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

[gustavothehuman]

The hype already wore off to me since I listened to the album early and well... People are either completely loving or completely hating the album, I feel weird for being in a middle ground. Not their best effort but far from being their worst.

[eddmen]

18 minutes ago, Famous_Old_Painter said:

It's on spotify here, which country you're in?

Mexico here. Looks like it was due to time zone, not sure... The banner on Spotify said Now Available since 10/14 11 PM but the album wasn't there, it was until past midnight... Good thing I'm now playing on repeat.

[Famous Old Painter]

I’m digging it less with every listen, it has to be said

 

At least we have Coloratura

[eddmen]

Coloratura still the man who walks around owning the freaking lot... People of the Pride comes next and I'm really surprised by MOTS, great intro and it has those space vibes to me. Also I really liked ♾️, I was hoping to hear some lyrics, but the song is a mood booster to me and is one of my favorites kind-of-instrumental Coldplay's songs (1st place goes to Chinese Sleep Chant). I enjoyed the album, not a 10/10 to me but it has really good stuff in it and we have outstanding material for a world tour.

[The_Blue_Room]

1 hour ago, The_Blue_Room said:

Maybe once someone shares a CD rip I can download that instead.

I can confirm the CD has the correct versions.

[eddmen]

Also special thanks to the people behind the visuals we have on YouTube for each track that's just a piece of art. Is a different experience watching those along with the music. I hope we get the full video as in Ghost Stories era (I still enjoy watching it every once in a while)

[Famous_Old_Painter]

41 minutes ago, Dherlax said:

Brilliant

Coloratura 10/10

Music of the Spheres 9.5/10

 

Great

Humankind 7.5/10

People of the Pride 7/10

 

Good

Human Heart 6.5/10

Higher Power 6/10

Infinity Sign 6/10
 

Eh

Alien choir 5/10

Let Somebody Go 4.5/10

BAD

Biutyful 4/10

My Universe 3/10

MOTS2 3/10

Kinda agree with this.

[Famous_Old_Painter]

Humankind is a real grower, think it's gonna be number 2 after Coloratura for me soon. But I think they should have swapped places and have it straight after the intro.

[alexix7]

I think MOTS is on par with AHFOD. It has definitely better production, but on the other side, MOTS feels just like a collection of songs that band recorded over time and decided to put together on one album. Album is not cohesive, most songs feels out of place. Chris vocals are fantastic ( i will not comment Biutyful, really hate this type of vocals/music), but what bothers me is that the other members of band are really left behind on MOTS. Apart from Coloratura/ Humankind / POTP Jonny's contribution is almost non-existent. Guy's bass is very casual throughout album. But the biggest problem for me is Will's drumming. Even on Coloratura, he is playing so safe that i started wondering what has happened to him. On many songs he is using electric drums, which i really hate - OneRepublic started to use electric drums almost on every song and look where are they now, almost nobody cares about 1R in 2021. I must say i am really disappointed. No doubt World Tour will be great and one could say that album was made just for it. Song like Humankind and POTP will rock hard on crowded stadiums and it will be great spectacle to watch. I still have hopes for their next album, but they will need different producer and spend more time locked in studios together.

[ColdMartin]

Guys need to go back to their roots at this point. Give us something like Champion of The World

Edited October 15, 2021 by ColdMartin

[Essam]

We got the most brilliant closure they’ve ever done with infinity and coloratura but unfortunately in a forgettable album. 

For me most of the songs are good, just good nothing special except People of the pride. 
 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Essam

[only.your.imagination]

Ok I finally listened properly to the whole album. The premise is that now I have mixed feelings about MOTS as a whole: some songs have grown on me immediately, others I doubt will. I'm not gonna give grades to each song and I'll try to put into words some personal thoughts, especially about the songs we haven't listened before.

What strikes me the most is Guy's description of how they came out with Coloratura: with a minimum involvement of Max Martin. This makes absolutely sense as there is an incredible distance between that song and the others on the album. And I'm not saying this in terms of "Coloratura is better than the others", but in terms of "behind Coloratura I recognize the band of EL, of the first albums, of Moving to Mars etc..." even though, of course, the style is quite different because they have evolved. Coloratura also works well in counterbalancing the "poppiest songs" and to me is one of their best songs on their catalog.

I'm a bit disappointed by the studio version of People of the Pride, it lacks the energy which I definitely feel in the live performance. It is the same problem that to me has a song like Amsterdam: when you listen to the live, you ask yourself why the studio version is "watery" in comparison. However, I would be glad if they recorded a live version of People of the Pride on tour to overcome the issue. 

