GS was too electronic for my liking. My fav track from GS was Ghost Story because it sounded like it could have come from the Parachutes Era.

It's not necessarily about quiet tracks - for isntance, I love Crests of Waves and VLV which are both upbeat songs but somehow I feel something is missing from their later work.

 

That thing that is missing which you crave is I believe the organic sound :) Synths will give a whole different feeling to a song than pure organic instruments and I can understand how one might prefer the latter.

Yeah, Fly On was among my fav tracks from GS. It does have an Oldplay vibe in some way. Imho, the most Oldplay song of GS is Ghost Story, though.

I keep forgetting this album has only officially been out for two days, because it feels like much more. Whether or not that's because I've been having so much fun with this album remains to be unseen, but I forget if I've put up a proper review yet.

 

There's something about Coldplay's long-titled albums, isn't there? A Rush of Blood to the Head sent Coldplay from a nice, but quiet alternative group to a worldwide band ready to take over the world. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends came after their first widely criticized album (for some reason) and ended up resulting in the best-selling album of 2008. Now, I'm not saying A Head Full of Dreams is going to capture that same largeness, but it certainly captures the same energy. For me, at least.

 

I went in Thursday night thinking this album was going to be a disappointment based off almost every post on Coldplaying and /r/coldplay. If it isn't based around guitars, it's shit. But holy shit was I proved wrong. The transition from AHFOD --> Birds --> HFTW floored me off the top, and I even found myself liking the infamous X Marks The Spot despite assuming it was going to be like a piece of wet toilet paper in a junkyard. There's nothing wrong with not enjoying the album of course, but I swear it's like some people are just looking to hate anything they produce.

 

Without a doubt, my favorite tracks are A Head Full of Dreams, Birds, AOAL, Fun, Army of One, Amazing Day and Up&Up. This is the first album since becoming a fan of Coldplay in 2008 that I don't want to skip a track. With Viva, it's Cemeteries of London, Lost and Viva La Vida, with MX, it's Charlie Brown (ugh), Paradise, and DLIBYH, and with Ghost Stories, it really depends on my mood. The only songs I genuinely like/love are Always In My Head, Ghost Story and Midnight. Now, I know it's only been two days, but I fucking love every single song on AHFOD. Even the ones that get the least playtime are still good. I remember when the other two albums released, I got bored quickly and annoyed from certain tracks within my first few listens.

 

This album just fucking clicks for me. The band went a direction none of us were expecting, but they pulled it off so damn well. I genuinely don't understand why it's getting so much mixed reception, but again, who gives a fuck what people rate it as long as you like it? I can comfortably say this is my third-favorite Coldplay album. There's nothing I am disappointed with, and there's truly nothing I'd want more for this album. As always, with every album since Parachutes, it's going to sound even better live, and I await the day they come back to St. Louis because I will be there, ready to lose my mind over some goddamn Coldplay.

 

8.5/10

1. X&Y

2. A Rush of Blood to the Head

3. A Head Full of Dreams

4. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

5. Mylo Xyloto

6. Ghost Stories

7. Parachutes

I keep forgetting this album has only officially been out for two days, because it feels like much more. Whether or not that's because I've been having so much fun with this album remains to be unseen, but I forget if I've put up a proper review yet.

 

There's something about Coldplay's long-titled albums, isn't there? A Rush of Blood to the Head sent Coldplay from a nice, but quiet alternative group to a worldwide band ready to take over the world. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends came after their first widely criticized album (for some reason) and ended up resulting in the best-selling album of 2008. Now, I'm not saying A Head Full of Dreams is going to capture that same largeness, but it certainly captures the same energy. For me, at least.

 

I went in Thursday night thinking this album was going to be a disappointment based off almost every post on Coldplaying and /r/coldplay. If it isn't based around guitars, it's shit. But holy shit was I proved wrong. The transition from AHFOD --> Birds --> HFTW floored me off the top, and I even found myself liking the infamous X Marks The Spot despite assuming it was going to be like a piece of wet toilet paper in a junkyard. There's nothing wrong with not enjoying the album of course, but I swear it's like some people are just looking to hate anything they produce.

