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

[jmujica]

1 hour ago, TheLostColdplayer said:

As you all said in previous comments this discussion is becoming really exciting!

It would be interesting to compare this album with the other space-influenced Coldplay album, X&Y. The multi-layered synths there sound really spacey and there are several references to outer space:

1) the album begins with that 2001: A Space Odissey motif in "Square One". The song also features the lines "the space in which we're travelling" and "is there anybody out there, who's lost and hurt and lonely too?"

2) "White Shadows" is a masterpiece of a song and there is a line which perfectly fits with Coldplay's current vision of humanity: "You're part of the human race, all of the stars and the outer space. Part of a system, a plan". Not to mention the synths.

3) Kraftwerk's influence on "Talk" is in its spacey guitars and atmosphere. The song refers to a "ladder up to the sun" one could climb. Also the video ties perfectly with the space concept. Again, the concept of loneliness and lack of comunication seems to reinforce the outer space idea.

3) X&Y continues with that sound and features "You and me are drifting into outer space".

4) Then we have: "Look up, I look up at night / Planets are moving at the speed of light" in "Speed of Sound".

5) Brian Eno contributes synths to "Low" and he probably bought them at some alien fair, as they really lift the song up to the stars.

6) Twisted Logic also refers to a time "Hundreds of years in the future" when "There could be computers / Looking for life on earth".

X&Y might not be my favourite Coldplay album, but it's a really good one and certainly a wonderful space journey.

 

X&Y is an incredible album. A balanced adventure between space and humanity lyrics, that “acoustic” thing (from early Coldplay), and synth/pads with exquisite presence. And the first with an alphabet in it.

But even that, there is an interview (that I can’t find it again now) when Chris confessed that is their worst album, not because of the songs, but because it was “bad recorded”. For me it’s a masterpiece.

A particular contradiction, is that Twisted Logic was never performed live. In a performance of Chris with talented kids doing this song, Chris said that they never figured out how to do it live… they can did Coloratura, but not Twisted Logic ?

Anyway, thanks TheLostColdplayer for bringing X&Y to the light again!.

 

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

17 hours ago, CP-EST said:

I do agree, that at the beginning MOTS seemed like it will be some connected concept story in space. The marketing turned out to be a bit confusing. Eventually it turned out that the Spheres are only a safe space to express themselves about experiences and issues on Earth, nothing more. Although this is also potentially a good concept, I would have expected a bit more controversial and deeper thoughts to be said in songs. So far with vol1 they haven't used the actual potential of this concept. Also the connections between the planets and songs are too vague indeed. It's just a bunch of love songs, like Chris said.

On the other hand, sound and atmosphere of this record has quite strong spacey elements and vibes. So production actually achieves the potential of connecting the music and the concept throughout the album in my opinion.

I don't have too high expectations for possible next volumes having more depth in songs. Still it will be interesting to see if next volumes will be extension further into space and becoming more bold and experimental or it will be some kind of response to the songs on vol 1.  

What I actually hope for next volume is some outrageous and weird space musical, just because Chris in one of the interiews or podcasts talked about potential musical and new song called "Weirdo" for it.

Vol2 - From space with rage!

I’ve arrived to back you up. I feel completely the same about MOTS. When Coloratura came out, it really did feel like the happy ending to a story we hadn’t been told yet, one where there was a big space war with some people dying but ultimately togetherness wins. Instead, most of the songs have an opportunity to advance the plot but don’t. Yes, People of the Pride established the existence of a villain. But Higher Power is just like “something is vaguely bad and I don’t feel good but I like you!” Humankind is somewhat about humans being good. LSG is about missing someone. HH is mostly about gender roles and Biutyful is also rather vague. MU is “something is preventing us from being together but let’s do it anyways”. I love most or all of the songs on the album and they do have space related lyrics but they really don’t paint any kind of plot or picture. 
 

