Have they lost their minds?

[kspillers2]

Yes, back to our grumblings about the new stuff.

I think partly I'm a little sensitive because at some point the idea was floated that this was going to be a more 'stripped down' album.... And instead it's as Eno-ified an overproduction, at least on ETIAW and Paradise, as it can be.

[lndnsky]

I think its time for them to say goodbye to Brian Eno! It worked on VLV but not any more.

I don't want to judge the whole album by this song, I still hope they haven't overproduced Charlie Brown. But I'm afraid that the only thing I'm going to like in Mylo era is the artwork, cause I'm a sucker for colours and graffiti.

[anacaren08]

Im a total fangirl, and I do like the new song.....but, it makes me sad that they are headed in this direction :\

I wish they could go to their basics. I know people say that's dumb, and they need to change and grow. But im not saying to make a parachutes copy, just to remember where they came from. Im still looking forward to the album (preordered it already), I like the other new songs like charlie brown :). Im so nervous now about princess of china though :(

 

Im gonna hold on for coldplay because I love them, and holding on to hope that ill actually love the album, and that the next is a little more emo like they used to be called lol.

(Missing the viva era right now :P)

[Nattatouille]

Yes, back to our grumblings about the new stuff.

I think partly I'm a little sensitive because at some point the idea was floated that this was going to be a more 'stripped down' album.... And instead it's as Eno-ified an overproduction, at least on ETIAW and Paradise, as it can be.

 

Ah yes. I remember this idea circulating around actually and I was so excited about it.

 

Seems so far away from what we've been given

[Jedi Leo]

I think Eno had less influence on this album than he did on Viva, so I don´t think the new direction can be attributed to him. Maybe it is hard to accept but this is just what the guys want to do now :)

[Ronnabe]

I think Eno had less influence on this album than he did on Viva, so I don´t think the new direction can be attributed to him. Maybe it is hard to accept but this is just what the guys want to do now :)

Yup... Doing their own thing, how very dare they.

[chommy_16]

well, all i have to say is yellow is more than ten years old now and there're some reasons that people still listen to it

but i don't think in next ten year people will listen to paradise

[Nattatouille]

^^^If I'm honest, I tend to agree with that. I haven't listened to a lot of Eno's work, but I've always found it to be more experimental than mainstream. And I think what we've seen is Coldplay experimenting with the mainstream.

 

If Brian was responsible for this, I would've expected more odd tempos and melodies (like his Fabrica art installment). Not pop.

[Valentina]

I've never written in this forum, but just read all of your comments and now I need to write something. I can understand your disappoiment watchin' your favorite band turnin' into something you don't like, it's sad because you'd really like to love what they're doing. But I think that you're just overreacting, I mean you're talkin' about regression,why? they started playing the music they liked and kept on trying not to repeating themselves and not always doing another Parachutes or AROBTTH. They decided to take this path, trying to create music that is not in their "DNA" and doing it in a good way, not everyone might like it but at least it's something new and fresh.Just for this, as a coldplay fan,you should be proud of them. I know you may not like this new era, but you should appreciate their effort to do different things, even if it's pop music and it's not so "Coldplay style".

Plus, I don't get why people are embarrassed saying they like/liked Coldplay, they're one of the greatest band in the world and make good music, I'm always so proud to say I'm a fan!

[Jedi Leo]

well, all i have to say is yellow is more than ten years old now and there're some reasons that people still listen to it

but i don't think in next ten year people will listen to paradise

 

No one can tell which songs get stuck in people´s consciousness for years to come, but the formula for yellow is not very different from Paradise: slow verse, catchy chorus, epic instrumentation, Coldplay stamp of approval :)

[AnnaElisabeth]

Listening to Paradise, I'm waiting to hear that cringe-inducing yelp of Timbaland in the background....

 

(Just shortened your post because it was so long to quote)

 

YOU, dear Sir, win all the awards. Exactly my thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to write that and very welcome to the board. :nice:

[nothingtoseehere]

Thank you, Mark, for articulating everything that's been on my mind all day. As a long time fan of Coldplay, I really do feel sad that they've gone in this direction.

 

I've mentioned in another thread that I feel that based on ETIAW and Paradise and all the things that Chris Martin says in their more recent interviews, the band are definitely approaching their music with money in mind. And sadly, that means they must cater to the taste of the general masses, which, in my opinion based on what's in the Top 40 these days, is shallow, superficial, and does not have lasting appeal.