 

Without a doubt, my favorite tracks are A Head Full of Dreams, Birds, AOAL, Fun, Army of One, Amazing Day and Up&Up. This is the first album since becoming a fan of Coldplay in 2008 that I don't want to skip a track. With Viva, it's Cemeteries of London, Lost and Viva La Vida, with MX, it's Charlie Brown (ugh), Paradise, and DLIBYH, and with Ghost Stories, it really depends on my mood. The only songs I genuinely like/love are Always In My Head, Ghost Story and Midnight. Now, I know it's only been two days, but I fucking love every single song on AHFOD. Even the ones that get the least playtime are still good. I remember when the other two albums released, I got bored quickly and annoyed from certain tracks within my first few listens.

 

This album just fucking clicks for me. The band went a direction none of us were expecting, but they pulled it off so damn well. I genuinely don't understand why it's getting so much mixed reception, but again, who gives a fuck what people rate it as long as you like it? I can comfortably say this is my third-favorite Coldplay album. There's nothing I am disappointed with, and there's truly nothing I'd want more for this album. As always, with every album since Parachutes, it's going to sound even better live, and I await the day they come back to St. Louis because I will be there, ready to lose my mind over some goddamn Coldplay.

 

8.5/10

1. X&Y

2. A Rush of Blood to the Head

3. A Head Full of Dreams

4. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

5. Mylo Xyloto

6. Ghost Stories

7. Parachutes

 

You said albums with longer titles seem to be better yet your favourite album is X&Y[emoji1]

You said albums with longer titles seem to be better yet your favourite album is X&Y[emoji1]

 

Haha, it's funny isn't it? To be fair, X&Y is only like a fraction higher than AROBTTH. :p

I keep forgetting this album has only officially been out for two days, because it feels like much more. Whether or not that's because I've been having so much fun with this album remains to be unseen, but I forget if I've put up a proper review yet.

 

There's something about Coldplay's long-titled albums, isn't there? A Rush of Blood to the Head sent Coldplay from a nice, but quiet alternative group to a worldwide band ready to take over the world. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends came after their first widely criticized album (for some reason) and ended up resulting in the best-selling album of 2008. Now, I'm not saying A Head Full of Dreams is going to capture that same largeness, but it certainly captures the same energy. For me, at least.

 

I went in Thursday night thinking this album was going to be a disappointment based off almost every post on Coldplaying and /r/coldplay. If it isn't based around guitars, it's shit. But holy shit was I proved wrong. The transition from AHFOD --> Birds --> HFTW floored me off the top, and I even found myself liking the infamous X Marks The Spot despite assuming it was going to be like a piece of wet toilet paper in a junkyard. There's nothing wrong with not enjoying the album of course, but I swear it's like some people are just looking to hate anything they produce.

 

Without a doubt, my favorite tracks are A Head Full of Dreams, Birds, AOAL, Fun, Army of One, Amazing Day and Up&Up. This is the first album since becoming a fan of Coldplay in 2008 that I don't want to skip a track. With Viva, it's Cemeteries of London, Lost and Viva La Vida, with MX, it's Charlie Brown (ugh), Paradise, and DLIBYH, and with Ghost Stories, it really depends on my mood. The only songs I genuinely like/love are Always In My Head, Ghost Story and Midnight. Now, I know it's only been two days, but I fucking love every single song on AHFOD. Even the ones that get the least playtime are still good. I remember when the other two albums released, I got bored quickly and annoyed from certain tracks within my first few listens.

 

This album just fucking clicks for me. The band went a direction none of us were expecting, but they pulled it off so damn well. I genuinely don't understand why it's getting so much mixed reception, but again, who gives a fuck what people rate it as long as you like it? I can comfortably say this is my third-favorite Coldplay album. There's nothing I am disappointed with, and there's truly nothing I'd want more for this album. As always, with every album since Parachutes, it's going to sound even better live, and I await the day they come back to St. Louis because I will be there, ready to lose my mind over some goddamn Coldplay.

 

8.5/10

1. X&Y

2. A Rush of Blood to the Head

3. A Head Full of Dreams

4. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

5. Mylo Xyloto

6. Ghost Stories

7. Parachutes

Now that you like army of one I think you will like lost! a lot better. For me lost! Is army of one but better

Haha, it's funny isn't it? To be fair, X&Y is only like a fraction higher than AROBTTH. :p

I have to say sometimes i prefer X&Y on AROBTTH !