Further, I would argue MX has more plot in its little finger than MOTS. HLH and Charlie Brown, and to some extent Paradise accomplish a surprising amount of world building. There’s references to graffiti on the bridge in the park, stealing a car and the lost boys. In HLH it’s all about running around nervous because you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing but the streets are ours. The girl in Paradise. In UATW and ETIAW there’s a clear sense of togetherness against political oppression. MM through UIF describe a villain and getting defeated. AHT/DLIBYH and UWTB are about feeling okay despite the crappy happenings of chapter 2. 
 

It’s not that MX had a fully fleshed out linear storyline but I really do think the lyrics and music communicate so much more! Even VLV and X&Y have a bit more of a journey. 

[WhiteShadow7]

1 hour ago, TheLostColdplayer said:

As you all said in previous comments this discussion is becoming really exciting!

It would be interesting to compare this album with the other space-influenced Coldplay album, X&Y. The multi-layered synths there sound really spacey and there are several references to outer space:

1) the album begins with that 2001: A Space Odissey motif in "Square One". The song also features the lines "the space in which we're travelling" and "is there anybody out there, who's lost and hurt and lonely too?"

2) "White Shadows" is a masterpiece of a song and there is a line which perfectly fits with Coldplay's current vision of humanity: "You're part of the human race, all of the stars and the outer space. Part of a system, a plan". Not to mention the synths.

3) Kraftwerk's influence on "Talk" is in its spacey guitars and atmosphere. The song refers to a "ladder up to the sun" one could climb. Also the video ties perfectly with the space concept. Again, the concept of loneliness and lack of comunication seems to reinforce the outer space idea.

3) X&Y continues with that sound and features "You and me are drifting into outer space".

4) Then we have: "Look up, I look up at night / Planets are moving at the speed of light" in "Speed of Sound".

5) Brian Eno contributes synths to "Low" and he probably bought them at some alien fair, as they really lift the song up to the stars.

6) Twisted Logic also refers to a time "Hundreds of years in the future" when "There could be computers / Looking for life on earth".

X&Y might not be my favourite Coldplay album, but it's a really good one and certainly a wonderful space journey.

 

I want to add something to this. I think the concept of X&Y is one of the strongest and most powerful. The simplistic "cliched" lines followed up by paradoxal lyrics makes it so much more saying than at least half of the songs in MOTS. I think X&Y really framed their view on problems and how they approach them from a space perspective.

Moreover, it feels so so genuine and authentic to me. Especially when you realize that they were looking for a light in the darkness those time. And the instrumentals and vocals support the lyrics and theme in a very lovely way. 

 

[only.your.imagination]

I love all tour previous comment

4 hours ago, WhiteShadow7 said:

I want to add something to this. I think the concept of X&Y is one of the strongest and most powerful. The simplistic "cliched" lines followed up by paradoxal lyrics makes it so much more saying than at least half of the songs in MOTS. I think X&Y really framed their view on problems and how they approach them from a space perspective.

Moreover, it feels so so genuine and authentic to me. Especially when you realize that they were looking for a light in the darkness those time. And the instrumentals and vocals support the lyrics and theme in a very lovely way. 

 

And that's why X&Y is my favourite album of theirs. Because when you listen it, you simply trascend to another dimension. At least, that is true for me. One doesn't think "oh, this album is about space, galaxy, planets" while listening; obviously there are hints to those themes (both in the lyrics and in the melodies), but it is more an experience of being transported away from where you are. 

In the hindsight, it may be that X&Y is so powerful because it represents a very complex period for the band: it seems as if they captured the difficulties they were in and tried to lift themselves out of what was happening.

I think that in MOTS they managed to recreate the magic of being "transported to another dimension" in Coloratura and in Infinity sign; other songs which still I like (Humankind or People of the pride for example) to me lack this element a bit.  

4 hours ago, MosesTheMarshmallow said:

I love most or all of the songs on the album and they do have space related lyrics but they really don’t paint any kind of plot or picture. 