 

Coldplay need to stop trying so hard to please everyone and be true to themselves. For anyone saying they are being true to themselves, I give you this quote from Billboard magazine's recent interview with Chris:

 

[...]the people I like the most are the people that are really working for their audience, Bruce being the number one example. I don't really like the whole 'we're just doing this and if you like it, great.' I don't subscribe to that.

[Bloody]

Listening to Paradise, I'm waiting to hear that cringe-inducing yelp of Timbaland in the background....

 

 

I have been a fan ever since I saw them perform "Yellow" on TV ages ago. I can recall thinking, "Who is this?" and started to become a fan of theirs after that point...

 

It wasn't really until A Rush of Blood to the Head came out though, and I listened to the album and instantly said, "WOW" to myself. It completely blew me away. After that point I fell head over heels in love with Coldplay. I honestly think AROBTTH is one of the greatest rock albums of all time, and it made me fall in love with Parachutes so much more. I remember that summer very fondly, finally falling in love with a band that was all "mine" and not the Beatles or another band that had disbanded decades ago that I would never see live...

 

As soon as I heard the buzzy synth bass and electronic snare on Paradise today I was like, "Oh Jesus". I gave it a shot and listened to it a few times through, soaking in it's repetitive chords over and over again.

 

I think if you showed this song to the guys back in their Parachutes/AROBTTH era and told them they were going to write this a decade later, they would have laughed at you and said they're not trying to be the Backstreet Boys.

 

THIS IS WHAT COLDPLAY SOUNDS LIKE NOW?

 

I realize not all their songs are going to sound like this -- the other new stuff they released so far is ok. Not anywhere near as good as their early days, but still ok. This Paradise song makes Every Tear Drop A Waterfall seem like "I Am the Walrus" in comparison to how generic this is. Funny how "Moving to Mars", their most "classic Coldplay" sounding song out of the 3, didn't make the cut .

 

I've pretty much given up on Coldplay. Have they lost their minds?

 

They're always going to have a special place in my heart, but ... they've let all their original, longstanding fans down.

 

And what's with all the people saying, "Oh stop hatin, this song is a 10/10", trying to defend it and make us look like fools. You do realize they were an amazing, deep organic sounding band before you discovered them last year on your NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL MUSIC VOL 245 cd, right? That we have been listening to their beautiful melodies for years now and this simply does not hold up whatsoever to classics like, "Everything is Not Lost", "Amsterdam", "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face", "Spies", "Clocks", "Trouble" and so on.

 

Someone in a previous post said they have regressed in songwriting, using Amsterdam as a comparison (I 100% agree) and someone said, "No, they just changed their sound" and to get over it. You're trying to tell us that a song like Amsterdam with that mind-blowing ending and lush, deep dark piano chords that are cleverly written, is not a MILLION miles above this repetitive tween crap?

 

It's just average for a pop song anyway; it's no man's land in terms of its appeal. If I didn't know them and I heard it on the radio, I would just change the channel. It makes me sad to say that, because I've never done that to a Coldplay song before.

 

I would kill to go back to the days of X&Y. Everyone made fun of that album but it still was Coldplay and organic. It's strange because I love Eno but he somehow totally destroyed this band's sound and essence. Viva La Vida had some cool parts in it and some lovely songs but it felt cold, soulless and overcompressed and overproduced. Coldplay's music used to remind me of laidback foggy mornings in the countryside. Now they remind me of Glee marathons or music that should be played during an ABC Family montage.

 

And yes -- I KNOW bands change their sound and grow. I grew up with Radiohead too. This is not growth. This is regression, like the other person said. This is not better. Coldplay opened up a whole new world with me when I learned their early songs on guitar and all their unique chord progression and endless weird tunings. I got all their chord books and was blown away by how clever and original their songwriting was. I bought the Viva La Vida songbook and all the chords stared becoming predictable, no alternate tunings, and it's come to a full stop now. The majority of their new songs lack any of that slightly dark, mellow, humble beauty that the old Coldplay songs had.

