Everyday Life Leak Discussion [SPOILERS INSIDE]

[the_escapist]

Any ideas on who's filming?

 

Either Phil or Jonny boy!

[shaker-sonic]

I just listened to the album for the 5th and last time before the release date as I don't want to ruin the excitement. I have to say that Sunrise and When I Need a Friend grew on me a lot. Also, Orphans sounds better to me when I listen to the album as a whole just like how I felt with ASFOS and Ghost Stories. It's still not that impressive to me (except for the lyrics). It's a shame, but I bet Flags, the bonus track, will be 10 times better. It will probably feel like how Ghost Story and All My Friends got cut from the album. Orphans really was a last minute decision to please the general audience.

 

The rest of the album still feels strong. I can't wait for the live performance.

[Suhit]

Not sure if this was mentioned earlier in this thread. I had skipped a few pages in the middle.

But doesn’t Trouble in Town sound like it was composed at around the same time as E-Lo? Especially with the slightly distorted drum at the end, and the kids’ chanting. It sounds very similar to E-Lo there.

[mathieu_cpfan]

1. AROBTTH

2. Parachutes

3. VLV

--

4. X&Y

5. Everyday Life

6. Ghost Stories

--

7. Mylo Xyloto

--

8. AHFOD

I've listened to EL quite a bit more over the weekend and I would definitely rank it above X&Y now. It's such an interesting album. Really, I couldn't be happier with it. After all these years, my favourite band can still surprise me. And that's more than I could have hoped for. This album has given me songs that I know I will be listening to for the rest of my life. Songs that will stay with me wherever I go, whatever happens in the future. Songs that will lift me up, make me dance or that I will just silently enjoy while drinking a cup of tea, sitting in a rocking chair when I'm 85. Couldn't be happier!

[rachpid]

I actually think BrokEn is perfectly placed. It's the reaction song to Trouble in Town, I see it as how the communities affected by the sort of police brutality highlighted would come together to get through it? Does that make sense?

[SkyFullOfTrouble]

I actually think BrokEn is perfectly placed. It's the reaction song to Trouble in Town, I see it as how the communities affected by the sort of police brutality highlighted would come together to get through it? Does that make sense?

 

That perfectly makes sense and i also thought about this like you! Trouble in Town is in general about racism/racism from the government. The fact that this song is followed by a gospel choir, in which mainly afro american people sung, and the title BrokEn, make me also believe, that this is the immediate reaction to Trouble in Town and also kind of a statement.

 

Sorry for my english btw. It is not my mother tongue :D

[dxm3557]

I still wonder why BrokEn is stylized with the capital E.

[cp3176]

Alright, this is the moment you all have been waiting for. What's sure to be an overlong review, my full thoughts of Coldplay's newest album, Everyday Life!

 

I actually took a break from Coldplay after that SNL performance, so I only barely caught Daddy, and once I finally stopped procrastinating and got on the forum again, I noticed to my delight there were already some leak discussion threads. Didn't take too long to find a legitimate copy of the leak, I was just giddy the whole way through and couldn't wait to listen to it. Beforehand I actually listened to another album by another artist that I'd been putting off for a very long time, so if I were to compare this to a concert that would probably be the opening act, with Coldplay taking main stage. That album was only 37 minutes long, so it probably would have worked out anyways.

 

Sunrise

Sunrise: 7.5

People were speculating that the "November 22 1919" video on YouTube posted by the official Coldplay account was this, and I was really hoping for that as those strings sounded freaking gorgeous. Davide Rossi was credited as being a writer on the Wikipedia page for the album which got my hopes up even more. This track certainly did not disappoint, those heartrending strings just blew me away the first time I listened to them. The low A drone, with the melodic embellishments on top...... This is an instrumental opening not unlike LiT, and as much as I like that track this one managed to beat it. I was already in love with the album from the first few seconds, and I knew that Coldplay were going to deliver a massive range of influences on this album, as they already had that old style horn thing, modern indie pop, and some more classic piano driven pop rock. I knew I was in for a treat.

 

Church: 7

Near the end of Sunrise I was wondering how they could possibly mess this up. I knew I shouldn't have been that worried since I honestly thought Stargate's production on AHFOD was good, although he DID mess up in a few spots. I just didn't want them to go any further like what they did with Los Unidades, and I'm very glad they didn't. They can keep their super pop projects for that, I'd only wish at least they'd get a little more popularity under that name if they continue making music under them in the future.