The album which introduced Coldplay to me ...... It will always be one of my fav :D

Okay, I received my copy of AHFOD in the post today so I thought I'd give my thoughts (for what they're worth):

So, I'll start here by giving you all full disclosure: I had an inherent bias towards this album before I even put it in my CD player. Having a clear preference for the bands early work, a dislike to unauthentic music (imo) and having heard a large portion of the songs live beforehand, my subconscious opinion has definitely been made up.

 

However, I decided I owed Chris and co the benefit of the doubt. I put this album on and pretended I'd seen and heard nothing and approach with a completely open mind. I've so far listened to it twice, both in intimate settings (as I tend to do with CP albums) once alone in my house and the other in my car in a secluded and scenic location. So, these settings have also altered my perspective of the album. My thought process into listening to this album was one of liberation, I decided that I would completely forget that I had listened to a Coldplay album before. I'd completely forget that I listened to AROBTTH when I fell in love with a beautiful girl or that Parachutes/X&Y was my only outlet for grief when a loved one passed away. After all, people on here try to tell me all the time "It's unfair to compare albums" So this is me giving "pop" a second chance. People around here love "pop" music so they can't all be wrong! I've been told that AROBTTH is a boring, bland and dated album. This is the future I'm told so I better buckle up. Modern day Coldplayer's love this type of music because of it's artistic worth and couldn't possibly love it out of blind loyalty to the Coldplay brand! Here's the track by track.

 

1) AHFOD: I initially really enjoyed the live version of this song. However, the studio version is just awfully produced. I quite enjoyed the ambient intro, which is almost Joshua Tree in it's scope (Okay, not really) but unfortunately, that's where the U2 comparisons end. What the hell happened to Jonny's edgeism's?? His rhythm guitar is completely inaudible! Utter disappointment. We know the impact Stargate and their guitar-hating brand of pop are going to have from the word go. Before we know it Chris is belting out his "Woooaaahh Wooooahh's" to the benefit of all you non-english speaking fans and the track is over. 5/10

 

2) Birds: I remember thinking this song was pleasant enough. Like much of the lyrical genius on this album, it's Chris plagiarizing nursery rhymes (Birds, rain, thunder, waves, stars etc.) I don't really know what to say because even after two listens I can't for the life of me recall the melody. Listenable but forgettable.But hey, CM thinks I'm cool so I can't complain 4/10

 

3) HFTW: This is the much anticipated Beyonce track which I was assured "Wouldn't be so bad" To that I'd say this track makes POC look like Politik. This is engineered to be played in clubs and bars. I've never heard a CP song played in a club (For good reason) and this makes me never want to go to a club again for the fear of hearing it. With that said, I can't imagine any respectable DJ playing this so maybe I'd be okay. With some deeply inspired poetry from Chris "Drink from me, I'm thirsty" and lyrics about being drunk and high, I can safely say that all you "Newplayers" must be under the influence to try tell me this has any merit whatsoever. Listened to this twice and will (hopefully) never have to hear it again. 2/10

 

4) Everglow: A middling, paint by numbers Coldplay track that sounds lifted straight from the GS sessions, this track is again pleasant enough to listen to while buying groceries but the appeal just about ends there. This is what Coldplay haters imagine Coldplay sounding like. It's utter self-parody but is hardly the crime some of the tracks are on this album. The last Gwyneth inspired Coldplay track God willing. (Still can't hear Will's drums btw!) 4/10

 

5) AOAL: The lead single, you can get my full thoughts on that by visiting it's thread. The TL:DR is the riff is good, lyrics take a back seat again and "Too fly dry, magicka magicka" makes me want to kill someone (This message brought to you by the Beats Pill) 6/10

 

6) Fun: Again fairly non-descript. Jonny's guitar is finally heard here and Tuve Lo's vocals aren't too overbearing. 6/10

 

7) Kaleidoscope: This is the one flash of genius on the album for me and a suitable centerpiece. The poem really is life-changing if you can embrace it's message and the music accompanying it are both sinister and happy, bolstering the message of the poem. The one true "experimental moment" on the album that lives up to the Viva days and the one true piece of psychedelia. Obama's sample is drowned in production and resembles a drunk old fool singing songs in the corner of the local pub ("mmmmmhhhhhh amazzzzing ggracee mmmh") 7/10

 