Humankind seems taken from MX era, and it surpassed my expectations; it reminded me DLIBYH in a positive way. I can imagine it played in a stadium, so I expect it to be on their setlist for the tour.

At the moment Biutyful hasn't grown on me, but maybe over time I will change my mind. It's just a matter of personal taste because I don't really like that effect with Chris's voice; I prefer the part where there is the harmonization of both voices. 

Among the three big collabs with female voices, Let somebody go is the one I prefer. It is not my favorite song on the album, but it works. 

Infinity sign: I can't understand if there are lyrics in the final part and If it is so, what are? 

MOTS I seems good, but the last interlude is too abrupt. I wish they managed to make these interludes more significant, because they have already proved in the past to have the potential to do it.

I wasn't expecting anything much different to what I've listened to (the real surprise was Humankind), because the direction of the album was clear since May. Overall it is not my cup of tea, but I have to recognize that they have made some steps ahead since AHFOD. I'm curious to see how this Vol 1 fits into the whole project of 3 volumes

Edited October 20, 2021 by only.your.imagination

[hardti]

4 hours ago, The_Blue_Room said:

Wow, so that's why I can't find a proper version! Unbelievable that they'd screw something like that up. Maybe once someone shares a CD rip I can download that instead.

I contacted Coldplay HQ, they answered that they have reported the issue.

[lndnsky]

Havent been here in 6 years. 

Just finished my first listen. I love it. It will never top my favoruite albums but Coloratura and People of The Pride can be compared with my top songs. Somehow the album gives me that Coldplay feeling I had looong time ago. I really liked Everyday Life, but as some of you said since the hype I havent actually listened to it. This one feels different. 

[HowCouldIForget]

2 hours ago, alexix7 said:

I think MOTS is on par with AHFOD. It has definitely better production, but on the other side, MOTS feels just like a collection of songs that band recorded over time and decided to put together on one album. Album is not cohesive, most songs feels out of place. Chris vocals are fantastic ( i will not comment Biutyful, really hate this type of vocals/music), but what bothers me is that the other members of band are really left behind on MOTS. Apart from Coloratura/ Humankind / POTP Jonny's contribution is almost non-existent. Guy's bass is very casual throughout album. But the biggest problem for me is Will's drumming. Even on Coloratura, he is playing so safe that i started wondering what has happened to him. On many songs he is using electric drums, which i really hate - OneRepublic started to use electric drums almost on every song and look where are they now, almost nobody cares about 1R in 2021. I must say i am really disappointed. No doubt World Tour will be great and one could say that album was made just for it. Song like Humankind and POTP will rock hard on crowded stadiums and it will be great spectacle to watch. I still have hopes for their next album, but they will need different producer and spend more time locked in studios together.

I'm very surprised by people saying MOTS doesnt feel cohesive. The common thread to me is that space sound- so many of the songs have prominent synths in them and there's this very humanist message on many tracks like Human Heart, Humankind and Coloratura about (you guessed it) the nature of humanity and acceptance of the self and others. Even People of the Pride has that, though I will admit that song seems out of place musically with how guitar-centric it is.

Ghost Stories has Midnight which sounds so different from everything else in its soundscapes, I was so hyped when I heard that as the first single and then disappointed with almost every other song on it. ASFoS is this super upbeat EDM track that is just a completely separate outlook and vibe. I know it's only on there because Chris insisted it be. 

AHFoD too! I complained about how jarring the difference between Birds and HftW was one right after the other and felt dismissed with "Well they do that on purpose, silly boy." Those two songs shouldn't even EXIST by the same band, not least on the same album. But they're right next to each other. It wasn't a problem then, why is it now?

MX did the same thing with PoC and UFO. That whole album was part acoustic, part alt rock, part pop. Like three completely different things in one. Loved the acoustic and alt rock parts and not more pop sounding ones.  

People can believe whatever they want but it doesn't make sense to me. I think it's cohesive but if it's not, this isn't exactly new.

 

 

Let Somebody Go, My Universe, Infinity Sign and Biytiful all use a drum machine I believe, though I'm not a percussion expert. Drums vs drum machines sound different. That's almost half the album. Not ideal. That said

I think every single song on GS used one, I can't think of any song on that album that had what sounded like actual drums. I do love the percussion on AiMH but I'm not convinced it's a drum set.

Pretty sure AHFoD, AoAL and Birds were drums but again, don't think anything else was. Can't tell with Amazing Day because Stargate ruined that song. I think the live version is drums and the studio version is a drum machine. Up&Up I'm blanking on. 