Anyhow, near the beginning it was actually better than I thought, although the obviously fake finger snaps were a little disappointing on first listen. I can clearly hear Stargate's influence on this track, but I actually thought it worked really well. They didn't go overboard with the pop on this one, although I was hoping that the rest of the album wouldn't be quite as poppy, and that unlike GS Arabesque wouldn't be the single experimental track on the album, That loon just sounds so emotive and beautiful, and isn't surprising either with Chris! :joy:

I noticed right away this had a similar percussion to Miracles, and now I actually enjoy it. The song sounds really "wet", there's a lot of reverb and smooth, slick sounds that sound really pleasing to the ear. There's these..... what I assume are little acoustic guitar playing sections in parts of the song that contribute really well. I thought the reverbed backing vocals were a little too reminiscent of modern pop, but they actually sound quite nice. The chorus is plainly infectious "ridin a wave" and has been stuck in my head for the better part of a day now. In the verse I notice Chris' voice does a high A at the beginning of some of the repetitions, which I thought was a really nice touch. The more or less spoken word part at the end sounded really nice too, especially in contrast with the woman's voice, which sounds ethnic or something, which really contributes quite nicely to the theme of the album.

One thing I still find a little disappointing is that even though Jacob Collier was listed as a writer on this track, his influence is nowhere to be heard. I suppose I've only listened to one of his songs, but for someone so experimental I was expecting far more of a contribution. There's some little harmonies in parts that are interesting so maybe that's where he contributed, but at the beginning I was shocked to hear Stargate and Jacob Collier were on the same track, and to be honest I was really intrigued at how both of their influences would work together, seeing as they come from completely different worlds of music.

One part I definitely don't like about the track is the autotune. I don't know if it's in the verses or the choruses (they probably are, and somebody with better ears than me could probably tell) but it's painstakingly obvious when all of the instruments drop out from 1:33 to 2:03. This is almost definitely a result of Stargate's producing nearly ruining the track, but it's not like he sounds totally robotic or anything. More of a cyborg, a hybrid, if you ask me, :D

I don't hear autotune on any of the other tracks, someone mentioned it was in EL but I didn't hear it myself. If there's more autotune in here please enlighten me as to where y'all are hearing it.

Despite that, all in all it's definitely grown on me and it's a great pop rock song.

 

Trouble in Town: 8

This might just end up being my favorite on the album, but currently it's tied with the title track. I liked how they made the previous track fade in with this one seamlessly, even though otherwise they wouldn't go that well together. I'm not sure if this is Radiohead influenced but there's this strange electronic noise at the beginning of the song to aid the transition, kind of like how in Kid A the title track flows into The National Anthem in a similar way.

I really dig the minimal production on this track, with its E-Lo inspired simplistic electronic drum beat (they might have been written around the same timeframe @Suhit, but I'm not too sure because this is definitely not pop whereas E-Lo features Pharrell Williams :joy:), the low piano, the little guitar embellishments from Jonny, the quiet synths in places...... And geez, these lyrics are so freaking dark for a Coldplay song. "Trouble in town, cause they cut my brother down, because my sister can't wear her crown"...... way darker than one would expect. I definitely didn't mind the happy go lucky silly vibe that AHFOD had, but I think we definitely needed some true darkness (not the heartbreakey GS kind) to balance that out. When the song goes quiet and the people in the clip took the stage, I didn't know what to expect next. I don't know if it was recorded specifically for the album just because it sounds so clean, but it fits VERY well, and the transition into the louder part of the song would not have been nearly as powerful if not for this. Apparently it's a conversation between a racist police officer and some person whose name I can't remember at the moment, but throughout I just love how they increased the tension of the music in line with the increasing tension between the two people (which also wouldn't have felt nearly as complete without the swearing). Then when it boils over is probably my favorite part of the song. To be honest I wouldn't have expected this edgy of a song from Coldplay in years after AHFOD. I guess we should have seen it coming with his increased involvement in global matters via Global Citizen and such, but it's not like he wasn't aware of these issues beforehand. I just guess having to deal with it and seeing it up close can totally change a person, and perhaps that's why some people have said Chris looks much older now and doesn't have that energy he used to.

The song calms down quite quickly after that though, and slips into a heartbeat. Nonetheless, this is a quality track from these guys that has just some fantastic energy seldom seen from their music.

 

BrokEn: 6.5

This was closer to the type of music I was expecting from the various collaborators on the album, I certainly didn't see most of the rest of the album coming at me! This is just a style of music I'm not as used to as I seldom listen to it, and at first I thought "okay, good enough, catchy tune, nothing spectacular though". I still feel this way but it's actually growing on me quite fast. I didn't catch the preview of it or whatever that some people were talking about, but it did mention gospel, so I knew I was in for something so completely different than what Coldplay had done before. Make no mistake, I am VERY glad they are deciding to try out completely different styles they haven't even touched before, and at times entirely abandoning their original sound. This still has that classic catchy Coldplay melodicness to it, but in an entirely different..... "American" format I guess? At least some people have been calling it that. Not too much distinction between the sections in that song, which is okay. I'd much rather hear them try out different styles then keep doing variations of the same old boring pop thing again. I commend Coldplay for taking a step (or a few) into the unknown, it's important as an artist and as a human just to go outside your comfort zone and try things you haven't before. Like any style Coldplay's touched it has their own signature sound to it, but it's just so very freaking different from anything they've done before, and for that reason alone I can enjoy and appreciate this song that much! It does stand on its own merit too however, as I'm definitely open minded to all sorts of music in general.

