AHFOD - YOUR reviews

[Coeurli]

Obviously NONE of us have listened to the album just yet, I'm just preparing this thread for next week :nod:

 

So, post your reviews of the album here please :D

[andrea25]

For me, the songs that have a "replay factor" are:

- A Head Full of Dreams

- Hymn for the Weekend

- Adventure of a Lifetime

- Amazing Day

- Up&Up

They're so good.

The others are just fillers, pretty good damn fillers, but they don't have the potential to be a single.

And yes, HFTW rocks.

 

My initial review is:

AHFOD: massive opener. too bad Johnny's guitar is 'buried'

AOAL: this is so happy. groovy, funky, dancey. so, so good for happy moments of life. easily one of the best of the album, and one of the (new)play's best.

Amazing Day: a powerful coldplay ballad, nothing like overflow. so great.

Up&Up: what a closer. that's a shame that - like others have already said - Noel and Jonnhy's guitars are so muffled.

 

needs further listening:

Birds: on the first listen, I didn't like it. The second time, it began to interest me...we'll see.

Army Of One: it seems like a filler, but it's interesting, especially the 'sound fabric'

 

nothing special, for now:

Fun: well, actually it starts well. so damn good. but then it goes on like an average 2000 pop song, and the duet with Tove Lo... it's like Ricky Martin feat. Meja with 'Private Emotion'...wtf?

Everglow: nothing special for me. an average slow ballad. maybe it'll grow on me, who knows.

 

sooo not coldplay, but actually interesting:

HFTW: the beginning has a lot of 'Homecoming' feeling, without Kanye. it's like Princess of China: without Rhianna, it would be a really great Coldplay song.

XMTS: wtf?

 

pretty useless (but good), like every coldplay interludes:

Kaleidoscope: I would accept this in a 18-tracks album, not in this. uff.

Colour Spectrum: the same as above

[beastwars]

I try to share my opinion

 

A Head Full Of Dreams - It seems like a U2 cover feat. Cut Copy. It clearly reminds of ETIAW, but for me it's slightly better, even if Chris forgot to write lyrics for the second half. 7/10

 

Birds - A good episode. It feels very indie pop and the fact that vocals remind of Win Butler makes think of Arcade Fire even for the music. The more I listen to it the more I discover new details, starting from the vaguely dreamy guitars. Please Jonny, delay e reverb as much as you can. The abrupt ending is quite unsettling. 7,5/10

 

Hymn For The Weekend - An awful let down. Melodically is too similar to "Give Me A Reason" by Nate Ruess & Pink, pathetic lyrics, terrible bridge & chorus. This could easily be a single by Destiny's Child & Flo Rida with Alexandra Stan. 4/10

 

Everglow - Ok, it's simple, classic 4 chords, Chris is almost without voice, but it's the ONLY song of the album that's Coldplay. It doesn't take me emotionally, but I can say that I like it. Even without ambitions and ideas, the boys make good songs when they don't forget their identity. 8,5/10

 

Adventure Of A Lifetime - Daft Punk, Pharrell & Bruno Mars, woohoo. A nightmare. 5/10

 

Fun (feat. Tove Lo) - A good experiment for me. the combination of the two voices is surprisingly good. The only flaw is that it seems an Imagine Dragons song. 7.5/10

 

Kaleidoscope - A spot for Obama. 2/10

 

Army Of One - electropop cover of "Every Breaking Wave". 6/10

 

X Marks The Spot - Lowest point of their career by a mile. 0/10

 

Amazing Day: a classic ballad ruined by Stargate pompous production. 6/10

 

Colour Spectrum: Nothing with nothing feat. nothing. N.V.

 

Up&Up: This could be a great song, but Stargate completely ruined it again. First 6+ mins song of their career, two great guitar solos , a Champagne Supernova-alike structure, but this claustrophobic overproduction mess it all. The ending is criminal. 6,5/10

 

It lacks of cohesion, transitions are not very good, songs are what they are. My final vote is 5/10.

Now they should go on hiatus for at least 5 years, reset their minds and then go autoproducing. Maybe we could achieve a final good album in this way. But it will never happen

[anthamic]

This is definitely one of Coldplay's weaker albums, and it makes Mylo Xyloto look/sound less horrendous. I have completely lost all hope for Coldplay's future. Unlike Mylo Xyloto and Ghost Stories (which I thoroughly disliked), A Head Full of Dreams did not really have a song I could respect (for MX it was Major Minus, for GS it was Fly On).

 

I can already tell that all of these songs will sound less terrible live. The album suffers from overproduction, electronic drums, cheap lyrics, bad melodies, general pop-piness, and way too many unnecessary featured guests. In my opinion, you can't really tell if any of these songs are Coldplay unless you've been spending a lot of time with Princess of China or A Sky Full of Stars.

 

I've posted this on another thread, but here it is again.

 

AHFOD - 6.5/10: This definitely ends up on the "Newplay" songs that I hate the least.

 

Birds - 6/10: Not as bad as I expected, but it's still not that good. The electronic drums just hurt my ears, and the crappy instrumentation is just a no no.

 

Everglow - 5.5/10: The only really good thing about this song is the piano piece. There are some good bits, but the song in general is a bit stale, and forced. The vocals are really bad and whiny, and I appreciate The World Turned Upside Down's vocals a lot more.

 

Amazing Day - 5/10: Once again whiny vocals, and a really bad intro. It could've been better without overproduction, but you can't really do anything about it anymore.

 

Fun - 5/10: The lyrics are just really bad. Tove Lo in my opinion did an excellent job on this song, but also in a way ruined it.

 

Up&Up - 5/10: Guitar solos! don't make this song any better. It's ultra cheesy, and it honestly gives me the want to skip the song or not finish it.

 

Kaleidoscope - 4.5/10: I'm really sad that they couldn't utilise the song title better, but the speech is what hit me.

