Will Champion admits Mylo Xyloto nerves to BBC 6 Music

[busybeeburns]

Didn't see this article posted anywhere... its from the recent audio interview :)

 

 

As Coldplay unveil a trio of tour dates in December, drummer Will Champion tells BBC 6 Music what we can expect from their new record Mylo Xyloto and reveals he's a bundle of nerves. Here's the article from 6 Music today:

 

They might have finished the much-anticipated record with producer Brian Eno, but Champion says: "There really is no sense of relief. It's actually almost worse," he told Steve Lamacq. "It's the worst time possible just because there's nothing you can do about it now. It's like when a child leaves home, well they are out in the world now. You've done your best and you're giving it out for people, hopefully to enjoy, but you never know, because it's not out. We've finished it, it's not out, but it's just this waiting game."

 

The album is out on 24 October and will be swifter than some of their previous records. "In the past, on X&Y, we struggled to finish that because people were coming up saying, 'Oh, you've got to put that one on, you've got to put that one on'," Champion explained. We tried to please everybody and ended up with an album that was maybe 2 or 3 songs too long, so this time we've been very careful. We wanted it to be under 45 minutes."

 

This news follows the band winning 6 Music's festival headliner vote. Unlike 2005's release of X&Y, Champion also revealed they were able to decide on the tracklisting very quickly and have put a lot of thought into it as a whole body of work: "It's very much compiled to be able to listen to it from start to finish. There was a very strong sense of the story that goes along with the record and how we wanted to tell that story," added the Coldplay drummer. "There's a narrative in there if you choose to look for it. We knew how we wanted it to go and in the end there was really just a question of two songs. We were pretty unanimous in everything which is great. It's a good sign."

 

Mylo Xyloto is their fifth studio album and features a collaboration with US star Rihanna entitled Princess of China. It's previously been reported that the record is based on a love story which has a happy ending. Will confirmed there is a definite theme to the album with a structure to the tracks. "Every record is a concept album in some way in that people don't just write songs and throw them on in a random order," he said. "Everyone that I know who has released records thinks very carefully about what the first track is. That's crucial. "If you've got a range of dynamics in your songs you want them to come in the right order. It would be pointless to put 6 massive songs followed by 3 really small songs."

 

Coldplay's jaunt will kick off at the SECC in Glasgow on 3 December, then Manchester MEN (4), finishing with a show at London's 02 Arena (9).

[Odvan]

Swifter, huh.

 

I told u, MX would be crap, every band has one of it. Except Radiohead.

 

Upd Looks like Hopeful Transmission and Up Wih the Birds could be big, I wouldn't mind different style but please no more hip-hop crap.

[getithom]

Really, eh? Only Radiohead. Every band has a flop.

[Kiame]

King of Limbs was a huge flop.

[HandyAndy136]

We tried to please everybody and ended up with an album that was maybe 2 or 3 songs too long, so this time we've been very careful. [/color]We wanted it to be under 45 minutes."

By having the same amount of tracks as X&Y plus bonus tracks? That's their idea of being 'very careful'? Anyone else find this a little odd? I'm probably reading far too much into this ;P

 

King of Limbs was a huge flop.

You're kidding, right? TKOL wasn't as huge as In Rainbows, but it certainly wasn't intended with being a big return in the way that IR was. And it was definitely seen as a good album by critics and fans alike. It's one of my favourites, personally.

[Odvan]

TKOL isn't great, but it's really good. Codex could be a good Coldplay song.

[Tryptophan]

Well it has a few short instrumentals and it's under 45 minutes long. So what's the problem?

 

I agree with Odvan by the way, even if it sounds a bit rude.

 

Evolution is good, but not everyone is going to like any evolution at any cost.

[Brent]

Except Radiohead.

 

*GAG*

 

I hate when people say crap like this.

 

You, and people like you, are the reason these threads full of (potential) constructive conversation; turn to poop so, so quickly.

[Tryptophan]

I agree with Odvan by the way, even if it sounds a bit rude.

 

Except for the Radiohead part.

[LoryABjerre]

Swifter, huh.

 

I told u, MX would be crap, every band has one of it. Except Radiohead.

 

Upd Looks like Hopeful Transmission and Up Wih the Birds could be big, I wouldn't mind different style but please no more hip-hop crap.

 

If you evolve in the music is good. and if you do not like more Coldplay find another band .

 

Music and voiceVolume 65 of the Contemporary Black Biography book series notes that "Rihanna is the rare rhythm and blues (R&B) diva to emerge from the Caribbean world."[113] Becoming an international sensation, Rihanna is known for blending R&B with Caribbean music, such as reggae and dancehall.[114] Peter Coulter of the Antrim Times commented that "[Rihanna] has an amazing voice which showed during her acoustic set, she just needs to work on her audience engagement during live shows."[115] At the time of her debut, reviewers referred to her as a "bubblegum queen"[116] and her music to "teen pop."[117] Larry Meyler of The Sun stated that "Rihanna going bad is very good" and that she had "[shaken] off any 'teen pop' image as she rocked the stage."[117] While performing at the Ottawa Bluesfest, Denis Armstrong of Canadian Online Explorer commented on her performance saying "her show was a Disney-esque choreographed fantasy of non-stop hip-swivelling, sassy attitude and personal endearments and a string of funky, sugar-free hits."[116]

 

"Pon de Replay" (2005)

 

"Pon de Replay" is Rihanna's debut single. The song encompasses the reggae genre using a mixture of dance-pop and R&B.