 

Daddy: 7.5

Another highlight off the album. Like many others I was VERY surprised to hear that this was actually the second longest song off the album and not just a small snippet. This is probably the most mellow and slowest song they've done in a very long time, and considering what the themes are relating to it's just heartwrenching as well. So far they've done an incredible job of this album exploring these darker themes and how, in certain parts of the world it's very unfair how some kids have to live with one of their main caretakers and most beloved people just heading off into some unknown place. And to think how many of them never return, and how many children don't understand until they get older and realize they've missed out on some of the best times that we over in safer countries take for granted....... it's just so wrong, and I think the subtle emotive piano accompaniment and slow heartbeat reflects this beautifully.

People may whine about the lyrics on this track, but it's supposed to be written from the perspective of a kid who's missing their daddy, that''s what it's all about. The beautiful simplicity of the lyrics show this very well and contribute greatly to the innocuous vibe of this one. Of course it can be an easy excuse to put barely any effort into the lyrics, but as this was only done one time I'd say it's fine and wasn't a cop out whatsoever, but instead a deliberate artistic decision to make a powerful statement.

 

WOTW/POTP: 7

A nice short track to bridge Daddy and Arabesque. Some people didn't really like it because it was short and it's basically a demo, a nothing track. Some were saying this had lots of potential and that it was a shame it was an unfinished demo, and yet others say it's rather forgettable (which it kind of is). The way I see it, it's a very refreshing change from having fully fleshed out song after fully fleshed out song off albums. I know they're often meant to be finished and represent the best work from that era, but there's something to be said about rawness and purity too, which is what we all should have expected when that's what Chris said this album's all about. This track is a lot like most of the tracks on Radiohead's MINIDISCS too, and I've been including some of my favorites from that release in my personal playlists, so it may help that I'm already used to a demo-ish ultra lo-fi alternative sound already.. I just think what few lyrics are in here are filler for the theme of the album, and it was a unique artistic choice to include something truly raw and unfinished for a change, which seems to be a part of the aesthetic for this album. For those of you who wanted exactly that, here you have it!

 

Arabesque: 7.5

My first track listened to off this album, and certainly almost all of our's at least second track. I knew that this had to be linked to something when the intro began abruptly, that had to do with a voice memo leading off from the last track. This feels like a darker version of Strawberry Swing, lyrics once again suited to fit the album theme, promoting unity above all the terror and war in the world. Musically, it sounds like a darker version of Strawberry Swing. It has this same indie sound to it and uses an acoustic guitar/simple beat as its base, where this time Chris introduced the melody on top of the original jam session from Viva which he was not a part of (which makes me wonder if these were written at a similar time). That melody ended up being the saxophone, and to be honest I have no idea where they got that idea from. It sounds amazing to be honest, triumphant..... like BrokEn and Cry Cry Cry, it's a style of music I rarely listen to, but that I'm open to as it's something very unique for Coldplay to work with. I can't tell if they legitimately wanted to use a sax first or came up with the "100 years in the making" thing first and thus included this as what would have been one of their "first songs" just for that aesthetic.

Look, I never would have expected Coldplay to incorporate a sax solo in their song. I was doubting they'd even use a sax, but here we are, and not only is it a melodic driver in the song's main motif/chorus, but it has its very own solo dedicated to it, even though it's not an instrument any of the band plays. It's so long and drawn out too, it's just so perfect! It has a unique melody..... I like how it just intensifies so quickly and it gets drowned in reverb, then it kind of comes back and sounds normal again and plays the same thing as the start, then heads off into something else.... it's really something else, a well crafted solo.

They did a good job with the harmonic richness to make the last chorus sound even larger. They're really taking a lot of notes from jazz, and I really like that they're branching out in this way with a genre they've barely touched..

My favorite part of the song is by far the last minute though. All the relatively tame stuff came before, and kept us waiting in suspense..... till this, That little electric guitar (apparently not Jonny) thing leading in feels like a spark of anger just ready to rush into the next part. "Music is the weapon..... Music is the weapon of the future", sampled in a lo-fi style (IDK whether the original was low quality or not), it just sounds so powerful, then the MASSIVE EXPLOSION of sound, almost shoegaze-esque but with instruments not normally seen from that genre. Just the level of creativity in this song alone blows me away, and combine that with the energy of the last part and the meaning and urgency of "S A M E F U C K I N G B L O O D" is so fucking epic, it might be my favorite part of the whole album to be honest! They didn't even draw it out at the end or resolve the chord, they just let it die down so quickly, and it actually works really well.

