Jason-DeBord Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Q Magazine: First Impressions of... Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto Please delete if this has already been posted... (I didn't see this here yet) Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saket Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Q Magazine Track By Track Overview First Impressions of... Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto Link:http://news.qthemusic.com/2011/10/first_impressions_of_coldplays.html Coldplay release fifth album Mylo Xyloto on 24 October 24. Here, Niall Doherty gives his first impressions of Chris Martin and co's much-awaited return. Mylo Xyloto The title track of Coldplay's fourth album is the 40-second soundscape piece that the band began their Glastonbury headline slot with - not to be confused with the Back To The Future theme tune that blared out as they walked on. The instrumentation is pure Eno, the producer's imprint all over the cascading glockenspiels and washed-out guitar lines as the song bleeds into Hurts Like Heaven. Hurts Like Heaven The first track proper sets the tone for the rest of Mylo Xyloto, bursting in with an up'n'at'em urgency. The melodies, like the title, are a nod to the '80s heroes they so successfully channeled on A Rush Of Blood To The Head, the Cure and Echo And The Bunnymen's influence looming large as Chris Martin sings like he's in a hurry; "I'm strangled with the feeling that my life isn't mine" sings the most brilliantly neurotic man in music, Jonny Buckland's guitars still set to the cosmic sparkle sound of the opener. The chorus - "you use your heart as a weapon/And it hurts like heaven" - is as upliftingly bittersweet as Robert Smith & co.'s best pop songs, whilst the "whoa oh oh" bridge provides the record's first stadium-singalong moment. Paradise The second single to be released from the album sounds much better in the context of the record - a mid-tempo bridge between the relative surge of Hurts Like Heaven and Charlie Brown. And, if the fuzzy stomp of those hip hop synths jarred with your impression of Coldplay(well, they wouldn't work on Yellow, would they?), then they make perfect sense on Mylo Xyloto as a whole, revisited on the first thirty seconds of Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall and punctuating the Rihanna-assisted hollers of Princess Of China. Charlie Brown The standout from their headline summer slots sounds even monumental on record; Charlie Brown is one of the best things Coldplay have done. Jonny Buckland's hypnotic guitar lines lead the way, the band channeling Joshua Tree-era, the heady holler-alongs of Arcade Fire and a teeny bit of Sigur Ros stargazing as the song launches into its adrenaline-veined climax. Whilst the music is wonderfully overblown, Chris Martin keeps the vocals cool and calculated, singing of "taking the car downtown to where the lost boys meet", which might be about nipping to Spar on Hampstead High St But probably isn't Us Against The World Forever destined to be known as The One They Fucked Up At Glasto, Us Against The World begins with delayed patterns of guitar and a lone church organ, before stripping back to just Chris Martin and his acoustic. Its approach sums up what makes Mylo Xyloto ticks; its production is far from stripped-down, but, unlike the bloated X&Y and the do-you-know-what-it-is-yet-cos-we-don't mishmash of Viva La Vida, everything here is a servant to the melody. And, five tracks in, the melodies are some of their best; here, Chris Martin whispers "slow it down" as an orchestral swell builds around him. Just when you think it's going to embark on a Fix You-esque outro, it finishes, perfectly. M.M.I.X Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall is deigned to be a sufficient enough centre-piece of the album that it warrants its own intro - so, M.M.I.X, a sort of sister to the opening track, is a minute-long electronica drone. It's almost as if Brian Eno had something to do with this record or something. Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall Much like the best songs on Mylo Xyloto, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall is dominated by Jonny Buckland's intricate, epic guitars - Buckland takes a starring role on their fifth album. It's his playing that seems to summon the best from his colleagues - Martin has rarely sung better than he does when Every Teardrop... cascades into its hug-yer-mate outro, Guy Berryman and Will Champion now resembling a rhythm section driving the songs rather than filling in the gaps. Major Minus Beginning with the jagged strum of a detuned acoustic guitar, Major Minus sounds like the bitter flipside of God Put A Smile On Your Face. Chris Martin's vocals sounding like they were recorded in a seedy phonebox, the "they got one eye on the road/And one on you" chorus delivered amidst guitar shards and a kinetic percussive groove. One of the most immediate songs on the album, and the most darkly playful thing they've done since Daylight. U.F.O Harking back to the title track of their debut album, U.F.O is a melancholic interlude, Chris Martin's acoustic plucks joined by the swirl of strings halfway through, resembling a more saccharine take on Radiohead's Faust Arp. The escapism-themed lyrics ("let's fly/split the sky...") explain the title, just in case you were wondering if Chris Martin was about to grow a bed and start picketing outside Area 51 with Robbie Williams. Princess Of China It would've been ridiculous to suggest in the giddy two-hour heyday of stool-rock that its latest pretenders would belining up the biggest r'n'b star on the planet for a duet on their record - but Coldplay are a long way from 2001, accordingly, Rihanna's appearance on Princess Of China doesn't jar like it would if she popped up on the chorus of Don't Panic. They make her feel at home; Princess Of China is decorated with r'n'b flourishes from the syncopated march of the drums to the bulldozing synths. Jonny Buckland's guitar takes a backseat - well, it's Rihanna, you would wouldn't you? - but this offers a tantalizing glimpse of where Coldplay could go next. Up In Flames Beginning with a reverbed, Massive Attack-esque drum sample before a plaintive piano motif and Chris Martin's hand-on-heart vocals, Up In Flames puts Coldplay back