Coldplay NEED to wake up.

[arushofjacktothehead]

Yes I know. This argument and point has been done and tried to come across from so many so much that it's getting annoying as shit. But I can't express it more than now, after the 2017 tour, Coldplay NEED to wake up. I'm getting anxious now and I'm really missing the Parachutes, AROBTTH, X&Y, Viva, MX and GS eras, the good lyrics, the exceptional raw instrumentation, even on the Newplay albums before AHFOD. But this album was so hyped up and everything by all of us, and to many of us...didn't pay off well. The Stargate production idea was bad, the Beyonce collab was just a no, and Chris has almost fallen in love with the AWFUL charts and plastic pop and rap of today. It's like he's forgotten about everything else in music. He's best friends with Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna and all those people, he's making catchy but flat and stale melodies and lyrics with Jonny, Guy and Will, and it's getting boring. I'm not gonna go off on one about how UNORIGINAL and OVERPRODUCED the charts are currently, I'm saving that for another time. You know my opinions on that anyways.

 

But Coldplay were once a band who I could just really rely on for great alternative music, long before I discovered the other greats. They made rocky, emotional, relatable songs in the AROBTTH and X&Y days, soft and calming melancholy in the Parachutes days, an experimental and exciting turn to art rock in the Viva era, and in MX, they created a pop-rock image that DID suit them. Not this electro-pop 'my heart boom-boom-boom' bullshit. Real music. Music that rocked hard and hit harder. They were different to the others in the game. They were 'Coldplay'. No matter what direction they took, I held on. But this album is less than satisfying: hell they even took the superior live versions and added more computers and Stargate-ness! And I'm sick of it! Unlike the others who have just turned their back and left this place, I won't. I will count on them to change back to their roots or go an entirely new none-pop direction.

 

But not for long if they don't. Come home COLDPLAY.

[coldplayisawesome]

they need to wake up, but their heads are full of dreams :p

[cp3176]

I smashed my phone screen attempting to hit the like button.

Jk

But seriously, well written post. One thing I have to say, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH for including MX in the good albums. It is criminally underrated by most Oldplayers in the forum and I'm glad you're not one of them. :D

One thing though, I also agree with @coldplayisawesome's post, currently they have A Head Full Of Dreams right now :D

 

Yes I know. This argument and point has been done and tried to come across from so many so much that it's getting annoying as shit.

 

I do kind of agree, especially during this era it had absolutely been beaten to death but yours is acceptable because you're praising MX.

 

But I can't express it more than now, after the 2017 tour, Coldplay NEED to wake up. I'm getting anxious now and I'm really missing the Parachutes, AROBTTH, X&Y, Viva, MX and GS eras, the good lyrics, the exceptional raw instrumentation, even on the Newplay albums before AHFOD.

 

I really like those eras too. The more I think about it, the more it seems they were special and this is gravitating towards a radio friendly sound a bit much...

 

But this album was so hyped up and everything by all of us, and to many of us...didn't pay off well. The Stargate production idea was bad, the Beyonce collab was just a no, and Chris has almost fallen in love with the AWFUL charts and plastic pop and rap of today.

 

I know right! I first joined the forum during the first real hype event, when those pics were leaked from India that turned out to be the HFTW video. We started going crazy with ideas that they might explore diverse influences once more and that this is the real Coldplay album and this is the return to VLVODAAHF and that all was going to be okay! One person however, @Saket, was hinting otherwise though, saying stuff like "the song had the opposite of X&Y track in it" (we now know it's the opposite of Low) and that there was a famous female singer involved here he thought (later revealed to be Beyoncé). And here we were, still daydreaming about what it could be, going as far as to say they'd be exploring 432hz (I seen someone comment this so yeah...) Then Nov 6 rolls around and these hopes and dreams were shattered for some people, hearing about Stargate and Beyoncé and that crap... Massive let down to those of us who thought it would be VLV 2.0. And we were so silly to imagine them exploring the alternate 432hz deal! What were we thinking? :laugh3:

I agree, Stargate was an awful choice for producer. Now we have no B sides from the era which we even had at least one from the eras before. Some absolutely beautiful and epic songs id be willing to bet got thrown away for not sounding "commercial" or "poppy" enough. (Just imagine, some work of art like Moving to Mars or Atlas could have been completely trashed and burned, never to be seen or even thought about again in favor of X Marks The Spot (Army Of One for you especially...) :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry:)