The finer points of this song are so ingenious too! The little electronic and electric guitar embellishments for atmosphere in the background just round the song out so nicely, and especially contrasting it with the sax in the foreground in the solo is really good. Just so many sounds that Coldplay have rarely gone into here, even in the rest of the album..... you know, they're not known for fast playing whatsoever, and I'm not sure it technically counts because none of the band members are playing any of these parts, but right before the tension releases in the sax solo that guy's just going at it. I think they took that same clip and threw a lot of reverb at it near the end of the reverb part before it went back to normal, which is a nice touch as well. Then what I assume is shredding right before the biggest release at the end of the song, too bad it wasn't Jonny but fuck that needs to be turned up!

Overall a fantastic track.

 

When I Need a Friend: 7

This might be the song I remember the least well off the album, but it's a nice way to close off this side of the album. The harmonies and melodic progressions are on the verge of being tearjerkers for sure, it's a gorgeous track. I'm not sure if Jacob Collier collaborated on the track, but it surely sounds like there's some use of his harmonizer on there. Whether it's just a normal choir or not, it sounds fucking beautiful and dark in a really nice way. I actually expected this song to be a piano ballad or something from what that one reviewer was saying, but this is much different, and is a welcome change for sure.

Minimal instrumentation on this track, if any at all, is an interesting choice for Coldplay as well, as they've almost always relied on instruments to provide the musicality that the heavily layered vocals do just as well and more originally, for Coldplay at least, on this track. The massive reverb simulates that church/cathedral sound really well, unless they actually did record this in a church, which would be such a unique and original artistic decision :joy:

That Spanish person speaking at the end is a very fitting touch as well. Apparently it's from some documentary of a homeless person who built a helicopter from scratch or something? Using that as fuel for inspiration is really just awe inspiring in and of itself, and even if we didn't know that just by listening to it, knowing it gives the track a whole nother level of meaning. No matter what situation you're in, you can pull yourself out of it if you have that willpower and strength, and this man has worked so hard to get himself out of his situation, that he definitely deserves his freedom.

 

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Sunrise/Sunset Interludes:

For obvious reasons I'm not really rating this track, but it's nice to have something to separate the sides of the album, to kind of signal that. It's a really nice interlude too, some birds and bells. It kind of sounds low quality but I think that's just the voice memo lol. People above have been saying that they wished it would have been another 6 tracks, and that would have been really cool but these weren't meant to be six tracks. I have no idea why they're split up into 6 tracks, most being 4 seconds and 1 being 9 seconds, unless there's some sort of hidden meaning behind it? Or they did it just to tease us? It's just leaks so we probably won't know until the album releases, but it's fun to speculate in the meantime I guess. They were really never meant to be separate tracks anyways, as they all flow together just fine. This is the only true musicless "interlude" from the album, of which we thought there would be many more. This didn't even appear on the official tracklisting which puzzles me, and WINAF and Guns are both the proper lengths according to the Wikipedia page, so the album actually turns out to be around 30 seconds longer than what they said. YAY! :D

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

 

Sunset

Guns: 7

This song has that kind of badass demeanor and challenging lyrics that is typically absent from most of Coldplay's "whiny, soft" songs. It's definitely something different for them (how many times have I said that now?) and I really like that. I wonder if they challenged themself to attempt to write a full fledged song that's under 2 minutes, they really did do a good job I think on that. It's a really great base for a song at least, with the fast paced acoustic guitar and all. To be completely honest though I think it sounds a little incomplete , and after the "stop" in the initial preview, considering the angsty lyrics I was totally hoping for some kickass drum beat to begin and for the song to end really chaotically. It's like it's waiting to be remade...... if I can help it, I'll definitely let this song reach it's full potential!

 

Orphans: 7

The first song for many, second song for me. This is definitely the poppiest off this record, and as @The Adversary mentioned this is definitely the odd one out. It sounds like it was meant for LP9, or heck even AHFOD. I was wrong about the last song leading into this one though, with the rather abrupt beginning I was also expecting that. It's a bumpin' indie pop song with some unique production elements though, got that groovy Guy and the backing guitar from Jonny. The minmal verses and the explosive chorus create an interesting contrast to say the least, and I really liked the Church-esque ambient reverberous acoustic sections in the bridge. I know many will harp on this song for being too poppy and having those "woo woos", well I've spoken my part about that before, to each their own! I wouldn't consider it the best song off the album, but it's definitely a bop. And I for one think this is a much better example of a song with a really happy bubblegum-pop exterior with some very dark themes underneath, than VLV. I prefer the latter more but it kind of annoys me when people say the contrast between the happy instrumental and the saddening lyrics is interesting, because IMO the instrumental is also sad and has that urgent looming feel to it, as do the lyrics. This is truly one of the best examples of a happy exterior with sadness bubbling underneath, in this case a yearning to be young once again, and then something to do with the Syrian war. I do think the "getting drunk" part is a little cringy, not only because they've already done that in HFTW. I wonder if Max Martin's influence (of which that was clearly a part) did any good for this song, because it is quite poppy, which is probably a result of that (by the way, can anybody tell me whether he's worked on any Coldplay music before? I know he's crafted a ton of top hits on the charts but I don't think he's ever worked with Coldplay till now).