 

Colour Spectrum - 4/10: Yeah, I'd rather listen to this than the songs below. A quieter version of Mylo Xyloto (title track) and A Hopeful Transmission and a more colourful version of MMIX

 

Adventure of a Lifetime - 3.5/10: Repetitive, overproduced, monkeys. Basically the worse version of Paradise but, this time, with MONKEYS! I almost lost interest for the album after listening to this one, but here I am.

 

Hymn for the Weekend - 2.5/10: Coldplay? Nope, it's Macklemore feat. Beyonce, Chris Martin, and probably some other dude. There's literally nothing Coldplay about it, and it pissed me off even more when they TRIED to put a spark of Coldplay in it. Definitely a POC of this album. Not a good Coldplay song, not a good song. Lyrics are just stupid.

 

Army of One - 2.5/10: And, of course, the song with the worst intro ever, has real drums (sounds like). Crappy lyrics, overproduction; this song basically represents the album.

 

X Marks the Spot - .5/10 (lmao): It really hurt me when Chris said this was his favourite moment on the album. I'm not even being biased but this song is just so bad. This really makes songs like A Whisper look superior, and that's not what I expected from his favourite moment. The band aren't only trying to let go of their rock roots, but they're also trying to let go of their creativity on this one. Another POC of this album.

 

In general, the album lacks integrity and hard work(?) but it's good for Coldplay because it may earn them 1000 or 2000 new fans. Make something semi-good, and I wouldn't want Coldplay to take a hiatus. I'm kinda disappointed by A Head Full of Dreams, but there were some elements that did surprise me. My final vote is 4.5/10.

 

(Also a reminder, this is my opinion. You may love the album, but I don't.)

[Kingzilla]

This album is a strong pop album. People keep wanting to classify Coldplay as rock, and they may be considered pop-rock which is fine... But let's look at the facts:

 

Direct, simple lyrics

Electric drums with bassy kick

Bass in the front of the mix

Heavy synths

Pop structure in all songs almost

Some trap elements in HFTW and XMTS

 

This is a pop album, but a pop album influenced by edm and hip-hop (especially trap). So don't compare this too even MX or ghost stories. This is ane entirely new beast.

 

1. AHFOD - 8.5

Bombastic, dancey riff and beat, and good lyrics start this album off in the right direction. This is a way to start the album for everyone in coldplays fanbase to enjoy.

 

2. Birds - 10

The beat is fantastic, I love it... The way Chris sings the verses is gorgeous and the chorus soars so smoothly. Definitely a classic. The guitar play like the rest of the album is 10/10.

 

HFTW - 9/10

What a beautiful song. I love the harmonies and the pre chorus is lit. What keeps this from classic status? Chris has no sexiness. At least when he isn't singing low. And in the verses he sounds too light.

 

AOAL- 9.5/10

The same with the last song, except Chris doesn't need sexiness. He that's why it's .5 better. But they are both lovely songs. The disco/edm flavor flows well with the pop rock vibe.

 

Everglow - 8/10

Uhhh this is a good song, but it lacks the pureness of their old ballads. This is something Coldplay lost during the Viva and MX eras. The ability to make a heartfelt ballad such as fix you and the scientist. In viva there was reign of love which was decent and then a few in MX that were OK. In Ghost stories, the reason why the album wasnt a classic is cuz it lacked heart. This song continues that plan... Thankfully this is the only song that follows that path.

 

Fun - 8.5

I was not expecting much from this one, but it surprised me. The guitar riff in the beginning was so gorgeous I didn't want it to the end. The lyrics are more heartfelt then Everglow and the harmonies between tove lo and Chris are A.

 

Kaleidoscope - 10/10

One of the best creations Coldplay has made. WHY CANT COLDPLAY CHANNEL THE EXPERIMENTAL VIBE FROM THIS INTO AN ENTIRE ALBUM. YOU CAN MAKE AMAZING EXPERIMENTAL POP WITH VOCAL SAMPLES, CRAZY BEATS, AND SHIT...

 

Anyways a beautiful song and amazing meaning.

 

Army of one - 8.5

This one wasn't quite as catchy as I wanted, but the beat is 10/10. The away away, go now is interesting cuz the song is about fighting for ur love.

 

X marks the spot - 5 (and rising quickly)

This one is... Changing for me. At first I hated it. Then I thought it was OK just not in the right album. Now I'm digging it. The lyrics are a bit corny for a trap influenced song. But then I remembered it was Coldplay, and he wasn't going to make a song about fucking bitches and drugs. This is a Coldplay trap song. And now I play it in the car with the bass up all the way with my buds and we have the blast. It's a grower and I expect it to end up a 6.5-7.

 

Amazing Day

10/10

This is a classic. The lyrics are great for the pop direction they are going. It's a swaying pop masterpiece imo. I sing along whenever I hear it and its extremely addicting. And the main thing is that it has that authenticity of the old ballads. I love it.

 

Up and up - 8

Great closer. This is a weird ending cuz we got misled with the live version that was way more piano led, why this more synth oriented. The lyrics are good and ends it pretty epically.

 

Overall I gave this album a 86/100 when it comes to song to song enjoyability. I'd give this a 64 when it comes to flow and. Cohesion. And a 75 in production

So this albums gets a 82 from me.

Classics:

Viva - 96 (93-100-97) comparable to night at the opera by Queen

AROBTTH - 92 (98-86-90)comparable to the bends by radiohead

Strong albums

AHFOD - 82 (86-73-75) Torches by Foster the People

Good but flawed albums:

GS - 76 (55-90-90) comparable to 808s and heartbreak by Kanye West (but a lot worse, kanyes album is on par with Viva)

Parachutes 74 (70-76-78)comparable to Sheer heart attack by Queen

MX 74 (80-80-60) comparable to night visions by Imagine Dragons

Decent messy albums:

X&Y 62(65-60-50) -A long shittier let it be by the Beatles (empasis about how much better let it be is compared to this album)

[shred]

I'll give a comprehensive review later but on the first and subsequent listen, I realise that this album has no flow. Unlike MX or even GS. The songs are too varied in style to be put together. You either do a album with Birds and Up&Up or an album with AOAL and AHFOD. These songs shouldn't be together on the same album me thinks. It's just very jarring.

