🪐 Coldplay: Music of the Spheres 🪐 | Out Now! | Discussion

[LisaFeehily]

I want to like it because it's Coldplay, but watching this I found myself cringing more than anything. It's a visualisation of a midlife crisis... 

[CP-EST]

1 hour ago, gustavothehuman said:

the people who were there said the performance was good, y'all are just wanting to hate for the sake of hating at this point ?

I have never been hating, I'm just pointing out a few things here and admitting I might have way different standards of quality performance compared to people who go to this kind of events.

The moral from me with this song is:

Yes, there are difficult loves, like this song is trying to present and it's nice to see the overcoming of all the borders with this song, but in the end band should to have some self respect as well. Although studio version and Coldplay alone performing it works alright, this "randomly jumping around with kids shouting" was something, what was really very wrong by Coldplay standards, in my opinion. It seemed like a not rehearsed and uncoordinated mess from two bands, whose style of performance is completely different. While BTS can be excused, Coldplay was really lost in that performance.

[jluismujica]

1 hour ago, Westminster said:

I like My Universe but honestly,this live performance is utter sh**. BTS always shouting the lyrics during the song is embarrassing. They better do it alone...

Your comment, Westminster, helped me to better understand why that song was so uncomfortably, at least for me. This is just a personal feeling.

Because at the end, "My Universe" is actually a BTS x COLDPLAY song, and not a COLDPLAY X BTS Song. As Chris Martin himself testifies in the documentary, he created the song for them, so the collaboration was actually something close to Chris Martin producing a song for BTS. And nothing more than that. 

That's why my feeling on "My Universe" live (in any Coldplay Concert so far): It's actually Coldplay "covering" a BTS song. It wasn't feeling like a Coldplay song (even when "A Sky Full Of Stars" has similar beat/tempo, but also has others musical details creating a more Coldplay texture).

In this NMA Awards Performance, Chris Martin was totally devoured by the "BTS Energy" (teenages jumping and screaming a punch of "eo", "yeah", etc.). Coldplay was just a supporting band providing the "music" for the BTS performance. Don't get me wrong about BTS, please. They are quite talented on the genre they represent, and they are the phenomena they are for a reason. 

If the song had some portions of mystical feeling/texture, or some guitar solo from Johhny (even short), or at least drums with a more clean or real snare, maybe the song could have more "Coldplay" spirit, and it could be called as a Musical Collaboration. But in the meantime, is just the personal project of Chris Martin producing a song for others. 

"Let Somebody Go" hasn't creates that feeling for me. It feels like a collab.

It's incredible how an album generates this rate of mixed feelings. I acknowledge that I'm an "Oldplayer" (I was in their first concert, a lifetime ago :-), but anyway I've also followed their experimentation. But with MOTS, is becoming so bloody hard.  

[michal91d]

I think Coldplay lost their spark with MOTS.
They try to be relevant, but if you look closely - they have big sales, #1 single, but in the past few years they were relevant thanks to themselves, now they are using others (BTS, Selena) and it will not work well in the future.
I really hope, that they will do something not for the masses, not just for the streams and sales. I don't think that without BTS or Selena the album would sell so many copies, but in my opinion they should focus on the quality of songs and they will sell many many more. I know that the music industry is now different than even a few years ago, but they still have potential to write their best album.
Watching that performance is painful, reading the comments too. For me comment sections screams: "hey Coldplay! it was nice (it was not), but we are here for BTS" and it saddens me. They still have a potential, they are still able to create good and interesting music, but now they are just making bad decisions*.

 

*vocal effect in Biutyful is one of them, because I caught myself humming the song a few times.

[Tarkovsky2]

 

BTS collaboration is the most fun thing on this album, and the best is probably Biutyful, at least for me. I think you can feel Chris's real excitement for the joy of this teenage song that MU is, and i think that is beautiful.  Too bad that for the rest of the songs, you cannot feel that honest excitement with the band. Looks like they are a bit lost with production polishes on this album, that you cannot hear their real inspiration to write these songs in the first place. Still i like the album, but i think that EL was full of little experiments(there still are some little bit boring songs there), and was hoping that they will continue to try things out song wise, not production wise.  Biutiful for me is such a nice song, and that is for me being free to not be serious or important or anything, just make something that you like, even if it is silly. I like it for that reason, and that one has emotion in it, and real joy of making music, at least for me. 