 

Èkó: 7

Great song. Sweet little melodic acoustic piece with just a guitar and some piano, classic Coldplay. Of course with some quiet children's cheering in the background, It's nice to know that even on an album as diverse as this, they haven't entirely forgotten their core sound.

Now if some of you have been following the LP8 thread you'll know there's been some discourse on whether or not this was the original Aiko from the Mylo sessions. At first I wasn't so sure, but looking closer at the accents and just the song itself I have little doubt left that it was in fact the original Aiko. Here's why:

• I know that there's an Arabic title and that this album is internationally themed as it is, but the only places where accents exist in the titles is here. And these accents suggest that the track is pronounced "Ehko", or something along those lines, where it's obvious Aiko is pronounced the same way. Coincidence? I think not.
  
• Remember that the original Mylo sessions were acoustically produced, and that they only decided to make an album laced with all sorts of synths last minute, and scrapped the rest, much to the dismay of many people on this forum. Guess what? This song is not only acoustically produced but has some lyrics that kind of remind me of that album, and has a real soft melodic sound to it, it's very comparable to U.F.O. Again, coincidence? I don't think so. Just so they see this I'll mention @42Escapist because they've been talking about this with me for the last little while over on the LP8 thread, and I think these facts settle the score once and for all. If I'm right, this would also mean Aiko has absolutely nothing to do with the popular fanbase version of "Aiko" other than the song's key, which is pretty insignificant. Which convinces me that Aiko was just a Jon Hopkins reprise of MM after all, like Oracle said.
  

Cry Cry Cry: 6.5

I was so glad to hear that the beginning of the mock conference or whatever actually did have a clip of this in it, at first I thought it sounded nothing like the words "Cry Cry Cry" but upon closer listen it did, and I really hoped that a song with this sound would be on the album. It was all but certain, but Coldplay definitely didn't disappoint!

Just like BrokEn, definitely expected some of this, and it's definitely not a style of music I choose to listen to in particular. I might want to start exploring the world of jazz though, because Coldplay's shown me some really good tracks and influences from it. Heck, they even included that iconic vinyl popping sound! Sounds like they pitched up the original version of it, whatever that sounded like I can't remember. but it definitely sounds like vocals pitched up.

Overall not bad, it's actually grown on me and got more catchy with every listen! Interesting harmonic tones in the piano and in later repetitions of this song's vocal motif.

 

Old Friends: 7

Again, another great track. Just like Aiko Èkó, although this one's nothing but a guitar, some reverb, and some vocals. Also has a little country vibe to it, although Coldplay's definitely done that in the past. Seems to be a sweet little innocuous childhood flashback. The melody becomes chromatic and more looming at the end, and I also think there's some F minor stuff at the end, where most of the song's in F major, so I wonder if the person represented by Chris is just having that small flashback before remembering the more harsh reality he lives in.

 

بنی آدم/Bani Adam: 7

Probably the most unique song on this album in terms of structure. The first thing I thought of when I heard the solo piano intro was Postcards from Far Away, but it actually more closely resembles Kaleidoscope, just in a different key. Above all though, it's almost exactly the same as

which was shared back when AHFOD was big, as it sounded a lot like Kaleidoscope. It's just mind blowing though to know that we weren't necessarily listening to Kaleidoscope, but a short piece of a song off of an entirely new record..... to think, not Arabesque nor Orphans were the first, but THIS was. At least in terms of what exactly we heard first: who knows what piece was composed first. Best guess is Arabesque as it was near the start of the Viva era and the jam sessions where Chris got kicked out, but who knows if there's material from even before that on here.

The piano on this one also sounds lo-fi just like Kaleidoscope. Gives it that raw richness that Chris had been promising on this album. It was funny because the first listen through I thought the next song had started when this super clean electronic drum beat came from out of nowhere, so I went to check and I was only halfway through the song! I guess I should have known because I wasn't very far into it. I like that they also gave a really touching poem, as well as some what I assume is Arabic children's singing at the end to lead into the next song. All in all kind of a brighter sounding tune like the last few, even if it obviously deals with a few darker themes.

 

Champion of the World: 7.5

I'm seeing a lot of universal praise for this track, and I can see why. There are some seriously awesome effects in the beginning though, ranging from those electronic swirls and glitches to even some quite obvious detuning. I was hoping for some microtones on this album, and hey we did get a little bit of them!

People say this is a definitively Oldplay track but I'm definitely getting more Newplay vibes. It has the production of an Oldplay song, being more acoustic with some electric guitar here and there, but the drums seem half electronic and it has the brightness and general optimism of a Newplay song.