I actually like HFTW but for the most part it is not strong artistically. Lyrically it is very weak for our standards based on Coldplay's past work and honestly sounds much too commercial and cheap for such a more capable band to be making overall. I will say that there are elements that do set it apart from most other mainstream tracks tho, like the glass tapping and that weird guitar thing Jonny does at the end... Those would never have any chance of appearing in another mainstream track. Overall even though it isn't nearly as good as truly diverse stuff it just had this exotic flavor to it, for some reason I can't explain... These are Things That I Don't Understand!!! :D it's like Coldplay's version of cheap mainstream top 40 electro bubble gum pop sprinkled with exotic influences that we thought would appear but not as subdued... It makes the track more fun and listenable for me besides it just being a fun thing in the first place for me personally. But I could see why you would hate it... After all, the original lyric was "drinks on me" and inspired by the fact that Coldplay apparently doesn't have a late night club song that today you need to have to be percieved as "cool"... When Coldplay doesn't need to have one to be loved. Sucks though that they get their inspiration from songs like "Turn Down For What" instead of the music from Radiohead and such now. (BTW, I used to act like your typical young idiot and go blast it in people's faces with my dad as we drove by them... I still do kind of like it but admit artistically it's one of the worst songs I've heard.)

 

It's like he's forgotten about everything else in music. He's best friends with Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna and all those people, he's making catchy but flat and stale melodies and lyrics with Jonny, Guy and Will, and it's getting boring.

 

I wouldn't quite say that. He still acknowledges influences outside of the mainstream (though don't get me wrong, most of it is plastic throwaway pop acts nowadays it seems) I also wouldn't agree with that they're writing flat stale boring melodies. In my opinion they definitely are not what they once were (I mean come on there are only so many melodies, maybe that's why music is crap nowadays, because all of the good stuff had been used up... :() But they still frequently write nice melodies as they've always done, which is why I still do like the album. Lyrically speaking, it's gone down a bit as well especially with songs like Hymn but it's still not that bad especially when compared with most chart songs today...I mean just look at them, Coldplay isn't obviously mentioning anything bad are they? An exception being Hymn but other than that?

 

I'm not gonna go off on one about how UNORIGINAL and OVERPRODUCED the charts are currently, I'm saving that for another time. You know my opinions on that anyways.

 

True that. If anyone thinks AHFOD is bad play any random song on the charts. Typically a million times worse easily. Wish we could turn back time, to da good ol days... (Quote from an actually good song that is an exception from what we're talking about here.)

 

But Coldplay were once a band who I could just really rely on for great alternative music, long before I discovered the other greats. They made rocky, emotional, relatable songs in the AROBTTH and X&Y days, soft and calming melancholy in the Parachutes days, an experimental and exciting turn to art rock in the Viva era, and in MX, they created a pop-rock image that DID suit them. Not this electro-pop 'my heart boom-boom-boom' bullshit. Real music. Music that rocked hard and hit harder. They were different to the others in the game. They were 'Coldplay'. No matter what direction they took, I held on. But this album is less than satisfying: hell they even took the superior live versions and added more computers and Stargate-ness! And I'm sick of it!

 

I agree with everything here. Want to especially make a comment on MX. I do agree with that you've said!! It was a pop rock, you know dare I say it alternative pop rock with art influences album (look at the background of some tracks, you'll see what I'm talking about, it sounds truly outstanding...) Which was really exciting for me. The colourfulness of the synths, all the elements blended together so perfectly... This is definitely the album where they were the best at making pleasing melodies and chord progressions, that's for sure.. It feels so good. It rocked hard and hit harder. Real music. It sounded different, wild even, the MX era was epic. Wish I was around for it, I discovered them in between the Viva and MX eras. Ughhhhhh want to slap myself for not getting truly into them sooner!!!!! :( It was a form of pop rock that was different. A very unique alternative rock form of it. I hate when people say MX is pop because it simply isn't true with the exception of a couple songs. It was surely their first with a bigger and admittedly popp-ier sound. But not "pop". No. It isn't true. I love it so much for these reasons And totally agree agree with you. AHFOD is MX with added Stargate pop overproduction and minus the rock edge and complete awesomeness. Least Brian Eno was there for MX, probably the whole reason it was awesome for those epic sounds in the background. The new album in comparison feels watered down and to be honest dull and boring. Let the music EXPLODE!!!! That was what MX is about. They held back to much on AHFOD as many songs do, trading it in for catchiness instead like many songs nowadays. That is why MX works. It actually blows up and does not hold back.