[42JTR]

Short summary on my opinion of AHFOD:

When I first listened to the album as a whole, I wasn't convinced, it didn't flow well, the production is too much. But afer 2-3 listens I'm starting to appreciate is more and more, and I even think this album is becoming pretty good in terms of doing things different, and not being as mainstream as GS/MX. You definitely hear so many different influences and I love this. It's like everything they've ever done put together in these songs + new/experimental things: which I really like now.

 

Track opinions:

AHFOD: Good opener, U2ish but still a lot of CP elements. Festive, happy, and I especially love the parts from 2:30 and further, goosebumps and makes me want to jump, I can't wait to experience it live!

8/10

Birds: Amazing! One of the best songs in years really, it's like Viva meets MX meets something entirely new. Absolutely love it, althoug I do not like the sudden ending, whish it was a bit longer.

9/10

HFTW: wasn't sure in the beginning, so many different sounds, sounds very Beyonce/Mainstream at first listen, gets better when you listen to more layers. Jonny's guitar makes up for a lot on this one. The lyrics, well, nothing special. I guess they needed a hit on this album to For me it's a bit PoC part 2 but maybe slightly better.

6/10

Everglow: what a beauty, again I love how each instrument shines, especially Jonny. Beautiful, mellow ballad. It can't be compared with The Scientist but it's actually a nice try and fits very well in the album. I do wish the drums were acoustic though.

7,5/10

AOAL: Fun, colourful, dancy, funky, good live one!

7/10

Fun: I was afraid that this one was going tooo poppy, but I actually was suprised it isn't. It sounds alternative, their voices melt very good together. I love how you can hear elements of the song 'Fun' and 'Lukas' which were given to Natalie Imbruglia. Good, solid song.

7,5/10

Army Of One: Nice, reminds me a bit of a The Script song. Not very experimental or new, but it's overall a nice song.

7/10

X-Marks The Spot: well at first I was like: WTF? Can we forget this ever happened, now I'm a bit less WTF but still I'm not sure what to think of it, it sounds so childish, like a very mainstream tried song, these lyrics just mehh.

4/10

Amazing Day: Beautiful, but I like the live version better, mostly because of the annoying electronic drums in the studio version. 7/10

Up&Up: A bit dissappointed by the studio version, live it flows better, drums are better, the guitars are clearer. Up&Up is my second favorite album closer with DAAHF. Really amazing song, instant classic, thank you Noel.I love the choir voices. Only wish the studio version was a bit clearer.

9/10

 

Overall verdict: 7,2/10 for me.

Good album.

 

Highlights: AHFOD, Birds , Fun, Up&Up

Jonny really shines on this album, Guy as well.

Will needs to play the real drums live

Chris' voice can surprise me sometimes, it sounds so beautiful in some parts, gives me goosebumps every time

 

Dislikes: too much production at some times, X-Marks The Spot, HFTW not sure about this one

 

Album position:

Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

A Head Full Of Dreams

Mylo Xyloto

Ghost Sories

X&Y

Parachutes

[MidnightSpies]

Rewrote my review from the LP7 thread, which was a bit messy, quickly written.

 

Head full of dreams: 7/10

Exciting beginning, makes me completely believe and dive into this happy new area. Feelyfeelgoodness. It's not a genius track or anything and the whoooaahs have now become something that feels like a trick. But ok, the song apparently needed it. Also good news: it's sounds great live, CM's vocals sounding strong and powerful.

Birds: 8/10

The best track. Interesting and it's the least pop/mainstream etc. Unlike many other songs, not predictable. And unlike most other songs I'm fine with the production/instrumentation. Mentioned here by someone else: could be sitting on the prospekts march ep. Oh those good old days eh?

Hymn FTW.: 1/10

Done with it straigt away, POC nr 2. "Feeling drunk and high"? Popular type of 'cool' music that I just can't stand. Too sensational/I'm a hit!/in your face music. And it breaks up the nice flow and vibe that the first 2 songs created (I like weekends, so 1 point for putting the word 'weekend' in the title, lol)

Everglow: 7/10

Have been warming up to this one. Gives me an Up in flames feel, but it is stronger and less empty than UIF. Especially at the end. Still very far from Chris Martins best ballads, but it does have a nice simplistic quality. It would benefit so much from a more raw/organic production.

Adventure of a lifetime: 7/10

Happy happy. Like it more than I thought I would. The type of popular radio song that I do enjoy. It has this funky groove and guitar riff which is just so infectious.

Fun: 5/10

Nice guitar start, until the unnecessary heartbeat boomboom. The song is very simple and predictable. Bubblegum level of 10/10, sweet sugary sweetness. Took me back to when I was a teenager, such a popgroup/boyband vibe. So I really disliked it at first. Believe the band can do better than that. Now it's 'secretly' turned into a guilty pleasure. It's fits with the 'let's all be happy and loving together' christmas time that's coming up (I like christmas + the music!). Might start disliking it again in January ;)

Kaleidoscope

Pretty/interesting

Army of one: 3/10

Annoying music/Predictable. I could write this, I have melody's like this in my head. Just hum the melody in your head, it's really nothing special. All about the beat/production. I don't really get how the band can find this album material.

x marks: 0/10

Ouch. Wow ok, is this a joke? Thought POC was the worst. Boom boom boom? Vengaboys? First singing about feeling drunk and high and now this. Have to be honest here. It makes me feel like: Is this really actually really really coldplay? Does the whole band actually approve of this? And do I really want to spend money on this? CM should really not put things like this into a coldplay album, it's silly. Breaks up the album flow as well. What does this have song to do with an album that's supposed to be uplifting/happy etc.