 

I've always felt that Coldplay has done a horrible job of looking at themselves as a band, objectively & subjectively. Their B-sides like Animals, Murder, I Ran Away, 3.16, One I Love, Ladder to the Sun, Help is Round the Corner, Poor Me, Gravity, How You See the World, etc were all absolutely BRILLIANT and should have been included on their respectable albums. I feel like these songs got cut because they probably felt like they were too "outside the box". Which they aren't at all. But I felt like they knew the labels/mainstream wouldn't like them as much and cut them off. I always try to show people the Coldplay b-sides because it shows a cooler, darker vibe from them. I feel like if they had showed off more of these types of songs, it would have given them more of a mainstream-Radiohead-esque type of approachability and charm...instead of always choosing the most poppy, predictable songs to make the ends of their album cuts (a la "The Hardest Part")... they just come off like they're always trying too hard to please everyone.

 

On top of that they let the negative criticism get to them too much after X&Y. They got so popular people started belittling them (NY Times article calling them "most insufferable band ever") and then Chris Martin said "We won't be seeing you around for a while" at that awards show, with his tail tucked between his legs. He should have told them all to fuck off and stuck to his guns. I remember reading interviews of them after that point, talking how they were embarrassed and didn't know what to do with themselves... and then they hired Eno. Rest is history.

 

Funny how they were embarrassed after X&Y, but aren't embarrassed to wear these silly matching outfits with the cheap-looking decals ironed onto their clothes, looking like a poor man's version of Sgt. Pepper, singing trite songs like Paradise. What happened to the UK blokes that wore jeans and just cared about making beautiful music? Oh yeah, I forgot, they got money. That's not to say being rich makes you a bad musician, however as we've seen throughout history over and over again, a lot of times the passion/originality is never the same.

 

Well that's my rant and I could give two shits if you don't like it. But I'm sorry, Coldplay are a joke of what they used to be, and what their potential during their early days had been. You see bands like Radiohead, who write music the way they want to, no apologies, and the fans flock in droves...Coldplay could have had that, but instead they sold out for Top 40 collaborations with Rihanna (are you serious?)

 

And finally, let me add, I don't mind pop music. I love synths and certain electronica music and sounds, and i'm not really against Coldplay meshing that in. I loved the drum synth playing underneath Chris Martin's piano chords during Animals. It sounded unique, classy. This just sounds vacuous and generic, and the chords are boring. You can write pop music and still be original, avant garde, new. Coldplay have never been the best lyricists, but at least they had great song structures and melodies. Now they have none of that. Even as vague as some of their early lyrics were, it still had a symbolic prettiness to it. Their lyrics are getting cheesy here.

 

I used to have a few friends that loved Coldplay in highschool along with me... now most are too embarrassed to even admit they used to like them. I'm always the one defending Coldplay from those who call them boring, whiny, etc but now it's at a point where I don't even know how to defend this anymore....

 

I know this'll never happen but they should just get back to the basics.

 

Mark

 

BRAVO!!!!

 

I 100% agree. I'm one of those who had been following Coldplay since AROBTTH. This band is part of my life. And it's very sad seing them turned into a crappy boyband or whatever this shit is.

 

By the way. I'm that "someone" :)

[Texasluvsjonny]

I've been a Coldplay fan for a very long time. I have become friends with other Coldplay fans over the years. And honestly with the release of every Coldplay album at least one of those people have stopped liking the band because of the new album. Yes even AROBTTH! Friends who I thought would be in for the long haul have left in disgust, saying they were embarrassed to have ever liked the band to begin with. So what you've said here is no news flash to me.

 

I never asked to band to make the same record over and over. I have always liked some songs way more than others. I am glad that Charlie Brown wasn't released as a single because hearing it every 5 minutes on the radio would probably make me hate it and I want to love it forever!

 

Everything Mark has said here someone has said with every album release.

[**Laura**]

Wow,Mark,very well written and reflects my thoughts exactly. Even the last sentence was spot on,I feel the same,I don't know what to say after this new song came out. I didn't care when people told me their music was too dark or depressing,I found it beautiful. But now...I feel nothing and I don't want to feel that way when I'm listening to their stuff.

Anyway,thank you for that review. I still hope (but as you said it'll probably never happen) that they will go back to the basics in the future.