My point in this regard is not that it's good, just that it's not something new as it sounds like you're suggesting. Coldplay would have to fall into a volcano and be spit out into pieces to sound like new OneRepublic. Sidenote- Will's drumming is one of the main reasons I like MX as much as I do, despite the prevalent opinion about that album. I think it is both Will's and Jonny's best album, musically speaking. Will and Jonny on Hurts Like Heaven is awesomeness. 

Edited October 15, 2021 by HowCouldIForget

[Tarkovsky2]

The main thing is that people associate Coldplay's interested in pop as a way to earn more money and be more successful. You know how Chris like Bob Marley songs, and that his ultimate goal is to make that kind of simple songs that are as direct and last for ages. Of course, sometimes the songs only turn out a little bit more simple they should be or whatever but that is the way it is. If you listen really without prejudices, you feel he feels inspired in every one on these songs, even on MU, where on the chorus part you can really feel it, he is inspired to sing it. The rest of it is for us to decide, after few more listens, what did they eventually make, but they are still very inspired and not worn out as some crictics suggest making false storylines in their heads as they swap coldplay ambiotion to make timeless simple tunes with ambition to make more money.  

[Carrow]

Just finished my first listen and I HATE that Apple Music screwed up the song transitions - especially because the interlude tracks clearly flow into the next song on the tracklist. That aside, I really like this; it comes across as the band reconnecting with their pop instincts but it's a boldly experimental record even within those confines. Absolutely adore Coloratura and I'm glad I waited to hear it in context.

Humankind is going to be MASSIVE live, I feel like it could have worked as a single but I get why we only got two proper ones. Excited to listen again later!

[VCF]

A lot has already been said, so I’ll just give some quick thoughts :

• I’m baffled by some of the reviews on this album. Only 5 reviews in on Metacritic, but FIFTY ONE? Less than the horrendous mess that was AHFOD? It’s not the quality of Everyday Life by any means, but at least it has a top notch production on almost all tracks and is IMO way more interesting than AHFOD. I also like the singles more.
• I read a lot of thoughts on the album length, which is interesting given it’s not shorter than Parachutes or Ghost Stories and barely shorter than Viva. But I understand the record may suffer from the Coloratura effect (both its length and the fact it’s been released two months ago). It could have benefited from one more full song and scrapping the useless transitions that are Alien Choir and MOTS 2.
• I still need time to assess Humankind. I like Chris on the chorus. Looks like it might become a fan favorite from the latest records.
• Let Somebody Go is fine as the corny ballad we're used to on their recent records. Everglow/Fun with good production, though I prefer Fun overall (liked Tove Lo here). One think I like on this track is the Now My Feet Won’t Touch the Ground vibes on Chris vocals!
• People of the Pride is a letdown, given the hype after the live performances. Frustrating, but I still like the vibe overall (thanks to The Man Who Swears).
• I really like the dynamics between Angelina and Chris on Biutyful. Works better than the voiceover thing on Cry Cry Cry, looks like a proper duet with a fun bass (and again that very clean production). A nice surprise.
• Infinity Sign!!! Now that’s an instrumental.

In brief that’s a fine album. Something like a 6.5/10. It’s not Everyday Life, but I did not expect more. Coloratura is one the best Coldplay songs in their discography and that record should translate well during the World Tour.

On to the Vol 2!

S - Viva

A - Parachutes, AROBTTH

B - EL, X&Y

C - GS, MX, MOTS

Z - AHFOD

Edited October 15, 2021 by VCF

[GarbageOffice]

Couple of thoughts after a day of listening to the album:

The songs I have on repeat are Humankind, POTP, Biutyful and Infinity Sign. 

Just out of curiosity, I gave Life Is Beautiful another listen, and it sounds exactly like Humankind. I also can't help but notice the elements of the song in Infinity Sign, it actually sounds like the instrumental is building up to LIB / Humankind, try to follow them in a playlist and it's like the perfect match. Why is it not a hidden track to it at least? Arghhh it bugs me so much...

 

[ruffsnap]

Here's a quick, rough pitch-corrected edit of Biutyful with the chipmunk voice mitigated as much as I was able to.

Hopefully that gives a slight bit of peace of mind to those who hate the chipmunk voice lol. Personally I don't mind it at all, and it's one of my favorite songs off the album!

[jainharshul96]

Is there a recording of iHeart album release party? Or if it still available to watch? I can't find it

[United]

Coloratura and Human Heart are the best songs on the album for me. Humankind, People Of The Pride and Infinity Sign are good songs too.