It's too bad Will wasn't fronting but at the very least he had strong backing vocals, which is fitting.

Overall a really good track! Includes the best of both worlds, of Oldplay and Newplay, in a single track. Kind of like the happier songs from VLV.

 

Everyday Life: 8

As previously mentioned, either my favorite or my second, tied with Trouble in Town currently. I actually listened to this one first on an SNL performance, so I didn't get to hear those floating strings that make the studio version so beautiful, but Jonny was a lot louder!

Coldplay never fails to disappoint with their closers, they're always amongst the best songs on the albums and thus their discography. This time around is no exception. They didn't go for the massive singalong epic vibe that Up&Up went for, but instead a subdued Everything's Not Lost-esque track which is definitely a nice ode to their early days. It's just that classic Coldplay,, Viva-esque with the strings, but is still piano driven with a melancholic melody and chord progression, with some emotive lyrics to go with.

I definitely thought the second verse could be longer, and that even though I felt there should have been a massive third singalong chorus singing "A L L E L U Y U H" that it might have been a respectable artistic choice to show some restraint this time around, as last time they did the big singalong thing, and if there's one thing this era's told us it's that they were sick of doing the same thing over and over again. So maybe we should be grateful for that!

It's surprising seeing Timbaland being listed as a producer on this one, since I hear zero electronic effects whatsoever which is a trademark of his sound. The only influence of his I hear is the long attack on Will's simple drums, with a short pop at the end,

All in all, a very sweet album closer that's sure to stick around for a long time as a Coldplay classic for a lot of us.

 

 

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Overall First Impressions:

Look, AHFOD's feel-good vibe was great and all, and myself and many of the teenage/younger fans certainly enjoyed it, but many here didn't. I kind of felt bad for the Oldplayers here tbh, some of which even left in anger. I hated to see them be so disappointed with a band they once loved, who used to make such great music, but have seemingly sold out to making great big massive pop hits specifically designed for the charts, yet somehow managing to fall short of having a 7 streak of consecutive first week #1 albums. It is difficult to keep a streak as a band or any musical act for that matter going for that long, let alone a few years. Most people just put out a one hit wonder and they make a living off of that for the rest of their lives. And then when everyone goes to your concerts, no one wants to hear all your new shit, they just wanna hear that one song that they heard on the radio and adored. I think we should all be grateful Coldplay is a bigger and better band than that, but above that recognize that they

simultaneously manage to have an artistic integrity that has been restored with this album.

 

No one denies that AHFOD wasn't groundbreaking in the world of music whatsoever. Only one track was sort of experimental on there, and most of the album was bright happy fun-go-lucky, or sappy and about breakups. This was JUST the album ALL of us needed to balance that out, let's admit it. I'm sure someone must have been smart enough to recognize that Chris would have been impacted by his work with GC and would write an album that was likely primarily fueled by those experiences, but most of us just thought they'd keep sinking deeper and deeper down into the depths of corporate music until they were just another Maroon 5.

 

Like, this album is totally Viva la Vida's spiritual successor. I'm not sure how many people actually put this above their list of Viva, but I predict this album will stick with people for a long time and perhaps rise above Viva in some lists. I dare say that this is an improved Viva, that ignoring Prospekt's March and some of the miscellaneous songs from that era they went even more experimental with this record (including those, Viva is around the same I'd say). It's definitely their most diverse record. The amount of influences here are INSANE, it has everything from classical, to orchestral, to baroque, to jazz, gospel, indie, pop rock, experimental, electronic in general, etc. They didn't just park themself in one little box, and as good as Kid A or any other album was they focused on a very specific genre of music for the most part, whereas Coldplay just went all over the place here, and somehow still managed to stay coherent, which I say has to be commended as that's a talent and an artform in its own. I think it's very important for growth as an artist and also as a human being to challenge yourself and step outside the comfort zone, and while BrokEn and Cry Cry Cry aren't my favorite songs on the album, I still have to applaud them for doing something completely left field of what they've done before. And it's working, because those songs are starting to grow on me anyways, and I'd much rather them do that then fall further down the corporate tunnel with songs like what they did as Los Unidades.

 

This was definitely the album we've all been waiting for from the boys to "redeem themselves" ever since Viva, and the one we needed after AHFOD. Like I can't help but wonder if Coldplay browses the forums sometimes and has recognized that there was a ton of backlash at their last album, and decided to give the rest of us a treat. That would obviously mean Chris DOES care about what his fans think no matter what he says, just that it was under the guise of "we don't care about success anymore" to make it seem like they weren't really influenced by anyone's opinion by making a really wacky album. Of course it's always possible they've realized they've had enough success and want to get back to crafting more original pieces, but it's just speculation. (I just thought, if they DID browse the forums they MUST have come across my posts at some point.... that's really awesome to think about :D)

 

Like, they went as far as to include at least 4 languages on the album. English being the obvious one, then I think it was French in Arabesque, Spanish at the end of WINAF, and Arabic in Bani Adam? Like I probably got it wrong somewhere but what other band does this? Like seriously? For an all English band to go out and do such a thing..... much less a POPULAR band......it just reflects the theme of this album so well, Just gotta applaud them for doing that, even if they're obviously not speaking the languages themselves. I know recently that they've used the Arabic translation of their band name as a symbol of their internationality, and that's cool and all and something most pop acts never do, but this is on a whole nother level.