Amazing day: 7/10

Loved the indie/raw version from the band 'the Racer'. Made me realise Chris Martin still writes a good ballad. The production just makes the song a bit too much of a 'heal the world, make it a better place' song. Which is of course good at certain times when you need this. I can feel the song, but only after I have taken my pill for my sugar-allergy!

Colour spectrum

a bit unnecessary in between sound.

Up&Up: 6/10

Believe they tried to create a 'Don't stop' from Fleetwood Mac here (<- now that is a brilliant classic pop song)

Dissapointment unfortunately. Live it was sounding good with the piano instrumentation, but now its so empty until the guitar solos. And if they would just lose that low beat that's giving me headaches by now.. The song is far from original and the production makes it too cheesy again. Could have been a good finale song if recorded completely in a traditional way that fits the song.

 

Overall too much polished production... again. Ruins it, and destroys any Coldplay authenticity that's left, if there's any left in the first place. Songs like Army of one, fun, Hymn, and I don't even want to mention this song ever again, ok here it goes: x marks t.s. are missing it. Also they are missing a band feel. It seems like the band let CM decide mostly. Fun/army of one and up&up give me boyband vibes. In general too much simple songwriting.

For the 3rd time in a row it's same story with the production. Most of the songs would benefit from a pure instrumentation recording without the electronic bleeps/beats and whatever polish those star people have been layering on top of the songs.

This album doesnt really have a highlight that really moved me and I'm also missing a good bonus track because those were absolutely amazing with MX/GS.

I found Adventure of a lifetime to be clever, but for many songs in this album they have started to repeat themselves compared to songs from MX/GS. Songs and production. Too much of this production makes songs sound temporary. 3 albums in a row and not 1 real coldplay classic.. a pity.

Coldplay I still believe in you, you can do it! If you would just want 'it'.

[The Lonely Martian]

Here's my review that I sent to my friend at Altwire and got published. Warning: it's really positive, because I love this album to death! :laugh3:

[Arminas]

It feels like I'm in a NME-like comments section or something. So much hate... I listened to the album a lot of times by now and will try to say my word.

 

1. A Head full of Dreams - This one is a nice opener. A mix of classic Coldplay and U2. Slightly better opener than Hurts like Heaven. I really enjoy Jonny's guitar work on this one. Maybe ending is a bit too long. 8/10

 

2. Birds - One of my favorites of the album. Can't remember a similiar song Coldplay has ever done. Very Indie rock style. Again amazing guitar work. It's a bit difficult to understand what lyrics at times, seems like Chris's voice is muted. Reminds me The Strokes. 9.5/10

 

3. Hymn for the Weekend - Do not understand the hate about this one. It's the best song of the album. That piano intro is wonderful, feels like Homecoming, wich was a good song. Beyonce fits very well. We'll shoot across the sky part is perfect. Got to admit a was drunk whet i first listened to this song. And yes.. I was high. Perfect pop song. 10/10

 

4. Everglow - Very beautiful piano driven ballad. Not much I can say about it, just a simple and nice song. Classic Coldplay. 8.5/10

 

5. Adventure of a life time - Disco-rock, Daft Punk influence. Amazing guitar riff. Happiest song of the album. Best first single since Violet Hill. 8.5/10

 

6. Fun - Seems like a song from Viva era to me, just poppier. Maybe the weakest song of the album. Very nice melody though. 7/10

 

7. Kaleidoscope - Coldplay does the best transitions to the songs. Though i dont think we have to rate them.

 

8. Army of One - Again one of my favorites. Love the drums. Relatable lyrics. Indie pop feel to it. 8.5/10

 

X marks the spot - Just proves that Coldplay can write all types of music. And be very good at it! When I listen to this I imagine Coldplay just jamming it studio and having a lot of fun. Kinda angry feel song.. Just a result of experimentation. 7.5/10

 

9. Amazing Day - Very nice song. Classic Coldplay sound. Would fit well into AROBTH. Sootheing. 8.5/10

 

10. Up&Up - Best closer since Death and all his friends. The ending guitar riff is perfect, maybe best of Coldplay, thanks to Noel. Prefer live version though. 9/10

 

This album has some kind of special feeling when I listen to it. Very diverse album. Could become one of Coldplay's best. Definitely better than MX and GS. Overall - 8.5/10

[Car Kids]

(This is a reworked post from "rank the songs" thread so sorry if it's repetitive)

 

Personal standard on a 100 point scale:

Life in Technicolor ii and Politik (Live) are 10/10

A Whisper is 1/10

SONGS IN ORDER OF FAVORITE TO LEAST FAVORITE

 

1. Up&Up 9/10

Really good song, very human and not artificial. I love the guitar and choir. Some of the best lyrics of the album are in this one.

 

2. Amazing Day 8.8/10

Beautiful. Love the strings and floating guitar. What I've been waiting for since Strawberry Swing.

 

3. Army of One 7.9/10

Fantastic pop song. Chris sounds strong and the lyrics are great pop lyrics without seeming derivative.

 

4. A Head Full of Dreams 7.7/10

These guys are a band in wonderful sync right now and this proves it. Some good U2 and Springsteen vibes here, but it's their song through and through. Happy and musical, we will see how memorable it is though.

 

5. Fun 7.5/10

Tove Lo sounds sweet and a good contrast to Chris. The duet totally fits. Lyrically, this is a great country music (classic style) song that tells a story and and has a strong message and hopeful ending.

 

6. Hymn for the Weekend 7/10

More deserving of a "Feat. Beyoncé" than Fun deserves a "Feat. Tove Lo." Good club pop, but the rest of the band isn't entirely forgotten. Points for being an intentionally crafted single and not coming out bland and forgettable. It is manufactured to be a certain type of song and it fulfills that.

 

7. Adventure of a Lifetime 6.9/10

Good song. Nice real instruments. Fresh but not super unique.

 

8. Birds 6.7/10

Cool song. Very not the norm, will appeal to hipsters who prefer artsy album tracks over popular songs. Really only becomes great at the end with the cool build up.

 

9. X Marks the Spot 5.510

Not the worst Coldplay song ever at all. Lots of potential to be used in a "buckin" related romantic setting.

