Criticisms with the album?

[Guest kmm1482]

About as classy as saying "what is wrong with you people?" when you find out they don't rank Parachutes as high as you? We let you have that opinion, so why not let everyone else voice theirs without being questioned?

 

Calling someone "butthurt" is actually sexually offensive. So my original comment stands

 

 

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[jc90]

You did not, but you are attacking me for my opinion.

 

 

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When did I attack you for your opinion? Please find the quote. I am willing to apologize if I see fault in what I said. But perhaps I have overlooked where it might've happened...or it doesn't exist.

 

To make it easy for you, here are my last to direct replies to you are as follows

 

They have developed their abilities to have opinions. Sorry. I for one like Parachutes and would rank it high, but don't mind/care if others don't.

 

About as classy as saying "what is wrong with you people?" when you find out they don't rank Parachutes as high as you? We let you have that opinion, so why not let everyone else voice theirs without being questioned?

 

Calling someone "butthurt" is actually sexually offensive. So my original comment stands

 

 

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Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.

[Guest kmm1482]

About as classy as saying "what is wrong with you people?" when you find out they don't rank Parachutes as high as you? We let you have that opinion, so why not let everyone else voice theirs without being questioned?

 

You LET me have an opinion?? And you are continually questioning my belief in their ranking.

 

 

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[dontgo]

This thread is amusing

[Guest kmm1482]

As if you're on some committee that judges whether someone can post an opinion on something

 

 

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[dontgo]

I have one criticism about it all is that you can listen to the whole album free but you cant purchase it yet? So I have preordered :)

[Revolverwin]

+

1.The atmosphere and ambiance of the album is consistent from start to finish (though I still can't understand why they'd put an upbeat song like ASFOS. It seems quite out of place. I love the song though.)

2. The electric drums kinda complimented the majority of songs in the album ( I understand that others still prefer the real drum sounds but that's okay.)

3. It is an album with enough emotion to make up for the simple lyrics.

 

-

1.I've heard most of it before they streamed it.

2.It's quite short.

[jc90]

As if you're on some committee that judges whether someone can post an opinion on something

 

 

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I am on a committee, its called 'everyone on Coldplaying'. We happen to be very open to all opinions. On the other hand, your committee seems overly questioning in regards to others' opinion.

 

Clearly you don't quite get it so as to protect the integrity of this thread, reply to me via PM from here on out for an education on the matter.

[dontgo]

You guys/girls keep the Coldplaying peace will you AND JUST FORGET IT

[Guest kmm1482]

I am on a committee, its called 'everyone on Coldplaying'. We happen to be very open to all opinions. On the other hand, your committee seems overly questioning in regards to others' opinion

 

Oh! Well then I humbly apologize to the committee! I did not mean to have an opinion about peoples ranking. It will never happen again your highness

 

 

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[Guest kmm1482]

I am on a committee, its called 'everyone on Coldplaying'. We happen to be very open to all opinions. On the other hand, your committee seems overly questioning in regards to others' opinion.

 

Clearly you don't quite get it so as to protect the integrity of this thread, reply to me via PM from here on out for an education on the matter.

 

"For an education"? I rest my case

 

 

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[Guest kmm1482]

I will be the bigger person and drop it.

 

 

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[dontgo]

Thank you we all have one thing in common love for Coldplay focus on that!

[jc90]

This thread is amusing

 

You guys/girls keep the Coldplaying peace will you AND JUST FORGET IT

 

lol, so do you find it amusing or not? Anyways, we settled via PM and I would like to apologize for the gap in service.

 

Back to topic, criticisms...?

 

What I don't mind are E drums, lyrics, having heard songs beforehand...

 

I guess it would be length of the album, but its not even shorter than parachutes (the shortest album, which I regard highly). Plus we have 3 more tracks on the horizon, so even that isn't a real complaint.

 

I like songs and albums of this vibe (the heart breaky type) but would say its perhaps a bit too saturated in it. Pretty much every song outside ASFOS is a bit of a downer emotionally. I thought Chris said in the interview that Bono told him not to make another album thats such a downer? lol. I guess if I really were to complain about something it would be that. I still rank this as their best pieces of work though.

[Guest kmm1482]

Thank you we all have one thing in common love for Coldplay focus on that!