 

Now the single main issue I have with the album is that I'm not sure if flows so well. I know I'm one to be picky because I create personal playlists all the time and they're usually "themed" with the weather, time of day, seasons, mood (yes I'm crazy I know lol) but personally if we're going by time of day a lot of the songs on the Sunset side would fit better on the Sunrise side, and vice versa. I'm not sure if it was their intent to set it up like that, just my two cents though.

Some of the transitions themselves are also awkward. Guns to Orphans makes zero sense and I personally would never do that, seeing as Guns to me sounds like an evening track and Orphans sounds like a morning or early day track. I think there's already been some discussion about why Trouble in Town ends with a heartbeat and Daddy begins with one, even though BrokEn stands in between the two. At first glance this makes no sense, but @The Adversary brings up a really good point: this was probably intentional, because that makes the flow BrokEn! Which is, as he said, ingenious, at least IMO. With it breaking the flow between two songs that were otherwise meant to go together, I don't think we can write this off as coincidence. This is probably the only time I'd be comfortable with breaking the flow on purpose, where something thematic pops up which gives you a reason to.

 

Some people may also think this album sampled a little too many songs, and they definitely did do a lot. It might not be too "original" but it's always nice to put a different spin on things, and it's not like Coldplay hasn't done it before, even without giving credit sometimes. I think any more would have been overdoing it but they definitely did a good job with it this time around.

I also think the voice memos only serve to enhance what's already there, and gives the album that rawness and purity, that somewhat unfinished aesthetic that is absent from many albums. I think they really thought this one through and chose specifically where to put them to enhance the experience, even though some people weren't happy with it.

 

Since Viva, it should be noted that there's always been a little clip of music that gets reused near the beginning and end of each album, perhaps to symbolize a loop or revisiting an idea after a long journey. I was wondering if they would do that this time around, and upon listening to Church I realized they actually did, but in a slightly different way this time! It's always been somewhat of an ambient echoey heavily produced clip that only sounds slightly different. Also, every time it's been at the very start of the album, and sometimes it was at the very end of the album too, or the song before the closer. This time, it's actually just a chord progression and maybe a little bit of melody as opposed to a heavily produced clip. I realized this in the first few seconds of the main part of Orphans, that it shared the same chord progression as Everyday Life! Also, Church is the second song of the album, so this is also the first time they didn't put whatever was looped at the very start of the album. Perhaps Everyday Life with its strings and slower feel represents a combination of Sunrise and Church, it has the heavy emotive vibe of Sunrise but watered down a little and put in a pop format, and it also shares the same progression as Church. This is a quite original twist from what has been becoming a predictable trend over the last few albums, so once again I have to give it to Coldplay for finding a new way.

 

Overall, this was a fantastic album,. I can't really give it a firm rating yet, but I'd say around 7 or 7.5. This one will definitely stick out in my mind a lot more than AHFOD, which in comparison seems bland and predictable. I'm sure many will share the same overall sentiment as me, and reading the comments in this thread it seems as if that's already proven itself to be the case. One thing's for certain: at least for now, we can say that Coldplay is officially back.

 

fun fact: this post is 38768 characters and 7024 words long

[cp3176]

I still wonder why BrokEn is stylized with the capital E.

 

Probably to make the title BrokEn

[mathieu_cpfan]

Probably to make the title BrokEn

A tribute to Brian Eno?

[merril]

Probably to make the title BrokEn

Or an allusion to BrokenEngland (Brexit)?

[sa_spurs_tx]

Just announced! The rumors were true :)

[danirl87]

[Captain Crieff]

thread for the London gig here: https://www.coldplaying.com/forum/index.php?threads/live-at-the-natural-history-museum-london.126013/

[Durk]

Cry Cry Cry

that is all

[42Escapist]

https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/coldplays-record-label-say-they-want-to-release-another-album-as-soon-as-possible-after-everyday-life__27757/

 

Speaking to Music Week, Mark Mitchell, co-president of Coldplay's record label Parlophone said that the band aren't looking to wait another few years to release the follow-up to Everyday Life, out Friday (November 22). The group's last album A Head Full of Dreams was released in December 2015.

 

"There's nothing set in stone, but what we can say is there's a desire to do another record to follow this up quickly," explained Mitchell.