8) Army of One: This track simply doesn't live up to it's Viva-esque title. It's Stargate's over indulgence moment and honestly a bit of a mess. It's insipid, superficial, meaningless noise that has no place on A Coldplay album. This one actually made me sad a bit. It comes to stand for everything wrong with present day Coldplay. Guy's bassline sounds like the bass effect on my old casio keyboard I had when I was 10. The "My hearts a gun" lyric saves it from a 0 rating 1/10

 

9) Amazing Day: I originally hated this song when we first heard it at Global Citizen. At the end of the day it is just a generic, paint by numbers, pop into the formula Coldplay track but it's a breath of fresh air. The intro with the muted guitar strings creates an ambient atmosphere that reminded me of Parachutes. The songs lyrics are happy but the music is melancholic. This is the only point on the album where I felt like I was listening to the Coldplay I grew up with. Unusual for Coldplay, but the studio version is a big improvement on their live performance. The Woooooooooah ooooh ohhhs ruin the intimacy and are a constant hindrance to enjoyment on this album. 7/10

 

10) CS/ Up&Up: So the track with Noel Gallagher, the track with two guitar solos that's over 6 minutes long. The track I loved on first hearing. This one is Coldplay's saving grace (pun intended) for this era. This can't possibly be bad can it? Wrong.

 

Where the hell is the piano???? seriously? They decided to remove the piano and add those annoying clicking sounds in it's place? You can't be serious. Does this band do any quality control at all? Will must have been gone on an extended toilet break as I can't here him at all (neither here or the rest of the album to be frank) And how did Stargate think it was a good idea to compress Noel's guitar? You can tell these guys have neither interest or love for guitar driven music or musicians. Again everything is drowned in production. Why oh why....? Potential to be CP first britpop track since the days of In My Place and Yellow but falls short. Then the choir comes in, I assume this is the bands kids? To me it sounds like my kitten doing backing vocals. Cute and all to get the kids involved but a bit of a gimmick. possible 10/10 down to an actual of 6/10

 

11) X Marks the Spot: Lowest point in Coldplay's career. -42/10

- 42...made me chuckle. :)

For those of you who didn't see the videos I posted on this forum a couple of months ago, I'm part of a music review series on YouTube that reviews a band's entire discography and discusses the changes made from one album to the next while incorporating some comedy as well to keep it interesting. We did a two-part review of Coldplay and I posted the episodes here, but I can't seem to find them now, so just to give you some context, here are those links:

 

Part 1:

 

Part 2:

 

Now, something we try to do when an artist we review puts out a new album is do a Vlog review covering the entire album track by track.

"A Head Full Of Dreams" was one I really looked forward to doing and the day the album was released, I bought my copy, listened to it twice, made some notes, and we shot the Vlog that evening. These things are usually quick, but we had a lot of material to cover and I couldn't keep my mouth shut with all I had to say about this fantastic album, so this Vlog ended up being close to 40 minutes in length, making it the longest video we've ever done. Randy, my partner in the show, had a hard time processing the video and had to restart the process several times over the last few days because his poor laptop couldn't take it. Early this morning, it finally processed the whole way through and in his excitement about it finally being finished, he posted the video before viewing it. What he didn't know was that the beginning of the video somehow got cut off, so it starts kind of awkwardly. By the time he noticed, he'd already deleted the original files to make room on his laptop for the video files of our current project, so there's no chance of a re-edit now and this video is all that remains of the footage. Anyway, this will give you not only my opinion of each song and the album in general, but also Randy's as well. Enjoy!

 

^ I love the abrupt ending "Moses Martin plays the tambourine on this track!"

I enjoyed the review Trey. Your opinions and insights are very interesting but I'll think you'll find from navigating this forum they're very unique and not ones many Coldplayer's share. Refreshing to hear a different perspective from the typical debates from fans of the early work vs the newer fans though!

Okay, I received my copy of AHFOD in the post today so I thought I'd give my thoughts (for what they're worth):

So, I'll start here by giving you all full disclosure: I had an inherent bias towards this album before I even put it in my CD player. Having a clear preference for the bands early work, a dislike to unauthentic music (imo) and having heard a large portion of the songs live beforehand, my subconscious opinion has definitely been made up.