[The Mad Hatter]

(Just shortened your post because it was so long to quote)

 

YOU, dear Sir, win all the awards. Exactly my thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to write that and very welcome to the board. :nice:

 

EH EH EH EH EH EH EH

 

TAKE 'EM TO THE BRIDGE

 

EH EH EH EH EH EH EH

[Jedi Leo]

I think what Chris meant was to work HARD for the audience, in order to do the best they possibly can. That´s how I interpreted anyway. After all if Coldplay really only wanted to please, they would have replicated their successful albums again and again... I think they are true to themselves: they would not keep changing if they were not.

 

BTW a lot mods disappointed about the direction of MX. I feel sad on your behalf: I can imagine how hard it must be for a long-time fan. I can only hope that you will be judging the songs for what they are and not for what direction/genre or audience you think they are aimed towards.

[The Mad Hatter]

Oh, I can justify using the word "regressed" earlier...I can cite "Bigger Stronger" and "Easy to Please". xD

 

Difference is, though, I actually like those songs musically.

[Raja]

The thread title is as hyperbolic as perhaps the whole post in itself.

 

I first got into Coldplay after X & Y came out , and have been a fan ever since . Discovering new b sides on youtube ( Especially Animals ) gave me enormous satisfaction , and quickly with the release of Viva they became one of my favorite bands , moving onto what we have heard so far of the new album . I'll say this.

 

II'm gonna paste somethign said on a different part of this forum , I'm not exactly sure who the person is but they said this:

 

Here's my two cents on it's not very "them".

 

If you expect Coldplay to sound one way, you are putting them in a box. This is obviously the music that was in their minds and hearts. You can't say it isn't "them". Maybe it's not "you" would be a better description.

 

I think that statement there is very spot on , would I like it if they came up with a redone parachutes or perhaps a rush of blood? Nope I wouldn't . Thats not to say that I'm a huge fan of the material they have just put forth . But I for one after listening to paradise about 20 times , really do like it . Even the "tween" para para part , strange as that may seem .

 

42 is still such a dark song , as well as death and all his friends those songs are perhaps my favorite from previous albums and to say things like "they got rich" is redundant.

 

I'd probably be shot down by fans claiming to be ones sticking with them from their roots , all I'm saying is that I'd rather have something different and new than the same thing over and over again , obviously some people will disagree with that and I suppose that is fine .

 

Its been a decade , and perhaps the band are in a very different place than they were back then . Maybe the album is in itself a reflection of the situation the band finds themselves in , a bit like Death Cabs new album. Different , yet still quite solid. And on a sidenote I'm sort of glad The hardest part made it into the album

[AnnaElisabeth]

BTW a lot mods disappointed about the direction of MX. I feel sad on your behalf: I can imagine how hard it must be for a long-time fan. I can only hope that you will be judging the songs for what they are and not for what direction/genre or audience you think they are aimed towards.

 

Well, I can only speak for myself... It doesn't feel very nice, that's for sure! :shrug:

 

I listen to music for what it is, I love Moving to Mars and Charlie Brown. Very sad about the fact that I can't say that for all of the new songs.

[strikie]

Coldplay is dead,

Long live Coldplay

[the_escapist]

well, all i have to say is yellow is more than ten years old now and there're some reasons that people still listen to it

but i don't think in next ten year people will listen to paradise

 

Precisely. Excellent point.

[the_escapist]

I've never written in this forum, but just read all of your comments and now I need to write something. I can understand your disappoiment watchin' your favorite band turnin' into something you don't like, it's sad because you'd really like to love what they're doing. But I think that you're just overreacting, I mean you're talkin' about regression,why? they started playing the music they liked and kept on trying not to repeating themselves and not always doing another Parachutes or AROBTTH. They decided to take this path, trying to create music that is not in their "DNA" and doing it in a good way, not everyone might like it but at least it's something new and fresh.Just for this, as a coldplay fan,you should be proud of them. I know you may not like this new era, but you should appreciate their effort to do different things, even if it's pop music and it's not so "Coldplay style".

Plus, I don't get why people are embarrassed saying they like/liked Coldplay, they're one of the greatest band in the world and make good music, I'm always so proud to say I'm a fan!

 

Well said.

[danmets21]

Well I suppose I will bestow the honor of Favorite British Band to Mumford & Sons...sorry Coldplay, you had one hell of a run.