 

Unlike the others who have just turned their back and left this place, I won't. I will count on them to change back to their roots or go an entirely new none-pop direction.

 

Good, at least your not leaving. While writing this post I thought I better ask you to not leave (don't leave..... Don't leave.... By the way, how would you react if all of a sudden Coldplay released a song like the one just referenced?? Surely wouldn't leave then :D :D :D that would be EPIC!!!

 

But not for long if they don't. Come home COLDPLAY.

 

They need to follow the lights which will also ignite their bones. And we need to try.... To fix you, Chris Martins musical tastes :D :D :D

[coldplayisawesome]

And we need to try.... To fix you, Chris Martins musical tastes :D :D :D

 

i think it's some of his lifestyle choices in general, more than musical tastes alone :P that's why you end up with songs like HFTW, not because you NEED a club song to be "popular", but because that is an atmosphere that Chris loves, you know?

 

also...

 

 

 

Wish we could turn back time, to da good ol days... (Quote from an actually good song that is an exception from what we're talking about here.)

 

i can't stand that song, sorry :lipsrsealed2:

 

 

[Batman]

Yes I know. This argument and point has been done and tried to come across from so many so much that it's getting annoying as shit. But I can't express it more than now, after the 2017 tour, Coldplay NEED to wake up. I'm getting anxious now and I'm really missing the Parachutes, AROBTTH, X&Y, Viva, MX and GS eras, the good lyrics, the exceptional raw instrumentation, even on the Newplay albums before AHFOD. But this album was so hyped up and everything by all of us, and to many of us...didn't pay off well. The Stargate production idea was bad, the Beyonce collab was just a no, and Chris has almost fallen in love with the AWFUL charts and plastic pop and rap of today. It's like he's forgotten about everything else in music. He's best friends with Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna and all those people, he's making catchy but flat and stale melodies and lyrics with Jonny, Guy and Will, and it's getting boring. I'm not gonna go off on one about how UNORIGINAL and OVERPRODUCED the charts are currently, I'm saving that for another time. You know my opinions on that anyways.

 

But Coldplay were once a band who I could just really rely on for great alternative music, long before I discovered the other greats. They made rocky, emotional, relatable songs in the AROBTTH and X&Y days, soft and calming melancholy in the Parachutes days, an experimental and exciting turn to art rock in the Viva era, and in MX, they created a pop-rock image that DID suit them. Not this electro-pop 'my heart boom-boom-boom' bullshit. Real music. Music that rocked hard and hit harder. They were different to the others in the game. They were 'Coldplay'. No matter what direction they took, I held on. But this album is less than satisfying: hell they even took the superior live versions and added more computers and Stargate-ness! And I'm sick of it! Unlike the others who have just turned their back and left this place, I won't. I will count on them to change back to their roots or go an entirely new none-pop direction.

 

But not for long if they don't. Come home COLDPLAY.

 

but it's not gonna happen because Coldplay (Chris *cough*) has moved on from their past angsty emotional self and has all the new toys now and just wants to produce stuff that their children like :wacky:

[JM-42]

I just want them to stop with the OOOOOOOHHHHH thing. It's so cliche now.

[fakfak]

 

but it's not gonna happen because Coldplay (Chris *cough*) has moved on from their past angsty emotional self and has all the new toys now and just wants to produce stuff that their children like :wacky:

 

 

I don't really see what's wrong with that, if that's what they want to do.

 

There's not a successful band in history that hasn't faced this sort of criticism if they last as long as Coldplay now have. All bands lose and gain fans as their career progresses.

 

It's all well and good to not like the new stuff, but it's unrealistic and IMHO a little unreasonable to expect them to go back to some mythical point in the past. Coldplay are now such a massive band that they can more or less do whatever they want and what they want to do is well...what they're doing.