It seems as if each song is a piece of a different story. It would be interesting if vol 2 or 3 somehow continued all the potential stories started in vol. 1... who knows!

Btw I love reading all these opinions

[lennyrott1]

To continue showering on the praise for X&Y, perhaps at the expense of of MOTS, I think the album does do a better job of giving a spacey feel than MOTS overall and I agree that the instrumentation is incredible -- Jonny has some sort of solo on nearly every song. The songs both simultaneously feel ambient and open while also having rich rock instrumentation. Guy and Will really take a step forward on that record. 

But the part of X&Y I want to highlight is how catchy it is! I know people argue over Oldplay vs. Newplay, but Oldplay had major pop appeal -- it's why people hated on them so much back then. The chorus and hooks on Square One, Talk, The Hardest Part, Speed of Sound, A Message, Fix You... all of those songs get stuck in your head. Now fast forward to MOTS, and what exactly is an earworm? I guess Higher Power a tiny bit, MU is too but it's SO repetitive, Humankind is also solid here. I think what concerns me with newer Coldplay is that the consistency in songwriting isn't there. Chris isn't writing as many "classics" and at this point, I'd say Coloratura is the only song on MOTS that's left a lasting impact on the majority of fans. And usually I don't care if the songs don't feel classic if they deliver good instrumentation, but on MOTS most of the instrumentals are sleepers for me.

EDIT: Want to be clear that it's silly to make a 1x1 comparison between these two albums that are 16 years apart. The musical style is gonna change. But my argument is that the catchiness and pop appeal have faded for me.

Edited November 18, 2021 by lennyrott1

[CP-EST]

Although X&Y is great album, songwriting is very strong throughout the album and Chris has a lot to say lyrically, I feel like there isn't much enjoyment shining through it (which was the actual case as we know). It almost feels like the ideas and the sounds were forced out and creatively doing a favour for someone else. Chris' singing on it and all band kind of starts sounding monotone very soon for me. It's very catchy, but it wears out and begs for change. It goes in a pattern of fast song->slow song->fast song... until at some point it kind of gets all samey. Luckily there is Til Kingdom Come at the end giving a bit different tone.

All of it isn't necessarily a bad thing, the same things actually contribute to this album in a good way also, making it a good coherent listen. But it's a sound of great ambitious band put in a certain box, writing great songs and producing them in a very restricted way. Almost like having the actual ideas of a full songs beforehand and then violating the song ideas until they please someone else. In the end delivering an album, which ends up sounding perfect, but which doesn't actually bring that many new and different sounding songs for live performances.

In summary, X&Y is something to listen, when I want to feel in a certain spacey comfort zone and listen to good music, which doesn't change much for an hour.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's one of their best albums, but I'm very happy, that as band they found a way out of this era and became creatively more free and happier. Making live shows as great, diverse and energetic as they can and bringing people together seems to be the main thing driving them still. So, we're lucky, that they still have some ambition and creativity in them to change and progress, not going into comfort zone and sound like a nostalgia act. 

In a nutshell, is X&Y better album than MOTS? Absolutely. But could it deliver anything interesting to their live shows at this point like MOTS did? No. There are still some X&Y songs, which have much potential to fill some spaces in setlist, when reworked a bit. But you've got to accept, their new stuff has different kind of catchiness, which becomes way more alive in live performances. While the catchiness from most of the X&Y songs is very static and doesn't transform into live performances that well.

[The Jordanator]

1 hour ago, CP-EST said:

Although X&Y is great album, songwriting is very strong throughout the album and Chris has a lot to say lyrically, I feel like there isn't much enjoyment shining through it (which was the actual case as we know). It almost feels like the ideas and the sounds were forced out and creatively doing a favour for someone else. Chris' singing on it and all band kind of starts sounding monotone very soon for me. It's very catchy, but it wears out and begs for change. It goes in a pattern of fast song->slow song->fast song... until at some point it kind of gets all samey. Luckily there is Til Kingdom Come at the end giving a bit different tone.