 

10. Everglow 5/10

It's got real emotions that I haven't seen from Coldplay in a while. Great lyrics and message and admirably heartfelt. Sort of musically uninteresting to me though.

 

Kalaedisxoepoece and Color spectrum are cool but n/a as far as ranking songs, for me.

 

Whole CD: 7.5/10. Maybe it will be an 9 next week or a 6 in two weeks but we'll see. It flows well and the production is "fine" on a scale of bad to perfect. Nothing here seems fake though. Even the pop songs seem crafted with intention and the band (mostly Chris) is transparent about what he wants those songs to be. Some good rock influences here and there and some very stadium friendly pieces. I really like it.

[tallerolder]

After having heard all those interviews and promo-talk, I was expecting AHFOD to be a real "happy-clappy-album" and therefore to be a bit shallow... Since Chris often described it as the kind of opposite part to Ghost Stories. To my own perception, this is not as obvious at all as it's been portrayed. After my first listen, I actually found myself in a rather melancholic mood, which I judge really positively - cause feel like this the album is much more a genuine and adequate picture of how they really feel, which I prefer to the thought of making a "happy" album - which would have something really conceptual to me.

 

A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS - When I heard the live version of this for the first time, I was pretty amazed at how much I liked this song. I think it's a really good song as far as the melody, arrangement and lyrics go, but - and I think this is going to be very characteristic for the whole album - the production lowers the final result in my opinion. Still, I really like the "Where the Streets have no name"-U2-esque feeling of it. And I just can't help but love the chord progression over the "ooooooh"-part! 7/10

 

BIRDS - I didn't actually have too much expectations about this one, basically because it's one of the only tracks that was neither performed live in advance nor getting too much attention prior to the release to the lack of some kind of "special guest" (Obama, GP, Beyoncé or whoever). So far, this is one of my favorites! It reminds me a bit of "Lovers in Japan" - meeting "Hurts Like Heaven". Also, this song corresponds in my opinion the most to the feeling Chris has been talking about they were trying to convey with the album in general. 9/10

 

HYMN FOR THE WEEKEND - Due to all the talk about the Beyoncé collab, my expectations on this were really low. I can't say I'm positively surprised after the first few listens, but then again it's not as bad as it could have been. I actually enjoyed the first verse quite a bit.... But definitely one of the first tracks I'm probably going to start to skip... and wtf about this cheesy bird chirping in the beginning!? 4/10

 

EVERGLOW - I must have died some deaths while hearing this for the first time due to the production - which again for this song - is probably the biggest weakness. I really like the piano though, and also the rawness of and vulnerability in Chris' voice. Over all - and especially after having had it on repeat for almost the whole friday - a really beautiful song. 9/10

ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME - I like like it more in the context of the whole album than as a single track. Having said that, I myself wouldn't have made this song the first single of the album - but even if I personally don't like it too much, I think it has it's legitimate place and serves the purpose. 6/10

 

FUN - This is probably one of the bigger surprises for me on the album. Being a bit prejudiced against it since I heard Tove Lo was going to feautire it, I must say this is probably one of the songs I'm actually really going to like of the album. It might be a bit too poppy, but I like the overall feeling to it. reminds me a bit of True Love. 7/10

 

KALEIDOSCOPE - I don't like the poem too much, however the scenery made by the piano/glockenspiel in the background is pretty nice. To me, the whole track feels a bit too conceptual... 6/10

 

ARMY OF ONE - Every class has it's very average boy or girl. She/he doesn't do any harm to anyone, is neither brilliantly good or bad at anything - and generally just lacks the potential to stand out and be remembered... this might be a bit harshly said, but probably just describes the best how I somehow feel about this song right now. 6/10

 

X MARKS THE SPOT - Now, what the fuck is this?? Seriously, this is even ways beyond "Hymn For The Weekend" and in my personal opinion not worthy of being put on this album. You really succeeded in disappointing me this time Chris! 2/10

 

AMAZING DAY - Why did they have to bring again this cheesy bird chirping in the beginning that we already heard in the beginning of "Hymn For The Weekend"..? After I heard this song for the first september and not feeling completely overwhelmed by it back then, Amazing Day started to immensely grow on me during the following week. The feeling, lyrics, melody became really characteristical for how I felt and the mood I was in during that time. The closer we got to the album release, the bigger my fear grew this was going to be another song that the producers will have managed to completely ruin. Luckily, this is not the case. This is probably going to be my favorite of the album and one of my favorites in general. Reminds me of "What a wonderful world". The only thing that still bothers me: Why did they take out the ride-cymbal whenever there's a bass drum? 10/10

 

COLOUR SPECTRUM - Nothing special, but serves the purpose of a "transition" as had them on MX i guess.. 6/10

 

UP & UP - My first thought after hearing the live version of this was "Wow, Coldplay definitely are back!!" and I almost felt a bit bad for having rather mixed feelings toward the way the new album was going to turn out. I really liked everything about it. However, if I now listen to the album version, the producers have managed to fail really BIG this time!! I just feel like everything I loved about this song in the live version (the piano, the way the whole song was building up, the mix) has been oppressed here. I was expecting this kind of "Oasis"-ish arrangement (Champagne Supernova or All around the World), but no... It somehow feels really empty to me. I think it's a real real shame they took out the piano of this one and I'm really hoping they're going to regret this one after having played it live for some time and having realized how much more energy and genuinity it gets with the piano. I would really have loved to give this track ten out of ten points, but with that production and mix... I'll give it a 8.5 - to still adequately honor the songwriting and skills of the guys - cause the song in itself is reaaaally beautiful and one of the best they've ever done! 8.5/10

 

Over all rating: 7/10

[Juanma]

With a few listens:

 

AHFOD 9.5/10 Great intro, and ment to be played live

BIRDS 7/10 Good song, not amazing

HFTW 8.5/10 Great Pop Song, catchy and ment to be played in the radio

EVERGLOW 9/10 Beautiful ballad, not Coldplay's best, but fits amazingly

AOAL 7.5/10 Another ment to be played live, happy tune.