[TheSavage_]

If this is where they want to go this is where they will go. It's true there is different qualities in the older songs but I don't think you can just set out to write stuff just like that. As others has said Chris has sort of moved on and what he is writing now is what is coming to his mind now. I'm sure they could try to do it but that maybe would be forcing it to happen while I'd say it's better to just let it happen

[Beximus]

It's definitely interesting to see people's different opinions (thanks for actually explaining yours rather than just chipping in with a 'they suck'!) on the band, any band with with such a hugely diverse fanbase will always have differences of opinion like this.

 

Personally I still love the band as much as I did sixteen years ago and with a few exceptions, am impressed to see how they have continued to change themselves with the general music scene. It's not perfect by any means - yeah, I still wish they'd play a bit more of the early stuff because they're great songs and they were great live. And yeah, GS wasn't the best of albums. And Jonny should be playing way more than he is. But they've found themselves in the position of having to try and please the majority of their fans and the way they're doing it now is the best way. And life has changed for them - they're not the same guys as they were in their early twenties and frankly I'd be a bit concerned if they were still in the same frame of mind as they were then with the same issues. And they're not still playing to 200 people in an old cricket pavilion anymore, their fanbase is ginormous now. It's a similar situation for my other favourite band the Foo Fighters. Fans are having arguments/discussions that are pretty similar to these, and my feelings are the same. They're still a good way away from lazy songwriting.

 

I had huge fun when I saw them in the summer and came out absolutely buzzing. The music still makes me feel happy and that's the main thing that really matters to me now.

[prospekt46]

Fool me once, twice, three times...

 

Lowering your expectations has worked well for me

[Batman]

Coldplay are now such a massive band that they can more or less do whatever they want and what they want to do is well...what they're doing.

Tropical Goth :charming:

[cp3176]

i think it's some of his lifestyle choices in general, more than musical tastes alone :P that's why you end up with songs like HFTW, not because you NEED a club song to be "popular", but because that is an atmosphere that Chris loves, you know?

 

also...

 

 

 

 

 

i can't stand that song, sorry :lipsrsealed2:

 

 

True.

 

 

that's okay, and I could see why, but you've got to admit it is still a lot more artistic then other crap on the radio nowadays at least!

 

 

I just want them to stop with the OOOOOOOHHHHH thing. It's so cliche now.

 

I don't see any problem with it, sure you could label it as "filler" but the truth is these kinds of songs would simply be incomplete without that stuff in it, it's meant to make you happy lol

[coldplayisawesome]

some people don't like the lyrics Chris writes, some people don't like when he sings without using lyrics :p

honestly, that seems to me like another trick of Chris's to make their music more accessible to a wide and international audience, even though i don't think Chris does it with that intention. it's more of a side effect :P but there is really no language barrier when all you're saying is "oh" or "ah"

 

 

that's okay, and I could see why, but you've got to admit it is still a lot more artistic then other crap on the radio nowadays at least!

 

 

i'd actually be interested in hearing more about what draws you to that song because for me it doesn't seem much different from a lot of the other stuff i tend to hear - but then again, i don't really listen to radio and i don't tend to actively seek out new music. but this thread might not be the best place to discuss that :P

[cp3176]

some people don't like the lyrics Chris writes, some people don't like when he sings without using lyrics :p

honestly, that seems to me like another trick of Chris's to make their music more accessible to a wide and international audience, even though i don't think Chris does it with that intention. it's more of a side effect :P but there is really no language barrier when all you're saying is "oh" or "ah"

 

 

 

i'd actually be interested in hearing more about what draws you to that song because for me it doesn't seem much different from a lot of the other stuff i tend to hear - but then again, i don't really listen to radio and i don't tend to actively seek out new music. but this thread might not be the best place to discuss that :P

 

True, it does make the music sound more accessible, and as I said the music would after all be incomplete without it but that's because the music is more accessible in the first place :P there is no language barrier which is a really good thing especially now that Coldplay are larger than life.