 

Rihanna was originally marketed as a reggae singer since she burst into the music scene in 2005, with a styles of pop, R&B and dancehall. Her music include various styles of musical genres, including contemporary R&B, dance-pop and the Caribbean music styles of reggae and dancehall.[118] With the release of Music of the Sun and its lead single "Pon de Replay", Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described Rihanna's musical style as "synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will."[119] Rihanna is described as utilizing "dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence."[119] NME describes the singer as a "heady mix of dancehall, reggae and contemporary R&B."[120] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone considers Rihanna's A Girl Like Me to be "lightweight dancehall and R&B jams."[121] After the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, Allmusic's Andy Kellman credits Rihanna to be "as pop as pop gets."[122] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described her hit "Umbrella" as a lightweight pop confection with a heavy hip-hop backbeat, a breezy love song enriched by those unexpectedly goth-sounding keyboards and by the incongruous hint of anguish in Rihanna’s girlish voice.[123]

 

Her debut album featured production from pop veterans Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who first discovered her. Sturken and Rogers have collaborated with Rihanna many times, including with her debut single "Pon de Replay", which helped launch her career with the tradition of reggae and dance pop and collaborated on her second album. Rihanna then enlisted into the pop and contemporary R&B working with music producer Stargate and singer-songwriter Ne-Yo on "Unfaithful"[52] and sampling the key section, bass line, and drum beat from Soft Cell's 1981 single "Tainted Love" on "SOS".[124] With songs like "Kisses Don't Lie" and "Shut Up and Drive", her music style became more rock-oriented.[39] Unlike Music of the Sun or A Girl Like Me, her third album contained a more dance-pop sound[125] and less of the dancehall, reggae and ballad styles of her previous albums.[126] She has included various styles of music from uptempo pop-reggae with "Pon De Replay", to an 80s new wave fueled club banger "SOS" to the whiff of gothic horror in a love song "Unfaithful". Most of her love subject ballads contain a mid-tempo pop sound, with an R&B influences that uses of a gently strummed acoustic guitar with the production of Stargate and the songs written by Ne-Yo.[40] Some of her up-tempo dance-pop songs include production from Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and J. R. Rotem.[127] She has also sampled songs from other artist like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" on "SOS",[124] New Order's "Blue Monday" on "Shut Up and Drive" and '70s original song "Soul Makossa" of Manu Dibango with a part of the chorus from Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" on "Don't Stop the Music".

 

InfluencesRihanna has named Madonna as her idol and biggest influence, and said she wants to be the "black Madonna".[128][129] She said: "I think that Madonna was a great inspiration for me, especially on my earlier work. If I had to examine her evolution through time, I think she reinvented her clothing style and music with success every single time. And at the same time remained a real force in entertainment in the whole world."[128] Rihanna also cited Mariah Carey as her influence and idol. She said "I looked up to [Mariah] a lot and I still do. I admire her as an artist, and to [compete with her] was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life.[50][130][131] Of Janet Jackson, Rihanna has commented that "he was one of the first female pop icons that I could relate to ... She was so vibrant, she had so much energy. She still has power. I’ve seen her on stage, and she can stand there for 20 minutes and have the whole arena scream at her. You have to love Janet."[132] Beyoncé has been named as a major influence,[133][134] citing that she was inspired to start her career after watching Knowles on television as part of a Destiny's Child performance.[135] Her other musical influences include Bob Marley, (for whom she built a shrine in her Los Angeles home)[136] Alicia Keys[137] Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Celine Dion,[138] Brandy[139] and Gwen Stefani.[140] Her friend and former Island Def Jam record label artist Fefe Dobson was someone that she admired and looked up to, having a fellow artist writing, singing, and performing the music she truly loves.[141][142]

 

Rihanna's music contains strong influences of Caribbean music which include reggae and dancehall. The video for "Rude Boy" was inspired by her Caribbean roots.[143] In an interview, she stated that while growing up in Barbados she grew up listening to reggae music and when she came to the United States she was exposed to many different types of music.[144] During The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, she did a cover to "Is This Love" which paid tribute to Marley; she would later do a cover song to Bob Marley & The Wailers' "Redemption Song".[145] Rihanna commented that Marilyn Monroe and vintage clothing served for visual inspiration for the music video "Hate That I Love You" and "Rehab"; in contrast, the "dark, creepy" scenes of "Disturbia" have drawn comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller.[146][147] The music video ranked number five on the "Top Five Most Paranoid Music Videos" published by MTV Buzzworthy.[148] Jon Bream of the Star Tribune commented "n the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video vixen of the '00s ... Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube."[146] George Epaminondas of InStyle considers Rihanna's music videos to be "cinematic" due to her "blend of lush island rhythms and swinging pop and ... mischievous sensuality."[149]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rihanna

[Tryptophan]

If you evolve in the music is good. and if you do not like more Coldplay find another band .