FUN 8/10 Has grown on me, nice melody and duet

KALEIDOSCOPE Amazing Interlude, im not rating it

ARMY OF ONE 9/10 Short but beautiful song and lyrics

X MARKS 7/10 Different and interesting

AMAZING DAY 9/10 Brilliant studio version

UP&UP 10/10 Just WOW, nailed it Coldplay, and the live version is epic.

 

The album is at least an 8.5, im very happy with it.

[JimmySVK]

1. A Head Full of Dreams - Good intro reminds me Hurths Like Heaven. 8/10

 

2. Birds - Fast track, good voice Chris. Something between X & Y Mylo Xyloto 7/10

 

3. Hymn for the Weekend - Very bad pop. Far from the old Coldplay. WTF 6/10

 

4. Everglow - I love piano and Coldplay. Classic Coldplay. 9/10

 

5. Adventure of a life time - Good pop. But the future please another first single from the album. 8/10

 

6. Fun - pretty melody. But very commercial. 6.5/10

 

7. Kaleidoscope - Beautiful piano. I want to do more. Old Colplay please. 8/10

 

8. Army of One - Interesting voice and piano but nothing more. 6/10

 

9. Amazing Day - Beautiful song. Guitar, piano and Chris. Love. 8,5/10

 

10. Colour Spectrum - Song between heaven and earth. Similar and updated intro Mylo Xyloto. Nice sound. 9,10

 

11. Up & Up - the most beautiful song of the album. Something between Fix you and Everything's Not Lost. On first listen, I fell in love. 9,5/10

 

X marks the spot- Good experiment. 8/10

 

I look forward to the new album from Coldplay. I am especially pleased that produce and go on tour. Who knows whether this album is not the last for several seasons. The tour will surely long. I can not help but this album Mylo Xyloto is as version 2. I do not condemn but this is completely different than jump Ghost Stories. I love Coldplay. and there is no bad songs but I would like finally heard Classic Coldplay. I have slightly mixed feelings about the album but I'm going to listen to him. You're sure to go for the upcoming tour, which will be even better than in 2012.

 

Overall verdict: 7,8/10 for me.

 

Album position:

Parachutes

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

X&Y

Mylo Xyloto

Ghost Sories - Very special album for me.

A Head Full Of Dreams

[Cold003]

Ok here is my review after i listened many times :

1. A Head Full of Dreams (10/10) :

This record alone .... it gives me energy more than most of the MX album :rolleyes:

The moment i heard the snippet i knew this will be great.

Everything for me is amazing about this rocky record : the music, lyrics, guitar part, production, chorus ..... EVERY-DAMN-THING.

It becomes one of my fav songs but i wished if it was longer.

 

2. Birds (7/10) :

I love the guiter part .... but the rest are nothing really special for me.

Still its a nice lovely song to hear.

 

3. Hymn For the Weekend (8/10) :

The moment i heard that this song will feature beyonce i though it will ends up like PoC ..... but i was happy to discover that she has a little part in this song.

Also The ending part of this song is what i love the most .... even tho i don't like this type of songs alot but it was really well made.

 

4. Everglow (7/10) :

Gorgeous song but very melodramatic ........ i love the piano here but also i hate some parts in chris voice .

 

5. Adventure Of A Liftime (9/10) :

while i see alot of people dislike this song i find it beautifull dance and upbeat song with a great guitar riff .... just like AHFOD song it's full of life and one of the brilliant songs in the album.

i think i will never get bored from it .

 

6. Fun (feat. Tove Lo) (9/10) :

This track surprised me because i expected it to be bad ... well i was very wrong.

First you have that beautifull guitar riff at the start ..... and then the song start to build up and trasform to an upbeat song ..... also Tove Lo did great job with the vocals not to mention the great lyrics in this track.

 

7. Kaleidoscope (X/10) :

Won't rate because its a transition ....... but its a nice add

 

8. Army of one (6.5/10) :

Not bad but i don't like the back vocals effects ..... as a coldplay song nothing really special

 

9. X Marks the Spot (-99999999999999.99 / 10) :

This is my friends the worst peice of music coldplay every done.

How bad it is ??? bad enough to know that chris going semi hip-hop here ....... so yeah :facepalm:

I will try to forget that this track exists ....... anyway i won't let one bad song to destroy the album for me

 

10. Amazing Day (7/10) :

Nice song .... a bit oldplay and beautifully made ..... it may get boring abit.

 

11. Colour Spectrum (X/10) :

Won't rate because its a transition

 

12. Up&Up (9/10) :

What attract me here is the guitar solo and it was STUNNING :guitarist: + great chorus .... the live version was better but anyway i still love it.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Album rating (8/10) : I actually love this album alot and i think its alot better than GS and MX.

The flow between songs not really good and there are some parts i hate like electronics drums on Up&Up ...... but still this album has alot of strong parts and its definitely a worthwhile Album :dazzled: .

 

Album Position :

1. Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

2. A Rush Of Blood To The Head

3. X&Y

4. A Head Full Of Dreams

5. Parachutes / Ghost Sories

6. Mylo Xyloto

[Mr. Happy]

1. Everglow

2. A Head Full of Dreams

3. Amazing Day

4. Adventure of a Lifetime

 

Those four are fantastic. I can't listen to Everglow enough, and both AOAL and AD have grown on me immensely since I first heard them.

 

5. Birds

6. Hymn for the Weekend

7. Up and Up

 

These three are okay. Nothing fancy, but they're okay. Up and Up goes on for far too long, the second verse should be half as long as it is.

 

After that, the rest is pretty much filler, and because of that the album doesn't rank particularly high on my best-CP-albums list. It's not terrible (no CP album is terrible), but it's not great either.

 

Viva La Vida / Rush of Blood

Mylo

XY

Parachutes

AHFOD

GS

[Ghost0012]

how can a music video be included on your music review? should you go to rate it as a music video instead????