 

However, I decided I owed Chris and co the benefit of the doubt. I put this album on and pretended I'd seen and heard nothing and approach with a completely open mind. I've so far listened to it twice, both in intimate settings (as I tend to do with CP albums) once alone in my house and the other in my car in a secluded and scenic location. So, these settings have also altered my perspective of the album. My thought process into listening to this album was one of liberation, I decided that I would completely forget that I had listened to a Coldplay album before. I'd completely forget that I listened to AROBTTH when I fell in love with a beautiful girl or that Parachutes/X&Y was my only outlet for grief when a loved one passed away. After all, people on here try to tell me all the time "It's unfair to compare albums" So this is me giving "pop" a second chance. People around here love "pop" music so they can't all be wrong! I've been told that AROBTTH is a boring, bland and dated album. This is the future I'm told so I better buckle up. Modern day Coldplayer's love this type of music because of it's artistic worth and couldn't possibly love it out of blind loyalty to the Coldplay brand! Here's the track by track.

 

1) AHFOD: I initially really enjoyed the live version of this song. However, the studio version is just awfully produced. I quite enjoyed the ambient intro, which is almost Joshua Tree in it's scope (Okay, not really) but unfortunately, that's where the U2 comparisons end. What the hell happened to Jonny's edgeism's?? His rhythm guitar is completely inaudible! Utter disappointment. We know the impact Stargate and their guitar-hating brand of pop are going to have from the word go. Before we know it Chris is belting out his "Woooaaahh Wooooahh's" to the benefit of all you non-english speaking fans and the track is over. 5/10

 

2) Birds: I remember thinking this song was pleasant enough. Like much of the lyrical genius on this album, it's Chris plagiarizing nursery rhymes (Birds, rain, thunder, waves, stars etc.) I don't really know what to say because even after two listens I can't for the life of me recall the melody. Listenable but forgettable.But hey, CM thinks I'm cool so I can't complain 4/10

 

3) HFTW: This is the much anticipated Beyonce track which I was assured "Wouldn't be so bad" To that I'd say this track makes POC look like Politik. This is engineered to be played in clubs and bars. I've never heard a CP song played in a club (For good reason) and this makes me never want to go to a club again for the fear of hearing it. With that said, I can't imagine any respectable DJ playing this so maybe I'd be okay. With some deeply inspired poetry from Chris "Drink from me, I'm thirsty" and lyrics about being drunk and high, I can safely say that all you "Newplayers" must be under the influence to try tell me this has any merit whatsoever. Listened to this twice and will (hopefully) never have to hear it again. 2/10

 

4) Everglow: A middling, paint by numbers Coldplay track that sounds lifted straight from the GS sessions, this track is again pleasant enough to listen to while buying groceries but the appeal just about ends there. This is what Coldplay haters imagine Coldplay sounding like. It's utter self-parody but is hardly the crime some of the tracks are on this album. The last Gwyneth inspired Coldplay track God willing. (Still can't hear Will's drums btw!) 4/10

 

5) AOAL: The lead single, you can get my full thoughts on that by visiting it's thread. The TL:DR is the riff is good, lyrics take a back seat again and "Too fly dry, magicka magicka" makes me want to kill someone (This message brought to you by the Beats Pill) 6/10

 

6) Fun: Again fairly non-descript. Jonny's guitar is finally heard here and Tuve Lo's vocals aren't too overbearing. 6/10

 

7) Kaleidoscope: This is the one flash of genius on the album for me and a suitable centerpiece. The poem really is life-changing if you can embrace it's message and the music accompanying it are both sinister and happy, bolstering the message of the poem. The one true "experimental moment" on the album that lives up to the Viva days and the one true piece of psychedelia. Obama's sample is drowned in production and resembles a drunk old fool singing songs in the corner of the local pub ("mmmmmhhhhhh amazzzzing ggracee mmmh") 7/10

 

8) Army of One: This track simply doesn't live up to it's Viva-esque title. It's Stargate's over indulgence moment and honestly a bit of a mess. It's insipid, superficial, meaningless noise that has no place on A Coldplay album. This one actually made me sad a bit. It comes to stand for everything wrong with present day Coldplay. Guy's bassline sounds like the bass effect on my old casio keyboard I had when I was 10. The "My hearts a gun" lyric saves it from a 0 rating 1/10

 