 

How many times do we still have to say, not any kind of evolution is intrinsically good. Imagine if Gyarados evolved into Magikarp. That would be called evolution indeed, but Magikarp is a shite Pokemon. I know Magikarp evolves into Gyarados and not the other way around, and I know it's a bad comparison, but how am I going to get this point clear?

[Odvan]

*GAG*

 

I hate when people say crap like this.

 

You, and people like you, are the reason these threads full of (potential) constructive conversation; turn to poop so, so quickly.

What constructive conversion you expect on fangirls site?

 

It's either "weeeeeeee omggggggg loveeeeee loveeeeee it" or "well, new single sucks, baby, it sucks hard".

[F1-77]

How many times do we still have to say, not any kind of evolution is intrinsically good. Imagine if Gyarados evolved into Magikarp. That would be called evolution indeed, but Magikarp is a shite Pokemon. I know Magikarp evolves into Gyarados and not the other way around, and I know it's a bad comparison, but how am I going to get this point clear?

 

That's the best (and most accurate) metaphor I've ever seen on this website, ever. Even the whole internet, perhaps!

[Odvan]

If you evolve in the music is good. and if you do not like more Coldplay find another band .

 

You missed topic.

[mrman78]

I think in terms of the number of tracks, this time they gave each individual track a number on the album tracklist. Remember, VLVODAAHF had more than the 10 listed tracks, they just chose not to publish them in the official tracklist. Length is more important than # of tracks IMO and I think that's what Will is getting at here.

[prjio307]

What constructive conversion you expect on fangirls site?

 

It's either "weeeeeeee omggggggg loveeeeee loveeeeee it" or "well, new single sucks, baby, it sucks hard".

 

Haha it's funny how true this is.

[cackyy]

Swifter, huh.

 

I told u, MX would be crap, every band has one of it. Except Radiohead.

 

Upd Looks like Hopeful Transmission and Up Wih the Birds could be big, I wouldn't mind different style but please no more hip-hop crap.

 

GTFO

[Brent]

What constructive conversion you expect on fangirls site?

 

It's either "weeeeeeee omggggggg loveeeeee loveeeeee it" or "well, new single sucks, baby, it sucks hard".

 

Something about Coldplay. The site is called "Coldplaying."

 

For some reason, whenever someone says anything about Radiohead being vastly superior (especially when it's not topical in any sense), the conversation turns to bickering crap.

[JordanHH]

What constructive conversion you expect on fangirls site?

 

It's either "weeeeeeee omggggggg loveeeeee loveeeeee it" or "well, new single sucks, baby, it sucks hard".

 

There are plenty of males here too!

[Odvan]

Something about Coldplay. The site is called "Coldplaying."

 

For some reason, whenever someone says anything about Radiohead being vastly superior (especially when it's not topical in any sense), the conversation turns to bickering crap.

 

Vastly superior? I would say it's a little exaggeration.

 

Well, my point is even U2, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, etc has weak/crappy albums. In my opinion Radiohead doesn't, at least I can't remember any Paradise style song or hip hop or collaboration with Britny.

 

Also I remember after AROBTTH they send a grateful letter to Coldplay, and this recognition means a lot for me personally.

 

Perhaps the whole MX wouldn't be so bad, but it's definitely the weakest album so far.

[hux90]

Well, my point is even U2, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, etc has weak/crappy albums. In my opinion Radiohead doesn't...

 

Ahem, Pablo Honey anyone?

[Odvan]

^Yea, it's probably the weakest from Radiohead, but it's a debut, still fun to listen with 2 great song - Creep and Blow Out.

[Nature]

Except Radiohead.

 

 

Haha yeah Radiohead always delivers 100%

[foxeh]

Honestly they have only 11 tracks.

"MX" and "M.M.I.X." are Instrumentals and maybe "U.F.O." or "a Hopeful Transmission" as well.

I also see a chance of having 1-2 Hidden Tracks init.

 

And the only weak Album of Queen were after Freddy had the Problems with AIDS and after his Death. (Innuendo, Made in Heaven)

Pink Floyd only had a weak Album after they split up.

Coldplay for me... never had a weak Album i really enjoyed "Parachutes" with the stripped Songs, "AROBTTH" a bit louder but still kinda Stripped, "X&Y" with the Future sounds and the great "Viva la Vida" with the new direction produced by the legendary Brain Eno.

"Mylo Xyloto" just seems "worse" because it has to connect with the famous "Viva la Vida" which is kinda hard when the expectations are that high.

[Mark]

MX is always going to divide opinion, but I look to this album with an open mind because I realise how difficult it must be for the band to move forward.

 

^Yea, it's probably the weakest from Radiohead, but it's a debut, still fun to listen with 2 great song - Creep and Blow Out.

 

If we're going with "two songs makes a good album", then the Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall EP is as great as The Bends.

 

Oh, and don't compare just about any band to Radiohead. Radiohead are unique, and their evolution works for them, but it wouldn't work for Coldplay, as they have different talents.