[Tarkovsky2]

GREAT ALBUM

[Minarets]

(This is a reworked post from "rank the songs" thread so sorry if it's repetitive)

 

Personal standard on a 100 point scale:

Life in Technicolor ii and Politik (Live) are 10/10

A Whisper is 1/10

SONGS IN ORDER OF FAVORITE TO LEAST FAVORITE

 

1. Up&Up 9/10

Really good song, very human and not artificial. I love the guitar and choir. Some of the best lyrics of the album are in this one.

 

2. Amazing Day 8.8/10

Beautiful. Love the strings and floating guitar. What I've been waiting for since Strawberry Swing.

 

3. Army of One 7.9/10

Fantastic pop song. Chris sounds strong and the lyrics are great pop lyrics without seeming derivative.

 

4. A Head Full of Dreams 7.7/10

These guys are a band in wonderful sync right now and this proves it. Some good U2 and Springsteen vibes here, but it's their song through and through. Happy and musical, we will see how memorable it is though.

 

5. Fun 7.5/10

Tove Lo sounds sweet and a good contrast to Chris. The duet totally fits. Lyrically, this is a great country music (classic style) song that tells a story and and has a strong message and hopeful ending.

 

6. Hymn for the Weekend 7/10

More deserving of a "Feat. Beyoncé" than Fun deserves a "Feat. Tove Lo." Good club pop, but the rest of the band isn't entirely forgotten. Points for being an intentionally crafted single and not coming out bland and forgettable. It is manufactured to be a certain type of song and it fulfills that.

 

7. Adventure of a Lifetime 6.9/10

Good song. Nice real instruments. Fresh but not super unique.

 

8. Birds 6.7/10

Cool song. Very not the norm, will appeal to hipsters who prefer artsy album tracks over popular songs. Really only becomes great at the end with the cool build up.

 

9. X Marks the Spot 5.510

Not the worst Coldplay song ever at all. Lots of potential to be used in a "buckin" related romantic setting.

 

10. Everglow 5/10

It's got real emotions that I haven't seen from Coldplay in a while. Great lyrics and message and admirably heartfelt. Sort of musically uninteresting to me though.

 

Kalaedisxoepoece and Color spectrum are cool but n/a as far as ranking songs, for me.

 

Whole CD: 7.5/10. Maybe it will be an 9 next week or a 6 in two weeks but we'll see. It flows well and the production is "fine" on a scale of bad to perfect. Nothing here seems fake though. Even the pop songs seem crafted with intention and the band (mostly Chris) is transparent about what he wants those songs to be. Some good rock influences here and there and some very stadium friendly pieces. I really like it.

 

I think is the order I prefer the songs, except Amazing Day. You can throw it near the bottom for me. It and Everglow are my least favs.

[aschall]

I am very very pleased with this album. I think every song is great except for X Marks the Spot (this track is AWFUL omy gawd lol what were they thinking). oh and also Fun I am not fond of.

 

A Head Full of Dreams 8/10 - beautiful chorus at the end that will be euphoric live, i have no doubt. wish the disco-like intro was strung out a little longer

 

Birds 10/10 - WOWOWOW! what a beautiful track. i loooove this song. one of the most beautiful songs they've ever done. I love how it builds and suddenly stops

 

Hymn for the Weekend 8/10 - the chorus is meh but I love every other facet of this song. yonce sounds amazing. the piano riff during the verses is fine work by chris

 

Everglow 9/10 - another beautiful ballad to add to the back catalog. the passion in chris's voice shines bright

 

Adventure of a Lifetime 9/10 - this track is just so fun. i cant wait to experience live

 

Fun 5/10 - really dont love this track. i kinda just sit thru it with my finger inching towards the skip button. i know this album is supposed to be very bombastic and grand but i think this song could have been much better if they stripped back the instrumentation. the drums sounds feel tacked on and unnecessarily EDM-y at parts. and both of their voices get swallowed up by everything i feel. i think this song had potential... but idk. i can totally imagine them performing this during the acoustic set in the crowd and a lot of us here will be like "why didn't they make the album version like that?"

 

Kaleidoscope 10/10 - i really really love this interlude. its such an important message to take with you and the instrumentation is just lovely

 

Army of One 8/10 - i think this one will grow on me. the vocal chopping is very earwormy and the organ sound is essential

 

X Marks the Spot 1/10 - oh gaww i really dont understand this. its shit. Chris shame on you. Guy, Will shame on you i thought you guys were quality assurance gotdamn

 

Amazing Day 10/10 - okay we've known this song for awhile now but it never really hit me how much i adored this song until recently. i think its one of Coldplay's all-time greats. its like yellow and always in my head had a baby and shot it up with endorphines. SO GORGEOUS. this song is gonna be so great live

 

Up&Up 9/10 - its a satisfying conclusion. the second half is so good. love Johnny and Noel a bunch. again, how amazing is this gonna be live?

 

overall really great. its sad to me that people aren't enjoying it as much 9/10

[Mexima]

A Head Full of Dreams:8/10

Birds:8/10

Hymn For the Weekend:7/10

Everglow:7.5/10 +1

Adventure of A Lifetime:9/10

Fun(feat. Tove Lo):7.6/10 +1

Kaleidoscope:8.5/10

Army of One:8.5/10

X Marks the Spot:7/10

Amazing Day:8.5/10

Colour Spectrum:7.5/10 +1

Up&Up:9/10

 

its based on my liking at the moment.Overall i enjoy it!! (update 12/4)

[Lobabe]

Honestly, the most original sound on the album comes from Kaleidoscope. If only they would've expanded the music and made it into a full song...

 

Birds is probably 2nd- just very fresh and works best with the production used. And Amazing Day, both the most Coldplay-ier Coldplay songs on the album, which would've been much better is some of the feeling wasn't drowned out by over-produced rhythm section. For a more natural sound- listen to the TidalX version of Amazing Day.