9) Amazing Day: I originally hated this song when we first heard it at Global Citizen. At the end of the day it is just a generic, paint by numbers, pop into the formula Coldplay track but it's a breath of fresh air. The intro with the muted guitar strings creates an ambient atmosphere that reminded me of Parachutes. The songs lyrics are happy but the music is melancholic. This is the only point on the album where I felt like I was listening to the Coldplay I grew up with. Unusual for Coldplay, but the studio version is a big improvement on their live performance. The Woooooooooah ooooh ohhhs ruin the intimacy and are a constant hindrance to enjoyment on this album. 7/10

 

10) CS/ Up&Up: So the track with Noel Gallagher, the track with two guitar solos that's over 6 minutes long. The track I loved on first hearing. This one is Coldplay's saving grace (pun intended) for this era. This can't possibly be bad can it? Wrong.

 

Where the hell is the piano???? seriously? They decided to remove the piano and add those annoying clicking sounds in it's place? You can't be serious. Does this band do any quality control at all? Will must have been gone on an extended toilet break as I can't here him at all (neither here or the rest of the album to be frank) And how did Stargate think it was a good idea to compress Noel's guitar? You can tell these guys have neither interest or love for guitar driven music or musicians. Again everything is drowned in production. Why oh why....? Potential to be CP first britpop track since the days of In My Place and Yellow but falls short. Then the choir comes in, I assume this is the bands kids? To me it sounds like my kitten doing backing vocals. Cute and all to get the kids involved but a bit of a gimmick. possible 10/10 down to an actual of 6/10

 

11) X Marks the Spot: Lowest point in Coldplay's career. -42/10

By far my favorite review so far. And very close to what I'll b posting in a few days.

 

Watch out of for the barrage of hate though!

Great review by @The Adversary . Can't wait for yours, @nvdmm . Actually that makes me want to do a track-by-track commenting too. Maybe, if I find the time, within the following days !

It's been one week since the release of AHFOD and after listening to it once each day I think I can write my review.

I'm not an expert in music so all I can say is what these songs make me feel whenever I listen to them. To be honest, the first time I heard it I felt disappointed because it didn't sound like their previous albums. Even Ghost Stories included the vibe Parachutes give me except for ASFOS. But AHFOD includes genres I don’t usually listen to such as Hymn for the weekend I wasn't expecting a song like that written by Coldplay an alternative rock band. The only three songs I liked were Everglow, Amazing Day and Up&Up. Maybe my preference for ballads and piano sounds influenced me to love those songs the first time I heard them.

However, there's something behind Coldplay's music that I can't help but loving it. So I decided to stop rating and start enjoying the diversity of sounds they have included in each one of their songs. I have to say I don't like everything they have done though. This album isn't an exception. Kaleidoscope doesn't have a great sound it's forgettable and what makes it special is the poem but it doesn't mean I'll listen to it. If I want to know what The Guest House is about I'll read it. Talking about Hymn for the weekend and in general the pop sound AHFOD has I'll say I love dancing listening to this songs and the idea of happiness and joy the band wanted to give when they wrote this album. I don't want to rate the songs because I don't want to hate the band who is giving me hope and faith in what I do through their lyrics. Perhaps they're saying to themselves "don't ever give up" but at the same time they're telling so to anyone who listen to their songs. My father once told me to enjoy everything I've lived and I'll do it while I listen to Coldplay.

I suck at writing album/song reviews but I'll try to do something now. I've probably listened to the album about 10 times since its release, and definitely more times to some individual tracks. You guys know I love Coldplay so much and I love everything they do - but seriously, this time, I genuinely don't get the negativity, especially from the media.

 

I think AHFOD is their most credible attempt at reinventing themselves since VLV. This time, they go all out, they don't hold anything back. I think it's their most surprising work. I was genuinely impressed by the snippets already, and still really surprised by the end result.

 

The title track, AHFOD, grew on me. I wasn't too much into it at first, I thought it was good but that it sounded too much like the opening credits to a Coldplay sitcom :lol: But then I listened to it more and most importantly I saw them perform in Paris this week and it was a revelation (especially as Chris gave me a big happy stare during this song :dazzled: :awesome: ). I loooooove the arrangement, and I love each band member's contribution to the song. Even the lyrics speak to me, and not in a generic way. This song is perfect to wake up to in the morning, to get you pumped for what's to come.