 

 

I guess in the catchy sense it is catchy like a lot of radio songs nowadays and it does have elements of radio but for me it blends it with a really unique other kind of sound and the way it mixed sounds so much more realistic than all the plastic other stuff nowadays, something about most modern day stuff and the way it's mixed just sounds way to perfect and plastic to me compared to most music today. I guess it is a fact that it sounds really unique and inspired compared to a lot of the crap on radio today but it's fair seeing as you admit yourself you don't know a lot about what today's chart music sounds like (believe me, you wouldn't want to find out - it's an absolute mess)

 

[coldplayisawesome]

True, it does make the music sound more accessible, and as I said the music would after all be incomplete without it but that's because the music is more accessible in the first place :P there is no language barrier which is a really good thing especially now that Coldplay are larger than life.

 

 

I guess in the catchy sense it is catchy like a lot of radio songs nowadays and it does have elements of radio but for me it blends it with a really unique other kind of sound and the way it mixed sounds so much more realistic than all the plastic other stuff nowadays, something about most modern day stuff and the way it's mixed just sounds way to perfect and plastic to me compared to most music today. I guess it is a fact that it sounds really unique and inspired compared to a lot of the crap on radio today but it's fair seeing as you admit yourself you don't know a lot about what today's chart music sounds like (believe me, you wouldn't want to find out - it's an absolute mess)

 

plus those parts of songs are really fun to sing even when the music isn't playing :D :lol:

 

 

 

ok, so i just listened to an instrumental version of that song and i see now more of what you're saying. and actually i like it a lot more as just an instrumental :P

 

 

 

 

[Arantza]

Fool me once, twice, three times...

 

Lowering your expectations has worked well for me

This.

 

I don't know much about the oldplay/newplay thing because I'm not interested tbh. But I think that the main problem with MX was that the bar was way too high after VLV. At least that's how it felt to me. I remember clearly waking up at like 5am all excited to hear "the beginning of a new era" and being greeted by the "wa wa wa wa waterfall" in etiaw. I felt so conflicted. And then came the "para-para-paradise" and I was even more conflicted :wtf:.

Don't get me wrong, I've grown to like both songs and the album, and I will sing my heart out to them. But yeah, maybe my expectations were too high and that didn't let me enjoy the album as much.

 

I had huge fun when I saw them in the summer and came out absolutely buzzing. The music still makes me feel happy and that's the main thing that really matters to me now.

I couldn't agree more.

[cp3176]

plus those parts of songs are really fun to sing even when the music isn't playing :D :lol:

 

 

 

ok, so i just listened to an instrumental version of that song and i see now more of what you're saying. and actually i like it a lot more as just an instrumental :P

 

 

 

 

True. :D

 

 

That's good. :)

 

 

 

This.

 

I don't know much about the oldplay/newplay thing because I'm not interested tbh. But I think that the main problem with MX was that the bar was way too high after VLV. At least that's how it felt to me. I remember clearly waking up at like 5am all excited to hear "the beginning of a new era" and being greeted by the "wa wa wa wa waterfall" in etiaw. I felt so conflicted. And then came the "para-para-paradise" and I was even more conflicted :wtf:.

Don't get me wrong, I've grown to like both songs and the album, and I will sing my heart out to them. But yeah, maybe my expectations were too high and that didn't let me enjoy the album as much.

 

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I see why people wouldn't like MX as much... I could see if you were a fan back then and you were expecting to hear some crazy experimental album but instead got a more commercially accessible release compared to that you'd be biased to say it would be pop which of course compared to something like Kid A it is. I came in fresh which is probably why I really love Mylo Xyloto better than any other album ever. But to be fair it really doesn't make sense to get mad over repeated words and random chants that aren't even words because many songs through Viva did that, especially the title track. I don't get mad over that kind of stuff because it really fits in with the song and if the song is good even if it's the most mainstream song I'll like it. The emotion and melodies of songs like that make me look past the tricks that are now overused to make it sound that way. If it sounds good I don't care I'll love it. :D

[cp3176]

plus those parts of songs are really fun to sing even when the music isn't playing :D :lol:

 

 

 

ok, so i just listened to an instrumental version of that song and i see now more of what you're saying. and actually i like it a lot more as just an instrumental :P

 

 

 

 

True. :D

 

 

That's good. :)

 

 

 

This.

 

I don't know much about the oldplay/newplay thing because I'm not interested tbh. But I think that the main problem with MX was that the bar was way too high after VLV. At least that's how it felt to me. I remember clearly waking up at like 5am all excited to hear "the beginning of a new era" and being greeted by the "wa wa wa wa waterfall" in etiaw. I felt so conflicted. And then came the "para-para-paradise" and I was even more conflicted :wtf:.