All of it isn't necessarily a bad thing, the same things actually contribute to this album in a good way also, making it a good coherent listen. But it's a sound of great ambitious band put in a certain box, writing great songs and producing them in a very restricted way. Almost like having the actual ideas of a full songs beforehand and then violating the song ideas until they please someone else. In the end delivering an album, which ends up sounding perfect, but which doesn't actually bring that many new and different sounding songs for live performances.

In summary, X&Y is something to listen, when I want to feel in a certain spacey comfort zone and listen to good music, which doesn't change much for an hour.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's one of their best albums, but I'm very happy, that as band they found a way out of this era and became creatively more free and happier. Making live shows as great, diverse and energetic as they can and bringing people together seems to be the main thing driving them still. So, we're lucky, that they still have some ambition and creativity in them to change and progress, not going into comfort zone and sound like a nostalgia act. 

In a nutshell, is X&Y better album than MOTS? Absolutely. But could it deliver anything interesting to their live shows at this point like MOTS did? No. There are still some X&Y songs, which have much potential to fill some spaces in setlist, when reworked a bit. But you've got to accept, their new stuff has different kind of catchiness, which becomes way more alive in live performances. While the catchiness from most of the X&Y songs is very static and doesn't transform into live performances that well.

100% agree with this, although I would rate MOTS above X&Y for the very reasons stated here. 
 

[TheBigBadBono]

1 hour ago, CP-EST said:

Although X&Y is great album, songwriting is very strong throughout the album and Chris has a lot to say lyrically, I feel like there isn't much enjoyment shining through it (which was the actual case as we know). It almost feels like the ideas and the sounds were forced out and creatively doing a favour for someone else. Chris' singing on it and all band kind of starts sounding monotone very soon for me. It's very catchy, but it wears out and begs for change. It goes in a pattern of fast song->slow song->fast song... until at some point it kind of gets all samey. Luckily there is Til Kingdom Come at the end giving a bit different tone.

All of it isn't necessarily a bad thing, the same things actually contribute to this album in a good way also, making it a good coherent listen. But it's a sound of great ambitious band put in a certain box, writing great songs and producing them in a very restricted way. Almost like having the actual ideas of a full songs beforehand and then violating the song ideas until they please someone else. In the end delivering an album, which ends up sounding perfect, but which doesn't actually bring that many new and different sounding songs for live performances.

In summary, X&Y is something to listen, when I want to feel in a certain spacey comfort zone and listen to good music, which doesn't change much for an hour.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's one of their best albums, but I'm very happy, that as band they found a way out of this era and became creatively more free and happier. Making live shows as great, diverse and energetic as they can and bringing people together seems to be the main thing driving them still. So, we're lucky, that they still have some ambition and creativity in them to change and progress, not going into comfort zone and sound like a nostalgia act. 

In a nutshell, is X&Y better album than MOTS? Absolutely. But could it deliver anything interesting to their live shows at this point like MOTS did? No. There are still some X&Y songs, which have much potential to fill some spaces in setlist, when reworked a bit. But you've got to accept, their new stuff has different kind of catchiness, which becomes way more alive in live performances. While the catchiness from most of the X&Y songs is very static and doesn't transform into live performances that well.

My issue with X&Y is that the songs by themselves are amazing. The melodies and instrumentation from songs like Swallowed in the Sea, White Shadows, Low, Twisted Logic, etc. are some of the best they've ever made. But listening to it an album, the flaws become apparent because each song, while great, is admittedly a bit formulaic. Each song barring some like the closing track basically follows a structure like intro -> first chorus -> first verse -> bigger second chorus -> quiet bridge -> guitar solo/thrashing cimax -> final chorus, this time more stripped down. And each song trying to be the biggest it can be is admittedly a bit tiring. I also think this is the weak point of Chris' lyrics. In the first two records the lyrics were incredibly personal and touching, but here some of them are a bit... yeah, not that good. There are some great lyrics but just as many bad ones. 