 

Birds, then, ohmygod birds :dazzled: I had already lost it when listening to the snippet!! Could Coldplay possibly pull of a Phoenix? They did! Coldplay have never been on this full-on pop territory and the result is brilliant. Sure, Chris could articulate more, but other than that Birds, for which I had really high expectations, managed to surprise me in a great way. The lyrics are some of Chris' best work in a while (except perhaps for the last two lines which are a bit odd :lol: ), I really got into this song and I just feel it. It's nice to hear a song about falling in love. It hasn't really happened to Coldplay in a long time, as Chris had gotten into breakup or topics related to already being in a meaningful relationship. This one is about a beginning and it's refreshing. This song is really refreshing and that's why i love it.

 

HYMN FOR THE WEEKEND: Fckin banger ohmygod!!! :dazzled: Okay that was my favourite snippet and it did not disappoint! Beyoncé's contribution is perfect, she was definitely the right choice for this track. This song puts me in an mazing mood. on fire every time i listen to it, i can't stop myself from moving along! LOVE. IT.

 

Everglow: currently one of my least favourites, somehow. I think it just doesn't compare, in creativity, to the rest. It's a nice Coldplay song, but one we could have heard on MX or GS. It's very nice to hear Chris go back to actual, normal piano though :lol:

 

Adventure of a Lifetime: So groovy, funky, amazing!! Another example of something Coldplay have truly never done before and the result is brilliant! Jonny's riff is brilliant, and well all of them are awesome in this track. I used to like it more than AHFOD, but now I'm not so sure :lol:

 

FUN: Ohmy :dazzled: I think this might be my favourite :dazzled: I have simply become addicted to it :lol: I'm just completely in love with this track. Tove Lo makes it 1000 times better too. The second part of the song is absolutely perfect to me in every way. A truly great ballad, incredibly catchy (it stayed in my head even after a concert of a totally different band..it just would not leave :lol: ), and first one in ages I actually want to sing along to in a really loud manner :lol:

 

Kaleidoscope: that piano :dazzled: Rather surprising too isn't it? :lol:

 

Army of One: :dazzled::dazzled: As good as Fun and Birds, to me. It's super catchy (oooa dooweedoo oooa dooweedoo), it's refreshing and I love the lyrics too. It's hopeful and inspiring. It's perhaps a bit more conventional than Birds, but argh I just love it so much. I actually named my biggest school project ever "Army of One" :lol: (it's about developing a line of children's wear, and it just sounded so good and coherent with the current trends in that field, absolutely perfect)

 

X Marks The Spot: my heart goes boom boomboom boom :lol: I love it too. It feels more like a solo project than a group effort unfortunately, which is the only downside to it for me. Once again it's completely different from anything else in Coldplay's repertoire.

 

Colour Spectrum: great transition, I don't like it as much as the transitions on MX, which I thought were absolutely awesome.

 

Amazing Day: I like it more than Everglow, for the last part, starting when Chris goes "OOOH" and Will hits those drums like a fckin champion :awesome: and the whole band just sounds glorious :awesome:

 

Up & Up: Only disappointment on the album, but only because I LOVE THE LIVE VERSION SO MUCH! The piano, the feeling of togetherness... I wasn't expecting to like the album version more than the live one anyway, I feel this is meant to be hear dlive anyway. I feel that the album version is too sweet, like a child's candy. It does sound like this big world peace anthem, but still in a way that's meaningful enough that I just buy into it. The end on the album version is surprising but hauntingly beautiful, an the end of the live version is very much like Life is for living, which I would never complain about obviously :awesome:

 

Anyway, overall, AHFOD is simply brilliant. It's a tour de force of Coldplay to have managed to touch on many genres in one album and just really make it work. As much as I love MX and GS, I now have to listen to them in their entirety, and I very rarely listen to individual tracks. However, AHFOD is the first album that makes me do that again, because I truly LOVE the songs. I can't stop listening to Fun or AHFOD or Birds for instance. It's going to sound awesome live, too.

Finally, in the current situation of my country and of the world, after the terrible events we've been through, AHFOD feels like a breath of fresh air and a real call for love and hope. A genuine one. I want to sing those anthems so loud because I believe in them. Whether it's "My heart is my gun" or "We're gonna get it together", "Don't ever give up...and believe in love" or other lines...sure they're the usual generic and cheesy Coldplay, but the music and the way they're sung makes it work for me. This album feels like a big warm and invitation from Coldplay, and I really needed it. So thank you for this, guys.

