
If you thought "Viva La Vida" was Coldplay's big U2 move, wait till you hear "Mylo Xyloto." "I turn the music up, I got my records on/From underneath the rubble, sing a rebel song" moans Chris Martin in that awesome purely English voice of his. Brian Eno is on board to add even more cinematic flair, like instrumental brides between and before songs. Then, when you're listening to the guitar building up from below the bubbling base in "Charlie Brown," it's impossible not to be reminded of "Joshua Tree" moments.
However, this is Coldplay. Ambitions aside, Chris Martin still writes hooks and melodies better than most pop-rockers these days and as grand as he tries to be, songs like "Hurts Like Heaven" or "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" will lodge into your ear canals like wax. With Rhianna adding a sweetly seductive goodbye in the breakup song, "Princess of China," and you even get Coldplay swinging towards the RnB fences. Let's not forget the uplifting but sad single, "Paradise," maybe the best song here. Pop cascades flow from these guys to the point that they make it sound almost too easy.
Which may be why they have the Enoxifications (as they list them) of cinematic bridges and artiness. The electronic "A Hopeful Transmission" is the best of the three instrumentals here, and it calls Radiohead to mind before lunging into "Don't Let It Break Your Heart." Which is yet another anthem to lift you, and why Coldplay may try as hard as they want to prove their critics wrong and the haters will still deride them. Chris Martin seems to actually like writing big, melodic rock songs that give reinforcement to their listeners' lives without dramatic (and critical rave baiting) angstiness. That's why "Mylo Xyloto" is ultimately enjoyable and holds up as a real good album.
No comments:
Post a Comment