Also - why were the best songs relegated to the B-Sides? Gravity, Things I Don't Understand, The World Turned Upside Down, Sleeping Sun, and even HYSTW 2 could have provided the record with some variety but they weren't included.

[IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8]

Why so many MU remixes? Another one!

[gustavothehuman]

1 hour ago, IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8 said:

Why so many MU remixes? Another one!

Promo. My Universe still is the current single, if I remember correctly we should get the next one around January. As for December, I don't think it will be very crowded for them, we have Christmas after all.

[gustavothehuman]

I think I said this before here but the biggest problem to me is the Oldplay x Newplay debacle. I feel like the band might think making stuff like Arabesque, Coloratura, etc. is pandering to the crowd that mindlessly repeats "Oldplay is better" until the end of time, hence why they show up less often. We need to praise those songs for what they are: new amazing pieces that show artistic growth, that's how we encourage them to lean towards that side more, not by going "it's good because it sounds like the stuff you made back in 2005 when your mind and relationships were completely f***ed up".

Edited November 19, 2021 by gustavothehuman

[Almasmoothie]

My first listen, when the album went out, was god-awful. About a month later I tried to go with no expectations at all and it was even worse.

I think that the main problem with the new album or Newplay generally is that they try to be super-positive about everything. I can imagine Chris being with someone totally out of tune and say "You are so talented, man, that's amazing!". I live in Eastern Europe and I miss that critizism towards others and themselves they previously had. They should put their foot down and say "no, that's not gonna happen, it's just not Coldplay". Yet they go with this "never say no to anything"-agenda.

I'm sure Chris knows that his lyrics aren't the best in the world. They have always felt like they try to build a lego house while the pieces are "birds", "sky", "amazing" etc. But this isn't why we listen to Coldplay. I've enjoyed thet beautiful wall of sounds, which are experimental and sound real. But now it has been replaced by some synth sounds that Chris probably thought was "super cool sound", that they can't play live without a backing track. 

And it's amazing how they can flop their nice concept of a space album with so terribly bland songs, half of them being interludes. I feel like I'm wasting my life, because I haven't listened through all the Bowies songs, instead I'm here and listen to musical genius (I really think that Chris has amazing songwriting abilities) trying to be 15. 
 

Life is too short to be that boring.

[HowCouldIForget]

18 hours ago, TheBigBadBono said:

My issue with X&Y is that the songs by themselves are amazing. The melodies and instrumentation from songs like Swallowed in the Sea, White Shadows, Low, Twisted Logic, etc. are some of the best they've ever made. But listening to it an album, the flaws become apparent because each song, while great, is admittedly a bit formulaic. Each song barring some like the closing track basically follows a structure like intro -> first chorus -> first verse -> bigger second chorus -> quiet bridge -> guitar solo/thrashing cimax -> final chorus, this time more stripped down. And each song trying to be the biggest it can be is admittedly a bit tiring. I also think this is the weak point of Chris' lyrics. In the first two records the lyrics were incredibly personal and touching, but here some of them are a bit... yeah, not that good. There are some great lyrics but just as many bad ones. 

Also - why were the best songs relegated to the B-Sides? Gravity, Things I Don't Understand, The World Turned Upside Down, Sleeping Sun, and even HYSTW 2 could have provided the record with some variety but they weren't included.

This hits on a lot of my criticism of X&Y as well. 

Obviously, Jonny's guitar playing was amazing on that album. But the lyrics, I mean...What If and Swallowed in the Sea have to be two of their worst in that regard. SitS is painful.

I agree with an earlier comment that said the music is not mixed very well. I would enjoy songs like White Shadows and Fix You much more if there was greater instrument separation like on VlV. When the songs go big it's synth/piano, guitar and drums all coming down at once.

X&Y feels very bloated and I'm sure it's the reason they created the whole "42 minute rule." Reminds me of Hail to the Thief in that regard, which came out a year before. There are several songs that could be taken off without affecting my overall score for the album very much. More, it turns out, is not always better.