[Coldplay1987]

The first post is great! Amen to that!

 

I don't know if someone already posted it:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bemgqJ5U75o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bemgqJ5U75o[/ame]

 

Just listen to the violin solo in "Paradise"...

Do you think Dreamworks should sue? :D

 

Anyway...

 

Remember when a young and depressed Chris Martin used to sing "We never change, do we"? Well, believe it or not, Coldplay have changed. For the worst. He longed for a world where "making more friends would be easy". Wish granted. Now he hangs out with Beyonce and husband, Kanye West, Kylie Minogue and now, apparently, even Rihanna (are you kidding me?).

He said he'd always be waiting in line for the love of his life. Done. Ten years after he's married to a movie star, with two kids. Seriously, what more could you ask for? It's fair if you don't have anything to say. After all Coldplay is the most sincere band in the world. Unlike Radiohead, superstars who've been whining for years and have elevated slackness to lifestyle for no reason at all except for the sake of it (and yet they're still producing great songs, just hear the last three tracks on "King Of Limbs").

So, Coldplay have had nothing to say since "A Rush Of Blood To The Head", which is and, as it seems right now (unfortunately) will always remain their masterwork. Yes, X&Y was fine. VIVA was great, Prospekts' March even better. But now? Now we're left with wa-wa-waterfalls and para-para-paradise (lost?).

They're still unable to write completely awful tunes; as it turns out "Paradise" and ETIAW are kind of listenable, but shallow as a soup bowl (to quote Prospekt's March). Geez, even "The Nappies" is a more inspired song than that. These first two singles from MX depict the sad situation of a band that's not in touch with their feelings anymore, or even their own tastes. How could they write the soulful, beautiful "Moving To Mars" and then let it rot as a download-only C-Side?

Maybe if they weren't surrounded by corporate morons, sycophants and Yes-men who approve everything they come up with... They're not infallible. They must find someone who says "No" once in a while. It used to be Will, but apparently he's given up.

 

Brian Eno is partially to blame, IMO. Overproduction or plain uninspired production are some of the problems with the new tracks, and in VIVA as well. Let's take "Major Minus"... I've no problems with the vocal effects, but, for instance... where the f**k are DRUMS? I just hear goddamn "clicks"!

 

What are we left with?

UATW is indeed great, worthy of "Parachutes".

"Hurts Like Heaven" is fine, great guitar solos. But it's almost autoplagiarism! Come on, it sounds exactly like the third part of "42"!

"Charlie Brown" is a remake of "Life in Technicolor II", but a pop masterpiece nonetheless.

"Princess of China" sounded like the best of the bunch, so Coldplay felt the need to ruin it with Rihanna (at leat hire Beyonce, for God's sake, if you hang out together!).

So we just need to wait for the last three "full" songs of the record: "DLIBYH" (and the title doesn't bode well...), "Up in flames" and "Up with the birds".

Then, considering the band's interviews about a concise album (under 50 minutes) and the lengths of the known songs I expect "Mylo Xyloto", "M.M.I.X.", "U.F.O." and "A hopeful transmission" to be short, maybe instrumental pieces... and you know which other "singers" stuff their albums with short songs to inflate the tracklist? As I recall hip-hop artists do that... thanks Kanye, thanks Jay-Z. First Lost+, then Paradise's drumbeat and now THIS? Next live show Chris Martin will be calling the princess of China a HO.

 

But maybe Coldplay really haven't changed that much, inside. They're still looking for approval, they want to be loved by the audience (sadly not "their" audience, but the widest possible, with the risk of alienating everybody). They NEED approval. They want people around he world to sing or hum their songs, and for the last few years they've tried and made it all the more easy: think about the ever growing rate of stadium oooooohs... because oooohs are universal, anyone can sing a ooooh. But it has to stop. They need to stop being obsessed with pleasing every single listener in the world.

 

So, this is a call to arms. Coldplay need our help. They desperately need a commercial flop to get back on track. So buy the album for yourself (I know I will, the whole package) but don't buy it as a present for friends and family (I contributed 5 copies of VIVA...). :)

 

Seriously, let's just hope for the best. I count on "Up in flames" to restore my shaky faith.

 

P.S.

Is it me or the "Paradise" version on youtube doesn't have the oooohs at the end of the introduction, just before the first verse?