[Mylo Cecilia]

On 11/19/2021 at 4:16 PM, TealAppeal said:

Just noticed on Coldplay's YouTube channel they have a basic game you can play, they want folks to finish it so we can collectively repair the Alien Radio.

Saw some Easter eggs already... found this on the 2nd level. It's the poster from the documentary 

yep

Edited December 10, 2021 by Mylo Cecilia

[gustavothehuman]

Higher Power nominated for the Grammys!

[TheLostColdplayer]

Just a silly question.

Everyone seems very certain that Coldplay will release other two volumes from the MotS project. But how do we know? Why not just a second volume?

 

[Doomotron]

41 minutes ago, TheLostColdplayer said:

Just a silly question.

Everyone seems very certain that Coldplay will release other two volumes from the MotS project. But how do we know? Why not just a second volume?

 

In the music video for Higher Power, MOTS is described as being in 'three parts'... I am sure there are other reasons though.

[gustavothehuman]

2 hours ago, TheLostColdplayer said:

Just a silly question.

Everyone seems very certain that Coldplay will release other two volumes from the MotS project. But how do we know? Why not just a second volume?

 

Given the reception, maybe Vol.1 is the first and last.

[TheLostColdplayer]

9 hours ago, Doomotron said:

In the music video for Higher Power, MOTS is described as being in 'three parts'... I am sure there are other reasons though.

I knew of the video, but I'm pretty sure that this introduction refers to three videos for the three singles, all directed by Dave Meyers and set in the same universe.

8 hours ago, gustavothehuman said:

Given the reception, maybe Vol.1 is the first and last.

Ahahaha, nothing is impossible. But this summer Victoria Canal said she worked with them for the following record.

[only.your.imagination]

6 hours ago, TheLostColdplayer said:

I knew of the video, but I'm pretty sure that this introduction refers to three videos for the three singles, all directed by Dave Meyers and set in the same universe.

Ahahaha, nothing is impossible. But this summer Victoria Canal said she worked with them for the following record.

There was the handwritten message about Coloratura where Chris wrote vol. 1.

So there should be at least a second volume, otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to point out the information in my opinion... 

Things are more difficult to predict about a third volume however 

Edited November 24, 2021 by only.your.imagination

[gustavothehuman]

8 hours ago, TheLostColdplayer said:

Ahahaha, nothing is impossible. But this summer Victoria Canal said she worked with them for the following record.

they scrapped an entire version of X&Y before releasing what we know today, so discarding albums would definitely not something new

Edited November 24, 2021 by gustavothehuman

[CP-EST]

I doubt, that the concept of MotS volumes has ever been to produce same kind of stuff X 3. I don't see any reason at all, why they would do it. There is certainly something different coming up with possible next volumes.

But indeed, nothing official about the vol 2 or vol 3 yet. Just some pieces of information, which can be interpreted in different ways and some wishful thinking from fans is what we rely on. At least we know that this release so far was Vol I. From Earth with Love.

So far seems like Vol II has been From Critics with Hate. Anyway, I see some exaggeration with criticism and negative ratings at this point. The situation is actually roughly the same as AHFOD, it takes a stadium concert to make these songs shine.

[The Jordanator]

3 hours ago, CP-EST said:

I doubt, that the concept of MotS volumes has ever been to produce same kind of stuff X 3. I don't see any reason at all, why they would do it. There is certainly something different coming up with possible next volumes.

But indeed, nothing official about the vol 2 or vol 3 yet. Just some pieces of information, which can be interpreted in different ways and some wishful thinking from fans is what we rely on. At least we know that this release so far was Vol I. From Earth with Love.

So far seems like Vol II has been From Critics with Hate. Anyway, I see some exaggeration with criticism and negative ratings at this point. The situation is actually roughly the same as AHFOD, it takes a stadium concert to make these songs shine.

And a career-spanning documentary 

[Doomotron]

According to Spotify I am in the top 0.1% of Coldplay listeners... And yes, my most listened to Coldplay song was Coloratura (although it didn't make it into my top 10 or even 15 songs of the year on my Wrapped).

[TealAppeal]

Just learned Coldplay is live on BBC2, 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_two

 

I'm from the USA but I'm glad I can access it, was worried it was exclusive to the region 

[only.your.imagination]

Didn't know about this, thank you!

[TealAppeal]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00128fz

Here is the concert itself, guess I got the timing off, the concert came before the interview (see link I posted earlier if you wish to listen to the interview) :

The song set list is posted below if you wish to know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higher Power

Clocks

Midnight (intro only) // Fix You

Viva La Vida

Human Heart

People of the Pride

Yellow

My Universe

A Sky Full of Stars

   Coloratura

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by TealAppeal

[Doomotron]

A Sky Full Of Stars followed by Coloratura is quite frequent for these shows, isn't it? I guess it does make sense...