 

Wholeheartedly agree. Always in My Head is growing on me. True Love might be my favorite. Still can't get into Sky Full of Stars though

 

 

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[chasing_something]

Oh! Well then I humbly apologize to the committee! I did not mean to have an opinion about peoples ranking. It will never happen again your highness

 

 

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But saying ''What is wrong with you people?'' is having an opinion now?? U could of said, I don't understand your ranking or I don't think you guys are right instead.

[mayrn43]

:-0

[BoldAsLove]

TL;DR - Sorry! Hope you make it through my senior thesis!

 

I haven't posted on this board probably since the Rush of Blood days, but I've still been a pretty devoted fan, so here's my two cents about Ghost Stories:

 

First, a little background, I'm twenty-six years old and have been listening to Coldplay since "Yellow" made its debut on MTV and MTV2 and they would play it a couple of times of night between 1 and 4 AM before it really caught on with the larger public! So I've grown up listening and loving this band even through all the X&Y critical backlash!

 

The Good:

 

With the rise of EDM in the last half-decade and the younger demographic leaning towards music which sounds bright, carefree and optimistic, it was a pretty bold and brave move to not only simplify their sound, but also move towards darker, sonic tones.

 

The album is concise. Since the band is dipping their toe into a darker sonic palate, it's best not to overstay your welcome in this day and age. With the decline of album sales and rise of singles, it's best to not have an able over 50 minutes and even that's pushing most people's attention spans these days. So best to keep things short.

 

Moving away from Brian Eno and Markus Dravs, was a smart move. Not because I didn't like the last two albums (I. LOVE. THEM.), but because it shows that the band trust themselves enough to take what they learned from the experience gained to try and continuously push themselves forward and not lean on Brian/Markus to do all the heavy lifting.

 

The Bad:

 

Lyrics - I feel badly for stating the obvious, and I know Chris mentioned in the Zane Lowe interview that he's accepted his limitations and is satisfied because everything on the record is honest, but these lyrics are X&Y levels of bad. In this respect, it's a couple of steps backwards in their growth. And maybe in trying to respect his wife and their marriage, he didn't want to be too detailed, but the lyrics have absolutely no depth.

 

I want to be able to feel how his heartbreak is unique to him. Some people feel get heavy minds. Some people have heavy hearts. Some people feel like stones have dropped into their stomachs. Some feel it in their blood. Some all of the above. But when CM writes that he loves someone so much it hurts. I kind of want a better description of the pain, you know? Otherwise, it's just words. Thankfully, a lot of the tunes convey more feeling with the actual music. But when that's not strong enough, a whole song is brought down and ultimately the album because of that.

 

Lack of Balance - Although, I like the minimalist, electronic direction. There's not enough balance between electronic blips, bloops, and thumps and actual instruments. The moments when you can hear the balance between the two (Magic, Oceans, O) is when the album is most effective and most human. In short, I agree with others who would've liked to feel a bigger presence of Jonny and Guy through their respective instruments.

 

The Breakdown:

 

Always in My Head - Hearing the small bit of this tune from the Zane Lowe interview really got me excited because Coldplay is so great at using songs that evoke introspective and somber emotions. Chris isn't the best lyricist, we know, but band is great at putting together the most heartbreaking chord progressions that really express deeper emotions than can verbally expressed. What keeps the song from being great is that it sounds unfinished and end abruptly. It would have been nice to have a firmer resolution to the tune.

 

Magic - I know this isn't a favorite in the Coldplay fandom, but it's my personal favorite from the album. I'm getting very heavily into bass and its role in music and I have to say the bass kills. I never get tired of hearing it, and the song feels complete. It's builds atop that bass line, hits a brief but tasty climax, and then recedes.

 

Ink - I didn't have any idea what to expect about this song, but I didn't expect something so saccharine. And this is an example where better lyrics might salvage the tune for me, but those are also pretty bad. Not one of my favorites.

 

True Love - The most memorable part of the tune was Johnny's solo. I loved the dissonance and thought it was a nice touch. But other than that, I'll have to listen to it a few more times to add any other comments.

 

Midnight - The Bon Iver comparisons are inevitable and accurate. I like the track a lot. It's rather abstract which is what my ear needed after "Ink" and "True Love." It offers much needed balance. But personally, I hate to hear established artists or bands latch on to the aesthetic of relatively new artists. Not enough time has passed for me to want to hear Bon Iver filtered through another artist, which is the same reason why I couldn't get on board with Florence in the Machine-clones, Mumford clones or even a decade ago with Coldplay- or Radiohead-clones*.