Edited October 15, 2021 by United

[Krizer]

My take on the entire album:

I have listened to the album three times now from start to finish, and some songs on their own a lot more. I have listened to the songs as soon as they have come out / been played live, so my hype for the album wasn’t the biggest. I feel like Everyday Life was very well made overall, and it was to be expected that Coldplay would go into a more heavily produced and pop-oriented direction with this record. I think the artwork of the album has been pretty fitting to the sound of this album and looks great. I think that using emojis as some of the song names was a little weird, but I guess it’s a good reflection of the current time and world, and it is a pretty bold move by the band which I can respect. But I do hope it will not become a habit.

Below (in the spoiler part) are my feelings of every song one by one since it got kinda extensive, and a summary is in the end.

Spoiler

Music Of The Spheres - 7/10

A neat introduction to the overall vibe of this album. I don’t know if it’s just Spotify since I don’t have the physical copy yet, but the way this transitions to Higher Power, there is something a little off. This cuts out weirdly, and is not as smooth as it could be. I can already imagine in a live context this will be the moment of mass happiness and excitement, and this seems perfect for waiting the band to take the stage.

 

Higher Power - 8.5/10

It’s been quite a while since this came out. It didn’t click with me that much in the beginning from the teasers and when it comes to the first half of the song. But when I heard the full song, I was mesmerized by the bridge/outro. I’ve grown to like this track a lot more with time, and now especially hearing where it stands in the entire album. This is quite fitting for an album opener, and an even better live show opener. And speaking of that, the live version elevates this to a new height. I really like Will’s backing vocals and drumming here, but I always felt like they were kind of low in the studio mix, especially the ride cymbal.

 

Humankind - 7/10

If I had to pick a song from the album that has the most Coldplay-like vibe and sound overall, it would probably be this one. Something about the song reminds me of Thirty Seconds to Mars too. A steady song that is fun to listen to. Not a huge fan of the alien voices/sounds in the intro. Chris’ vocal performance is amazing here, especially his falsettos. The way this song transitions to Alien Choir is so smooth and nice. A stellar song, and it keeps up the upbeat sound that Higher Power initiated.

 

Alien Choir - 9/10

Massive Fix You vibes from this short piece of music. This goes to show that a short, instrumental transition song can be great too. It serves a purpose on the album, transitions smoothly from Humankind to Let Somebody Go and sounds beautiful on top. I like it a lot!

 

Let Somebody Go - 7.5/10

Okay another time I have to mention Will’s backing vocals. They fit in so well and sound gorgeous. Chris’ and Selena’s voices go well together, and I like the sad and longing atmosphere this song creates. I do feel like this resembles Fun (from A Head Full of Dreams) a lot though. Makes me think if we will hear this song live. Guy’s bass playing is top notch here.

 

Human Heart - 10/10

An absolute gem. A masterpiece. Gives me goosebumps every time. The kind of song where you just want to stop, close your eyes and take it all in. I am kinda speechless after this song every time I hear it. I was very amazed by this right away when they performed it in the Glastonbury stream. It’s crazy that with so little stuff in the song, they were able to make it sound so huge. At the moment, this stands out from the album the most for me, and this is probably my favourite song from the album at the moment.

 

People of The Pride - 9/10 [10/10 for the live version]

Okay first off, I’m so happy we got some heavier, more rocking Coldplay on this album. Can we take a moment to appreciate Will’s drumming, and Jonny’s guitar tone and playing in this tone? They really shine on this one. You just can’t stay still listening to this song. Also this song gives me some serious Muse vibes, and I absolutely love the music of Muse as well. I already had listened to the live versions before the album came out, and I loved this song immediately. Having said that though, I think the live version is a lot better. The mixing on the album version just takes away some of the rawness and energy of this song that live version has in my opinion. For example, Will’s drumming (especially toms and cymbals) just doesn’t have the same cut and power as the live version. Don’t get me wrong: Will’s drumming is absolutely top notch here, it’s just that I feel like the mix in the studio version is not as well made. I also prefer the clearer vocals of the intro in the live version over the faded vocals in the studio version’s intro. Chris’ vocals also seem to have a lot more power and cut in the live version. All in all, this song is amazing and the live version is even better. I really hope this song becomes be a live stable.

 

Biutyful - 2/10

I could see this one being the most “controversial” or “divisive” song in the album. My least favourite of this album. There are still elements that I like in this song, the instrumental seems alright. The lyrics are kind of cheesy and repetitive, and I don’t enjoy the vocals with heavy effects at all. I feel like this song doesn’t really have a climax or any specific part that stands out. I feel like there are so many other songs in this album that are a lot more unique and experimental while still maintaining a more clear connection to Coldplay’s overall sound and style. This song seems to miss something and seems a little out of place.