[jmujica]

1 hour ago, Doomotron said:

A Sky Full Of Stars followed by Coloratura is quite frequent for these shows, isn't it? I guess it does make sense...

Totally agreed!

And I’m convinced that some bits of Coloratura came from Ghost Stories era. 
The guitar solo has that “True Love” feeling, and indeed, the MOTS Part I is basically the same pad texture that is before “Always In My Head”.
When I listen MOTS I in some part of my mind I wait for the AIMH starting.

So… yes. It sound like a natural transition. Cheers Doomotron.

Edited December 8, 2021 by jmujica

[Doomotron]

5 minutes ago, jmujica said:

Totally agreed!

And I’m convinced that some bits of Coloratura came from Ghost Stories era. 
The guitar solo has that “True Love” feeling, and indeed, the MOTS Part I is basically the same pad texture that is before “Always In My Head”.
When I listen MOTS I in some part of my mind I wait for the AIMH starting.

So… yes. It sound like a natural transition. Cheers Doomotron.

I find that the transition between ASFOS and Coloratura is pretty much identical to the transition between Infinity Sign and Coloratura. They're both loud, party songs followed by the quieter, complex symphony that is Coloratura. My opinion on Infinity Sign when I first listened to MOTS was that I didn't know why it was there (especially when we were thinking IS was going to be Life Is Beautiful) and that the drum beat (?) was too loud. But over time, just like with Higher Power, I started to appreciate it more and now it's one of my favourites from the album. But more importantly, I feel IS is not just a good song, but integral to the success of Coloratura. Chris described the interlude tracks as palette-cleansers, and in a way IS is just a long palette-cleanser. On a full listen to the album, Coloratura would have stuck out like a sore thumb if it followed Biutyful and My Universe. Coloratura, like the nebula it represents, is so separate from the rest of the album it needed to be distinctively be apart for it to have its full effect.

A Sky Full Of Stars on Ghost Stories is in a similar position. The gap between Oceans and it is significant, and you get this explosion of music, followed by one of Coldplay's saddest songs, Fly On. And after that, there's a haunting hidden track. Maybe ASFOS is needed to separate Oceans and Fly On, or perhaps it represents something. I don't know.

And yes, I do agree the album does seem to take a lot from past albums. The interludes, MOTS1 and Alien Choir in particular, sound like they've come straight out of Mylo Xyloto - as does Humankind. Let Somebody Go and Human Heart feel a lot like Ghost Stories songs, and I think that applies to Infinity Sign as well. The only songs I think couldn't have been from an older album are Biutyful and Coloratura, but I think that's a good thing. Coloratura in particular is a song that couldn't possibly have been written by old Coldplay; it's just too complex, like how David Bowie could only have written his song Blackstar with the experience he'd had before. Similarly, Lazarus and I Can't Give Everything Away (the absolute final song in Bowie's discography), both from his final album Blackstar, could only have been written by Bowie in the position he was in when he wrote them. I'd also have said People Of The Pride is very different, but taking into account Arabesque's ending, it could easily have fit in Everyday Life. Still, it's one of my favourite Coldplay songs ever.

[CP-EST]

A Sky Full of Stars and Coloratura is the best combination to finish concert for now. For me A Sky Full of Stars has been getting more and more enjoyable, it has aged well and finally fits perfectly.

On the other hand Clocks-Fix You-VlV combination after Higher Power in this era feels very uninspiring and they seem like a programmed machine when they play these. Are they lazy, ashamed or afraid to try something else? This feels too much like a comfort zone. Other artists and bands change setlist up way more and rearrange songs a little. The most interesting pieces in setlists this era have been Everything's not Lost and Nothingman cover in Seattle. Also the acoustic version of Yellow has been great, but they should experiment with changing songs up and mixing setlist way more. I understand, that in each show 99% people are new and hearing that setlist might be a fresh experience, but for the band playing same old stuff like robots has got be boring. I'd like to think they keep all the great fresh ideas for the upcoming tour.

[marcofratini]

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but now higher power has really grown up in me. I’d put it on top of the album songs

[Westminster]

Higher Power is amazing, loved it from release. Especially the intro is great.

It really shines through the fact that some other songs are weak, lets be honest.