Finally sat down and wrote a review.

 

A Head Full Of Dreams

 

Hmmmmm. My least favourite opener yet, I think. I'm not too sure what it is that makes me dislike it & also can't describe it very well I'm afraid, but it sounds a bit like Chris is screaming in order to be louder than the instruments, but the instruments are still louder. This song doesn't invite me to listen to it again, but I can imagine it's a good opener for the gigs because energyyy.

 

Birds

 

This one does invite me to listen again. And again. And again. I even like the lyrics. The last seconds are extremely weird but I like it, it makes the song 54 % better. Highlight of the album.

 

Hymn For The Weekend

 

I remember thinking, after having read that interview where Chris said something about Flo Rida, 'I'm scared to listen to this song'. Well, I managed to overcome my fears and turns out I love it. It's pretty damn addicting. at first I hated the lyrics but actually they're not that bad. The "that we shoot across the sky" part is just amazing and I don't know why. Little critical comment: Jonny, why isn't that guitar a bit louder?

 

Everglow

 

Quite a nice song but that's about it I think. Sounds a bit forgettable, but maybe it will grow on me.

 

Adventure Of A Lifetime

 

Initially I didn't like it but I just needed to hear it a few times. That. Bass. I don't like the lyrics and I can't get the image of dancing monkeys out of my mind when I listen to this one (ffs Coldplay), but the bridge fixes all of that. Good bridge. Woohoo.

 

Fun

 

One of my favourites. Begs you to sing along. Just one thing: why another ooooooooooooh :/

 

Kaleidoscope

 

This is a cool thing. Barack Obama singing Amazing Grace on a Coldplay album, I mean, who'd have thought that?

 

Army Of One

 

I haven't decided whether if I like this one or not. Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance.

 

X Marks The Spot

 

What on earth is this, guys? "you make my heart booboom booboom"? I like that they're trying new things but this is just a big NO for me. I guess that, since it's a hidden track, I can just get rid of it as soon as I've found it? I think I'm going to do that.

 

Amazing Day

 

A great song to listen to if you're having an amazing day. I struggle with the "Oh thanks God, must have heard when I prayed" because I’m an atheist but that's of course very much my problem. I also struggle with the ooooooooooooohs because really, another one? I hope Coldplay will be remembered for their great melodies and not for their ooooooohs, okay

 

Up & Up

 

Where's that piano? and why are the guitar solos not loud enough? It's all a bit underwhelming. I might replace the studio version with a good live version, because live it does really make sense. Also, it's been almost a month and I'm still racking my brains over what "trying to empty out the ocean with a spoon" might mean.

 

Overall, certainly not my favourite Coldplay album (I'm pretty sure they've already made that one, which is fine) but it's not bad. Highlights are Birds, Hymn For The Weekend and Fun, lowpoints are A Head Full Of Dreams and X Marks The Spot, and the rest is somewhere in the middle, which means I probably won't listen to the album as a whole much and that's a pity but oh well. This is something I will keep on repeating: I appreciate them for not giving a fuck what people think and I'm very glad that after 7 albums, they've still not made the same record twice.

Am I the only one who loves x mark the spot?? I'd give a strong 8! I'm a jiphop fan and rock fan btw

Am I the only one who loves x mark the spot?? I'd give a strong 8! I'm a jiphop fan and rock fan btw

 

No no no and again no, you are not the only one! LOL Though I´d admit I am not a hip hop fan generally. I do like Eminem though, if he is hip hop, not sure? :)

he is the greatest white hip-hop guy of all time! Birds is a solid 10/10 prolly the best song on the album!

it's been almost a month and I'm still racking my brains over what "trying to empty out the ocean with a spoon" might mean.

 

I think it means trying so hard to do something that is so gargantuan in scope that it is almost hopeless, but still doing it nevertheless because you feel compelled to do it / it's the right thing to do, ie it's hopeless trying to empty out the ocean with a spoon, but the person is still doing this hopeless task anyway because he / she has to / has no choice... That's him saying don't ever give up :)

Yeah I agree. To me it means that you still embark on a task and keep doing it even if it might take forever or it seems totally hopeless. Eyes on the prize, up and up even if may mean you reach your goal in like a million years lol

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