 

"This album came very, very quickly. They worked on tracks for the rest of the summer, so there's a lot of ideas left off this record which they're hoping to follow up as soon as possible."

 

Will the next album be linked musically to Everyday Life? Parlophone's other co-president Nick Burgess thinks it will stand alone, adding: "I don't think they are sister records. This is very much a record that the band had to get out of their system."

 

Hmmmm.... this has me a little concerned about LP9. I'm holding onto hope that Everyday Life is a record that will change Coldplay forever and have a sound that will influence much of their future work, but if it's something they had to "get out of their system," I worry that we may be getting a commercialized AHFOD 2 after all...

[kaisin]

Updated top 5 after 9,689,724 (give or take) album playthroughs:

 

1. Èkó

2. Arabesque

3. Cry Cry Cry

4. Church

5. Trouble In Town

 

I know a lot of people didn't like Church because of Stargate's production but I think it's a great upbeat Coldplay song, definitely better than most songs on AHFOD.

[shaker-sonic]

I don't want to scare the oldplayers, but what that Italian DJ said is turning out to be true. This would mean that the next album will be more pop oriented hehe.

[42Escapist]

It's disappointing, really. Out of the LPs 5 thru 7, Ghost Stories is undoubtedly my favorite. I had hoped the subsequent album would be similarly dark and continue to be at least somewhat adventurous, a la Oceans, Midnight, and Ghost Story. But I remember very similar comments from the band about having to get that record "out of their system."

[Just-do-it]

Ok mates, my honest opinion: this is the first "not quite kind of Coldplay" album. It's even strange in some parts, like in the transition from Sunrise to Sunset (quick and senseless...sorry).

My "review" is based more on the music than on lyrics, so I decided not to make any comparison to any previous released album 'til now. Let's do this

 

It starts beautyfully with such strong harmony on "Sunrise", all those violins (and the anxiety of new Coldplay music helps) give you immediately goosebumps and you thank God for such a magnificent beginning!

The trip goes on with "Church", where you feel a good musical production more than too much imagination on the lyrics...mixed with a eastern/arabian female voice at the choirs that sounds very nice, indeed.

"Trouble in Town" starts with CM whispering at us during two minutes, and after that..the until then quiet music gets "interrupted" by a "radio voice" and it's time for the guitars to strenghten it up...until we hear a child choir in the final last minute lowering it again, this time with without Chris's voice.

"BrokEn" is a ghospel music (???!!???), with church choir repeating what CM says (Oh Lord..Shine a Light on me). Two and a half minutes of "let's pray to the Lord"..

The song that follows is, by far, the most intimate Coldplay puts on the album. For me, it's even the best song of all! I think "Daddy" will rise tears from millions of us, specially those who no longer have their father among us. The melody is soooo profound, the harmony with the piano and CM voice sounds like "it's ok" to accept life like it is, with its losses and our most deepest regards to those who gave us life and we cannot hug or kiss anymore! I lost my father earlier this year, and i can't stop crying when i listen to this...in repeat. Profounding and heartbreaking...but beautiful.

After this you hear "WOTW/POTP" during one minute and you kind of ask: wtf is this? All said.

"Arabesque" was a great surprise for me: i didn't like the song on first hearing, but after several listenings, i have to agree this is a masterpiece, kind of "Grammy-to-be-awarded" theme. Obviously it's not usual to give so much free airtime to saxophone on a Coldplay music, but like i said on the beginning, this album is everything but a Coldplay album we were/are used to.

The next one is a authentic hymn. Sadly short one. "When i need a friend" could and should have been longer than the less than two brilliant minutes of multiple voices choir in ascending melody, almost no instruments, before it ends "interrupted" by a probably old spanish man/voice/speach.

 

 

And...that's it. First part of EVERYDAY LIFE is (obviously personally) reviewed. Then comes the "Big Ben" transition between Sunrise and Sunset...and i will post a review about that 2nd part as soon as possible.

Family duties are calling...

 

Love and Peace to all of you!

FixYou

[Captain Crieff]

The official lyrics have popped up in a newspaper in New Zealand!

 

[MEDIA=twitter]1196534521375666176[/MEDIA]

View: https://twitter.com/coldplaying/status/1196534521375666176

 

[coldplaymakesmyday]

As a flag collector, I'm very excited about the song Flags. :)

[MarckozZ]

Guys, I need your help. The sound that appears at the beginning of Church just before Chris starts singing, is it a whale, a nocturnal bird or a wolf? :P

[shred]

The official lyrics have popped up in a newspaper in New Zealand!

 

[MEDIA=twitter]1196534521375666176[/MEDIA]

View: https://twitter.com/coldplaying/status/1196534521375666176

Which newspaper?

[jc90]

Guys, I need your help. The sound that appears at the beginning of Church just before Chris starts singing, is it a whale, a nocturnal bird or a wolf? :p

Bird, As a Canadian, thats sounds unmistakably like a Loon