Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto: Review

BY CHUCK ARNOLD

 

Tuesday October 25, 2011 08:20 AM EDT

 

 

 

Hey, it wasn’t enough for them to rule arenas, they want to rule dance floors too!

 

Although they pumped driving rhythms into 2005's under-appreciated X&Y, there's a new swagger to the beats on Mylo Xyloto.

 

The thumping drums that end "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" find Will Champion flexing more muscle, while the funky bass on "Major Minus" might make you think that Flea has replaced Guy Berryman.

 

"Paradise," the soaring current single (click here to download), boasts such a hip-hop boom that you halfway expect Jay-Z to drop a verse on it. Rihanna actually does turn up on the synth-infused "Princess of China," making a moody match for Chris Martin.

 

Elsewhere, "Hurts Like Heaven" has a blissful bounce that finds '80s-pop nirvana.

 

Still – along this (vaguely) conceptual journey about two lost souls – there are classic Coldplay ballads such as "Us Against the World," helping to ensure that global domination will continue.

 

Rating:

 

 

 

For more of Chuck's reviews pick up PEOPLE magazine, on newsstands now

 

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20539490,00.html

The 4 stars don't show in the article.