Don't get me wrong, I've grown to like both songs and the album, and I will sing my heart out to them. But yeah, maybe my expectations were too high and that didn't let me enjoy the album as much.

 

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I see why people wouldn't like MX as much... I could see if you were a fan back then and you were expecting to hear some crazy experimental album but instead got a more commercially accessible release compared to that you'd be biased to say it would be pop which of course compared to something like Kid A it is. I came in fresh which is probably why I really love Mylo Xyloto better than any other album ever. But to be fair it really doesn't make sense to get mad over repeated words and random chants that aren't even words because many songs through Viva did that, especially the title track. I don't get mad over that kind of stuff because it really fits in with the song and if the song is good even if it's the most mainstream song I'll like it. The emotion and melodies of songs like that make me look past the tricks that are now overused to make it sound that way. If it sounds good I don't care I'll love it. :D

[fakfak]

Treue. :D

 

 

That's good. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I see why people wouldn't like MX as much... I could see if you were a fan back then and you were expecting to hear some crazy experimental album but instead got a more commercially accessible release compared to that you'd be biased to say it would be pop which of course compared to something like Kid A it is. I came in fresh which is probably why I really love Mylo Xyloto better than any other album ever. But to be fair it really doesn't make sense to get mad over repeated words and random chants that aren't even words because many songs through Viva did that, especially the title track. I don't get mad over that kind of stuff because it really fits in with the song and if the song is good even if it's the most mainstream song I'll like it. The emotion and melodies of songs like that make me look past the tricks that are now overused to make it sound that way. If it sounds good I don't care I'll love it. :D

 

Maybe I'm showing my age here, but I remember when Kid A came out and sharply divided the Radiohead fanbase. Contrary to the reputation that album now has, it got a mixed reception at the time. Anytime a band changes their sound, they get a mixed response. For that matter, if they do the same thing over and over (think Oasis) many fans will still say they "aren't as good as they used to be".

 

Honestly, I don't see what the fuss is about. Even if you think their new stuff is horrible, it's not like every new record they make deletes one of the old ones from existence. Personally, I don't think Coldplay have ever even come close to equaling AROBTTH, but no matter what they do in the future, that record will always exist for me to enjoy.

[Beximus]

Maybe I'm showing my age here, but I remember when Kid A came out and sharply divided the Radiohead fanbase. Contrary to the reputation that album now has, it got a mixed reception at the time. Anytime a band changes their sound, they get a mixed response. For that matter, if they do the same thing over and over (think Oasis) many fans will still say they "aren't as good as they used to be".

 

Honestly, I don't see what the fuss is about. Even if you think their new stuff is horrible, it's not like every new record they make deletes one of the old ones from existence. Personally, I don't think Coldplay have ever even come close to equaling AROBTTH, but no matter what they do in the future, that record will always exist for me to enjoy.

AROBTTH is definitely the highlight for me as a whole album, so I agree that I don't think they've beaten it. MX came closest, but the others were more collections of good songs and ok songs.

 

They're stuck really. If they don't change their sound, some people would complain they were too static. When they do, others say they don't like the change. Lose/lose.

[I ran away]

Hm, I don't entirely agree with that.

They constantly evolved their sound from P to AROBTTH to X&Y too, but it did not alienate fans as much because even though the sound may have changed, the "Coldplay" hallmarks - outstanding vocal, memorable guitar/piano lines and melodies, masterful production and this bittersweet view of the world were still there.

Same with Viva, it was a huge change in sound and yet even hardcore Oldplayers who loved the old sound admit it was a creative and diverse album.

[cp3176]

Maybe I'm showing my age here, but I remember when Kid A came out and sharply divided the Radiohead fanbase. Contrary to the reputation that album now has, it got a mixed reception at the time. Anytime a band changes their sound, they get a mixed response. For that matter, if they do the same thing over and over (think Oasis) many fans will still say they "aren't as good as they used to be".

 

Honestly, I don't see what the fuss is about. Even if you think their new stuff is horrible, it's not like every new record they make deletes one of the old ones from existence. Personally, I don't think Coldplay have ever even come close to equaling AROBTTH, but no matter what they do in the future, that record will always exist for me to enjoy.