 

Following those top 2 tracks- There's Hymn For the Weekend- definitely not Coldplay's usual style but still some great use of mixed styles. Fun- great pop song- could've used some more change-ups to spice up the melody a bit, but still a solid song. Army of One, which is about the same. Kinda feels like they conjured up a good song...and instead of really trying to build it into something- they pasted a couple more verses and choruses and called it a day. And Everglow as well, I liked it more when Sarah Mclaughlan did it, but still a solid song.

 

AHFOD- lots really like that song but for me it just doesn't do very much. If it would've been produced without the ...almost salsa type drum production.. and more prominent guitars probably would be a song I'd listen to.

 

X marks the spot- yeah, it's really that bad.

 

Up and Up... just don't really care for this one either. I like the build up attempt...but too weirdly put together. It sounds like when you start a good track, but listen to it ...way too many times and start slicing the song up to death. Basically, this whole album is a good solid pop album that could've been great if it wasn't for over-production.

[Xylobryte7]

I guess I should completely rate them instead of numbering them lol

 

1. AHFOD- 9.0 only openers better are Politik and MX/HLH

2. Birds- 8.0 still growing on me so could be higher

3. HFTW- 7.5 had no hopes for it but it is pretty good, still a grower too.

4. Everglow- 9.5 song hit me hard, one of their best piano ballads.

5 AOAL- 9.0 love the disco feel to it, great song

6. Fun- 8.5 Great duet with Tove Lo, she has a really great voice and fit in perfect.

7. Kaleidoscope- 6.0 interesting idea but not a huge fan of it

8. Army of One- 9.0 love the production on the song, everything sounds great to me.

9. X Marks the Spot- 8.0 I personally like it, very hip hop feel and it's a hidden track so why not throw it in there lol

10. Amazing Day- 10.0 Masterpiece, one of their best songs in my opinion

11. Colour Spectrum- 6.0 an ok instrumental track but the ones on MX were a lot better

12. Up&Up- 9.0 Really good song, I do prefer the live version but the studio version is still great.

[I ran away]

Only have time for a numbering right now, and I have only listened to AHFOD for ca. 1,5 times:

 

In terms of comparisons:

0 = worst Coldplay song ever

10 = best Coldplay song ever

 

Before you hate on my low ratings, bear in mind that I absolutely love Coldplay's earlier work and can't help comparing their new output to their earlier output.

 

1. AHFOD - 3/10 (Live - 5/10)

2. Birds - 5/10

3. HFTW - 2/10

4. Everglow - 1/10

5. AOAL - 1/10

6. Fun - 4/10

7. Kaleidoscope - 1/10

8. Army Of One - 1/10

9. XMTS - 0/10

10. Amazing Day - 2/10

11. Colour Spectrum - 1/10

12. Up&Up - 1/10

[Famous Old Painter]

Warning!!! The following review is scathing. Lovers of AHFOD best turn away now.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A Head Full Of Dreams – It sounds like something that would’ve fit snugly on HTDAAB by U2. However, that’s far from my favourite U2 album and U2 are far from my favourite band. I wanted to praise the melodies and it’s probably just a coincidence, but the vocal melody is far too similar to Forever and a Day by The Dissociatives for me to feel comfortable with it. That said I love how upbeat it is, the energy is really powerful, and it’s probably the closest Coldplay come to euphoria on this thing. 6/10

 

Birds – I appreciate how experimental it seems in context with the rest of the album, and that’s probably why most Oldplayers would gravitate to this one. I just find it boring; the Stargate production hurts more than it helps, Jonny still thinks he’s in U2, and the melody is a pretty forgettable one. And yeah, Under Cover of Darkness is one of my least favourite Strokes songs, which doesn’t help me. 4/10

 

Hymn for the Weekend – Obviously not the style of music I want to hear from Coldplay, but I don’t mind it so much. It’s a pretty blatant pop tune, but at least they’re not trying to pass it up as anything else this time around. It’s hardly the deepest song ever but I find it catchy and entertaining for what it is – a pop song just cheesy enough to be fun. It’s a huge improvement over POC in that regard. 5/10

 

Everglow – If it wasn’t Chris’ distinctive vocals, you could’ve told me this was a song by Justin Beiber or Miley Cyrus or someone similar, and I wouldn’t have blinked an eyelid. This is Coldplay at their least original. At least the Stargate production matches the vapid songwriting. 3/10

 

Adventure of a Lifetime – Repetitive, but fun. Decent enough I guess, but certainly not enough ideas to justify a 4 and a half minute song though. 6/10

 

Fun – The least memorable song on the album. I’ve listened to it as much as the rest but I can barely recall anything from it. 4/10

 

Army of One – Ugh... I really dislike this one. I can’t... I dislike nearly everything about it. No. 2/10

 

X Marks the Spot – I can understand why people hate this one so much, it’s about as far away from a Coldplay song as it’s possible to get. I think it’s an interesting experiment, although not necessarily a successful one. I like the melody, and the production reminds me of Kendrick Lamar which isn’t a bad thing. 5/10

 

Amazing Day – This one is annoying because there’s actually some pretty good songwriting at the core. The Racer’s version was absolutely beautiful (like a 9/10) but this just pales in comparison. The arrangement is way too schmaltzy for its own good. 6/10

 

Up And Up – This sounds like it could be used as one of those “We Are the World” style celebrity charity songs. That’s not a compliment. No amount of Noel Gallagher soloing could save this. 3/10

 

Overall it’s a 4/10. May come down to 3. Easily the worst Coldplay album by a considerable distance. And before you brand me a Newplay hater or whatever, bear in mind I gave Ghost Stories an 8/10. The problem isn’t so much that I don’t like pop music. It’s not the style I typically listen to, but if they’d made a catchy and memorable pop album I could at least go “It’s not my type of thing, but I can appreciate that it’s well made for what it is”. But I can’t even do that. AHFOD is chart pop with all the things that make chart pop exciting and memorable taken out.