Oceans - your review

[Sparky]

I am compiling an ultimate Coldplaying fan review of Ghost Stories.

 

It will be posted on the main site shortly after the best review for each song on the album is picked, your name will be listed in credit should your review be chosen! Closing date is Monday 26th May

 

Get your writing fingers ready! Good luck! :)

 

You can also vote in the poll too, out of 10 which will be interesting as its usually only when a pre-album single is released.

[lennyrott2]

Hearkening back to Parachutes, Oceans is a successful mix of the old and the new. The acoustic guitar is lovely and it is very pleasing to hear Jonny using E-bow again, as it creates a classic Coldplay sound. The sonar drum is never too overpowering and Chris delivers some emotive (maybe not as much as Parachutes) vocals that do nicely. There are moments where the track feels a little too processed, especially when the first round of synths are thrown in, however, the ending bit of the track with the church bells and crashing waves is one of the most chilling and beautiful things Coldplay has ever done. Overall it may not be the best acoustic Coldplay track, but it is very effective and well, ghostly!

 

9/10

[the_escapist]

A standout moment of the album, Oceans takes you back to the Parachutes era while retaining modern elements since the song is based on several electronic arrangements like the haunting submarine beep made by Will Champion, which sets the beat throughout. Guy and Jonny provide ambient while Chris (playing acoustic guitar) sings one of Coldplay's saddest songs about being alone. The song ends with a synth which sits perfectly while Chris sings the last lines of the record, a heartbreaking story after being with someone. A true gem in the album.

 

9/10

[SeeYouSoon42]

Fantastic song. Can't fault it anywhere. A mixture of the Parachutes and X&Y eras. 9/10

[Lodova]

"Oceans"

Oh my god I love this one. I listened to this live on bbc and it took my breath away. I love Coldplay for moments like this. The radar sound makes this song even more special. And that acoustic guitar... I'm listening to this song and thinking "I just have to learn play guitar right now!". Lyrics are interesting. Simple, but nice. Thank lord they don't underrate "Oceans" and play it a lot. In conclusion, I clearly adore this song.

[Gob Bluth]

Oceans is a dynamite song and I could see it being a single after ASFOS.

[mayrn43]

Oceans is a dynamite song and I could see it being a single after ASFOS.

 

Hmm really?

[Nature]

Sorry fans, but this is my least favorite of the album, the weakest i think.

That background sound from the drumkit annoys me seriously, there had to be something more on this track, something explosive at the end, like they do sometimes on there tracks.

[getithom]

Oceans first premiered when I was asleep, but somehow, I woke up just in time to have my friends all message me going, "OH GOD, IT'S LIKE PARACHUTES BUT BETTER. JOEL. LISTEN." Thus began the third round of overplaying a new Coldplay song. (Previously with Always In My Head and Midnight.) The sonar noise in the background remains to be one of my favorite 'subtle' things the band has done. With a mix of lyrics, plus simplicity, plus the lovely orchestra noise near the end, it was like fucking listening to a modernized version of 'Spies'.

 

The studio version came thanks to Zane Lowe, and it just felt empty. I still can't put my finger on what 'it' is. I still thoroughly enjoy the song, and i love the long, drawn out note Chris sings to close the song, but it still hasn't won me over as much as the live version(s) have. In time, of course, this will change. I reckon a large part of my love for this song is the outro track that accompanies the lead-in to A Sky Full of Stars

 

3.5/5

[RhysBP]

I find Oceans the most interesting song on the album. Unfortunately, like Ink, this song barely features Buckland and Berryman.

 

Martin can again be heard on the acoustic guitar and the song can basically be made into a solo for him. However, through the power of his amazing falsetto, Martin delivers the most haunting melody on the album. This is backed up by some rather disconcerting lyrics - “I’m ready for it all love / Ready for the pain”.

 

The eery vibes of the song are manfully assisted by three main components - Martin’s echoed vocals, the squealing fiddles of a string orchestra and the repetition of a ship’s radar, which is surprisingly coming from Champion’s drum pad. Buckland makes a cameo with some synthesized strings but due to its dominance, it comes across as rather unnecessary.

 

Not before long, the songs comes to a peaceful end but that’s not where the fun stops. Instantly, a pump organ (?) takes over before an instrumental wash of synthesizers begin an interlude to the next song. As the sounds shifts from one side to another (listen to the song through headphones and this will make sense), distant church bells toll and to quote Up With The Birds, “good things are coming our way”.

 

RATING - 3.5/5