in well-traversed ballad territory. The chorus - Martin repeating the title over and over in an echo-chamber falsetto - suggests that the days of autopilot Coldplay are over, beautifully simple and using the melody as its dynamic. Again, just when you think it might take off, it ends. Coldplay have learned to make their point a little more succinctly. Stunning. A Hopeful Transmission The third interlude of the album veers from the electronic thrum of Mylo Xyloto and M.X.I.X, instead opting for a lush string coda, underpinned by what sounds like, umm, someone playing the spoons in the background. Don't Let It Break Your Heart A sister-track to Every Teardrop... in the way its driven by stop-start rhythm of the drums and the way Martin forms an indelible hook out of the wall of sound sonic avalanches around him, Don't Let It Break Your Heart is one of Mylo Xyloto's most straightforward songs, a precursor, ala A Rush Of Blood's A Whisper, before a final bombastic blow-out? Up With The Birds Well, not really no, because final song Up With The Birds avoids the clichéd overblown ending, its brilliance, like much of Mylo Xyloto, hidden within the places the songs don't go. "The birds, they sang at break of day/Start again, I hear them say" sings Chris Martin over stark piano chords at the beginning, before an almost overwhelming burst of strings come to the fore. Then, the whole thing stops and starts again, before strummed acoustic guitars and gentle, almost lackadaisically-played drums usher the album to a peaceful, calming close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanif94 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thanks!! I was looking forward to read a track-by-track review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SprayCanSoul Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thanks for this!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 thanks for posting! I think Jason won by mere seconds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashleyMN28 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Finally! A review that details ALL the tracks! I feel like we just got some serious insight to the un-heard songs. Thanks for posting this!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTwoThree Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 :) Niceeeeeeee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Nails Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thank you very much, this has me excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VivaGroaning Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 i kinda don't want to read the parts about the unheard tracks (+up in flames, which i didn't listen to yet). terrified of spoilers lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lore Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 "Charlie Brown is one of the best things Coldplay have done." :dazzled: Hope he's right about Paradise but I doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShMaLeB1196 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Awesome! Makes me even more anxious to hear this thing! Crossing fingers for leak! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanif94 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Now I really want to listen to Up With The Birds!!!!! Not sure about DLIBYH though :\ But let's wait and see! I'm really excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc90 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Mistake on the 6th word...it's not the fourth album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tash Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 This sounds promising! :wacky: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saket Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 thanks for posting! I think Jason won by mere seconds! Aah, so close. Doesn't matter though. *mumbles* Stupid Jason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notlost92 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 oh my goodness. I'm so overwhelmed with excitement now :wacky: :bomb: :dance: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionsOfScience Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Wow, the album's sounding a whole lot better right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxeh Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Wow.. nice review and it sounds well Positive. Sounds like a 9/10 at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairycat101 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Sound great! I love reading such positive reviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc90 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Agreeing with most of what they wrote, especially the part about MM being a wonderfully dark song a-la Daylight (AROBTTH). And someone is playing the spoons during AHT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephRengifo Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Beautiful review! Surprises: 1. "Chruch organ" in Us Against The World and some "orchestral swell builds" around the voice of Chris. I guess the studio version is not as acoustic as the live version. 2. The electronic stuff at the interludes M.M.I.X. and A Hopeful Transmission (the last one sounds very interesting with the "spoons" stuff, probably with a U.F.O. and Moving To Mars theme). 3. U.F.O. and Up With The Birds lyrics. It seems that the lyrics in this album are Coldplay at their best, (with the exception of ETIAW and Paradise, off course). 4. The apparently heavy Don't Let It Break Your Heart. What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldslug Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Wow I really wish so many of these weren't 40 second tracks. We are really only getting a few full songs that we haven't heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rvs_009 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Very excited about Up with the birds now. And less about PoC. It's almost there :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Sounds good! Seems like the media will like this album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmonstermaggie Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 WOW. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now