It's also the one album that doesn't have a quintessential Coldplay song to me. All the others do.

[Parachutes- Sparks], [ARoBttH- Clocks, The Scientist, Warning Sign], [VlVoDaAHF- Cemeteries of London, VlV, DaAHF], [Mylo- Hurts Like Heaven, U.F.O., Us Against the World], [Ghost Stories- O], [AHFoD- Birds], [Everyday Life- Trouble in Town, Arabesque, Daddy, Eko], [MotS- Coloratura]

Twisted Logic is close to that for me but I don't quite consider it in the Top 10 songs conversation like those above. Although It has only grown on me since I first heard the album in 2006, so it may be there one day.  Incredible song that is one of their most underrated, I think. Love the highly political lyrics and guitar/bass.

I remember reading a note from Rik Simpson I believe during the Viva era. He said something like the best songs from the sessions should be there, "If it means ten ballads and a heavy metal track, so be it. But that's not how the band feels and we have to respect that." It wasn't until MX that they started putting very contrasting styles of music together. Maybe Coldplay's most rock-sounding song in Major Minus followed directly by the electropop/R&B PoC. They wanted X&Y to sound cohesive musically and it does. Their first three albums, in particular, do.

X&Y is a great album but I get the distinct impression that the critical and commercial success of ARotBttH created an immense amount of stress for the band. Also, they were the top selling artist on a failing music label. I remember how much money EMI lost when they had to delay the release of X&Y. We might've gotten a better album, at least lyrically, with more time. Thinking Chris dealt with some writer's block during this era and that explains the disparity in the quality of the lyrics.

MotS and X&Y are very different for me, despite being back to back in my rankings.

Edited November 19, 2021 by HowCouldIForget

[TealAppeal]

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 

[TealAppeal]

This one's from the 3rd planet/level. I dunno what it says.

[LisaFeehily]

Is this actually the official video?

 

[johnnymax8652]

On 11/19/2021 at 8:18 PM, TealAppeal said:

This one's from the 3rd planet/level. I dunno what it says.

"nobody said it was easy"

[Doomotron]

4 hours ago, LisaFeehily said:

Is this actually the official video?

 

I doubt it.

[driftaguy]

On 11/21/2021 at 5:39 AM, LisaFeehily said:

Is this actually the official video?

 

Clearly not

[CP-EST]

Although studio version is ok and Coldplay performing it alone has been pretty fine actually, is this the most embarrassing performance ever for Coldplay? I mean all the instrumentation is barely audible and then there is just 7 guys jumping and saying something randomly into microphone like monkeys. Please, Chris you are 44 already, one of the best frontman in the world, what are you doing in the middle of these unprofessional performers?

 

[gustavothehuman]

32 minutes ago, CP-EST said:

Although studio version is ok and Coldplay performing it alone has been pretty fine actually, is this the most embarrassing performance ever for Coldplay? I mean all the instrumentation is barely audible and then there is just 7 guys jumping and saying something randomly into microphone like monkeys. Please, Chris you are 44 already, one of the best frontman in the world, what are you doing in the middle of these unprofessional performers?

 

the performance was fine, it was AMAs sound engineer who was shit, just check some phone recordings from people that were there

[CP-EST]

40 minutes ago, gustavothehuman said:

the performance was fine, it was AMAs sound engineer who was shit, just check some phone recordings from people that were there

Yea, in phone recordings it was just buried in this noise, how shit this performance was. And it's not all about a sound, it's just the whole package, it was a total mess by Coldplay standards, this shouldn't happen again.

[IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8]

It felt really lackluster, felt lack of energy too. 

[gustavothehuman]

3 hours ago, CP-EST said:

Yea, in phone recordings it was just buried in this noise, how shit this performance was. And it's not all about a sound, it's just the whole package, it was a total mess by Coldplay standards, this shouldn't happen again.

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 ?

[Westminster]

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...