 

Don't worry, I've done the same thing on here. But in the other way... :D

 

True. But it's that we want more of the good stuff. Sure we will always have AROBTTH to enjoy and even if Coldplay goes all out mainstream blah pop in the next album with hip hop elements complete with autotune and has no diverse influences at all (unlike this new one, some of you up to this point may have been thinking AHFOD is what I was describing) and completely electronic beats, we can always have a listen to the old album. But the point here is we want them to keep making good stuff, not necessarily doing the same thing over but experimenting and trying different styles which is precisely what Viva was all about. And why it was loved by so many of us. The Oldplayers know they could have gotten another masterpiece. But they didn't. Especially with the hype since they were in India and everything and our musical imaginations started running wild with ideas about diverse influences, all we got was sprinkles that appear for a bit then fade away into the poppiness. It shows that they are capable of a masterpiece if only they focused on that instead of delivering the newest and greatest 2016 pop anthem that gets #1 on the charts and a billion views on YouTube. This is just my view anyway.

 

 

AROBTTH is definitely the highlight for me as a whole album, so I agree that I don't think they've beaten it. MX came closest, but the others were more collections of good songs and ok songs.

 

They're stuck really. If they don't change their sound, some people would complain they were too static. When they do, others say they don't like the change. Lose/lose.

 

Yay, someone else likes Mylo :D I honestly feel torn between MX and AROBTTH sometimes, I mean they're so hard to compare. One is so very colourful and generally very upbeat with numerous pop rock anthems that to me are executed so perfectly, the melodies are beautiful and larger than life, and they did a great job with using synths effectively in the album as both a part of the upbeatness of the song and as a part of the atmospheric background (have a listen at some of the instrumentals of the album, trust me, there's a lot that can get covered up by the vocals if you are casually listening, it's a truly wonderful experience.) And the other is a very melancholic album in general conveying the emotions of the people who they were at that time in life (this was my mistake last time describing the album, I called it "sad" and in general I'd argue it is but there is definitely more to it than that in detail). All the while keeping a simple, straight, white theme, with a hue of one color here and there throughout the songs. It almost seems like opposites and you'd either like one or the other. But in my opinion they both are extremely strong albums in their respective styles. They're my favs. I do think in general I slightly prefer MX since there are actually a couple songs in AROBTTH I don't really care for too much (although I still definitely like them, they don't stand up to the other songs) while in MX every single song is just soo good, some more than others at that, but still.

 

That really does suck, but once again and I've said this many times for Oldplayers it's not the change that's the problem; it's the nature of it. Many people like Radiohead today and even the albums before their drastic turning point take away Pablo Honey are generally liked, especially OK Computer. As another person recently said I do suppose the initial response to Kid A was mixed but eventually it went on to be considered one of the greatest albums of all time. (And here's the thing: Coldplay overall is still my favorite band but from an artistic standpoint I can admit Radiohead is superior. They've changed their sound vastly even since Kid A and most fans still even like OK Computer. That's because they've never really done stuff that's been done before, they are always innovating and making new sounds with each release and that's been proven once again with AMSP, I mean how do you just come up with that many songs that sound that unique but just feel like normal songs? It's absolutely crazy how they can do that, make songs that sound normal yet undeniably unique... two polar opposites it seems, yet that's Radiohead doing what they do best, breaking boundaries like that. And it's been loved by a lot, yet it is so different than The King of Limbs (in a way it's similar but really for the most part they're very different.) Critics have ranked their albums and releases so high, higher than any of Coldplay's content. They're truly outstanding. Hopefully Coldplay's next release will take a shot at standing up to that... wouldn't that be truly out standing to see?)

 

 

Hm, I don't entirely agree with that.

They constantly evolved their sound from P to AROBTTH to X&Y too, but it did not alienate fans as much because even though the sound may have changed, the "Coldplay" hallmarks - outstanding vocal, memorable guitar/piano lines and melodies, masterful production and this bittersweet view of the world were still there.

Same with Viva, it was a huge change in sound and yet even hardcore Oldplayers who loved the old sound admit it was a creative and diverse album.

 

True, but it was still innovative. It set the bar way too high for what would come to follow in terms of experimentation. It was admittedly a more mainstream release than many were expecting, hence why in MX the response was split.