 

Another's Arms - I think this is a track that hits the mark mostly. It's intriguing enough from songwriting and production standpoints that I know I'll continue to hear things that I think are cool with each subsequent listen.

 

Oceans - This a great track. It's a nice nod to Parachutes-era Coldplay (just like U.F.O. was for MX) without sounding like a regression for the band. And I like the imagery the song paints in my mind. It's the type of tune that'll come on during shuffle and it'll take you away to another world every time.

 

A Sky Full of Stars - I want to like this song. I think it's pretty easy to do so, but I can't quite do it. Aviici is of a particular taste in my opinion and one of my least favorite acts to come out of the EDM trend. His synths are not just bright. They're shrill to my ear and I get (ear-)fatigued listening to his tunes. So as much as I respect Chris' decision to bring him into the fold, it ultimately feels like unnecessary addition. I think the album could have done without this type of tune and still remained a solid album.

 

O - This is a great tune that keeps the album cohesive and serves as a gorgeous closer. I'm very anxious to hear what the reprise is going to sound like.

 

The Conclusion:

 

I give the album a 6 out of 10. For the most part, the concept is great. I love the direction the band decided to take, but in some really key places, the songs feel a bit incomplete. I'm glad Eno was able to shake them out of the formula they fell into from X&Y, but as I said, there's a lack of feeling of resolution. Not every song needs to have some bombastic climax, but it does need to feel like a complete statement even if the statement is brief. So it's a cool step, but it sounds like something that needed to be created so something better can replace it.

 

Here's my personal rank:

 

AROBTTH

VLV

MX

Parachutes

GS

X&Y

 

*(We'll ignore the early Coldplay/Radiohead similarities)

[jc90]

I haven't posted on this board probably since the Rush of Blood days, but I've still been a pretty devoted fan, so here's my two cents about Ghost Stories:

 

An excellent first post of intriguing opinions backed up by info. Of note are your feelings on Magic. I'm in a similar position getting into bass (i've become the full time bassist for my band). I disagree with some of your views but at least I can see how you've come to those conclusions with such a detailed post.

[chasing_something]

Great review!! I would love to know your opinion of the album in a couple of months to see if your rating would change :)

[Guest kmm1482]

I haven't posted on this board probably since the Rush of Blood days, but I've still been a pretty devoted fan, so here's my two cents about Ghost Stories:

 

I completely agree on your point about Johnny's guitar on True Love. It's an infectious hook that's still in my head. I also agree on Sky Full of Stars. I want to like it because it's there anthemic arena song (what they do best), but in the end it just sounds like someone else's song with Chris' vocals. And the standout for me is also Oceans. Loved it since the first live performance. And I think Ink does need some stronger lyrics to push it that one step further.

 

 

 

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[Guest kmm1482]

I haven't posted on this board probably since the Rush of Blood days, but I've still been a pretty devoted fan, so here's my two cents about Ghost Stories

 

I completely agree on your point about Johnny's guitar on True Love. It's an infectious hook that's still in my head. I also agree on Sky Full of Stars. I want to like it because it's there anthemic arena song (what they do best), but in the end it just sounds like someone else's song with Chris' vocals. And the standout for me is also Oceans. Loved it since the first live performance. And I think Ink does need some stronger lyrics to push it that one step further.

 

 

 

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[Italian Plastic]

You guys should remember that making music as a group doesn't just mean playing your own instruments...maybe think of it more like a table of writers contributing to a new episode of a sitcom? everyone's contributing to make something as great as possible. just because you can't hear Guy's bass or Will playing acoustic drums doesn't mean they didn't contribute to the song

maybe no one was saying that but idk

also i know nothing about writing for sitcoms

 

I think True Love is overproduced and boring, I don't really like Oceans either.

Always In My Head should be longer.

I don't like the filter on the piano in A Sky Full Of Stars

I generally like the lyrics, they're simple and hit pretty hard for me (I've never liked poetic lyrics with metaphors and shit) but sometimes they're a little TOO simple

 

O is incredible and probably top 10 coldplay songs

[Liam]

INK and True Love let the album down a bit for me, Oceans DOES sound so much better live too

[MidnightSpies]

Oooh My God... all your friends and ghost story are amazing!! How is this possible. They did it again. Like with moving to mars. Out with sky and true love. I will create my own ghost stories.