 

Music Of The Spheres 2 - 2/10

Like MOTS 1, the transition here to My Universe was not as smooth as it could have been. It cuts out weirdly. This could be an issue on the Spotify’s end, but most of the other transitions are flawless. Even if the transitions were smooth, this doesn’t really have much to it. This could have as well been the outro for Biutyful.

 

My Universe - 5.5/10

This song turned out a lot better than I had anticipated. I think they incorporated BTS pretty well into the song. Their vocals brought in some variety and depth to this song. Even though I don’t understand/remember what the Korean lyrics say, they seem to fit in. I am still unsure how I feel about the ending of the song. I am not the biggest fan of the lyrics in the chorus. In terms of the collaboration, Coldplay and BTS are well balanced. The live versions of this seem pretty promising and energetic so far too. 

 

Infinity Sign - 9.5/10

This took me by surprise. I was not ready for this one. This is one of my favourites on the entire album. I want to hear more “instrumental” Coldplay tracks from now on. The song builds up steadily into this massive and beautiful sound. The background vocals/choir towards the end of the song are gorgeous. I’ve had this song on repeat the most probably. I really wish they perform this live. A nice upbeat moment before the final track.

 

Coloratura - 10/10

I think the best way to describe this song is by using the word “art”. This is probably one of the all time most creative and unique Coldplay songs recorded. This song shows that they still have massive amounts of creativity. The live versions seem even better. Will’s backing vocals are absolutely stunning, and his drumming is way more complex than I would have expected. I really enjoy Jonny’s use of guitar effects and Guy’s bass tone as well. The guitar solo, which really reminds me of Moving to Mars, is awesome. The buildup to the climax and sing-along is very well done. An all around amazing song. Like Infinity Sign, I really wish to hear this one live. As an album closer, I think this is really fitting and up there (with O and Death and All His Friends, which are my other favourite album closers). I would say this a perfect mixture of modern and experimental Coldplay.

Summary and final thoughts:

I was pleasantly surprised by this album, but I still have mixed feelings. This album has very high highs, but some lower lows. I liked Everyday Life a lot, but I would say about a half of the songs just didn’t really speak to me, whereas half on EL were some of the best songs Coldplay has ever made. I think Music Of The Spheres is more polished when it comes to the flow of the album and the songs fitting together overall. I think this record gives every member moments to shine. I am very happy about Will’s contribution: I feel like his backing vocals are very well utilized, and his drumming has developed a huge amount. Chris' vocals were really stellar, but some of the lyrics seemed kinda cheesy. Guy and Jonny were very well mixed in the tracks, and their contributions are apparent and impressive as usual. If I had to pick favourites from this album they would be Human Heart, Coloratura, People of The Pride, and Infinity Sign. These songs show Coldplay can make so much more than just "catchy pop songs", and they really shine at experimenting. I am proud of them and they did a great job on this album overall.

I hope Coldplay keeps experimenting, and that they would not stay too deeply focused on the pop direction they have been on with MX/AHFOD/MOTS. I definitely prefer MOTS over AHFOD and MX. I understand that not every album can be as raw and toned down as Ghost Stories and Everyday Life, but I hope they go back to that type of approach on some of the upcoming albums. Can’t wait to see what the tour brings to us, many of the songs in this record seem like a great fit to live stages!

Edited October 16, 2021 by Krizer

[United]

10 hours ago, JackColdplay said:

My final comment, I can’t even be bothered to remember the “gospel” song on the last album, or the “gospely” song on the latest album, featuring 2 other artists. Totally forgettable and skippable. If I wanted to listen to gospel music, I’d listen to the crème de la crème gospel music, the masterpieces of that genre, not Chris’ wacky idea that results in a far below average song slotted into a disjointed bizarre album. Surely Jonny, Guy and Will just say, “eff it, ok Chris, we’re loaded anyway”? Phil’s just there for the ride. 

Couldn't disagree any more. "When I Need A Friend" and "Human Heart" are amongst the most beautiful Coldplay songs. Also "Human Heart" is Will's favorite song on the album.

Edited October 15, 2021 by United

[jphantom]

I don't know what everyone who was giving their review after the leak was drinking. This album is pretty good, dare I say good enough to be on par with Ghost Stories and maybe right under MX. Y'all are acting like we were expecting a follow up to Parachutes or AROBTH.