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


stephen

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Why hello everyone! :wacko: 

I can't believe we're finally here! MOTS is out!!! :awesome:  I listened to it about 5 times I think yesterday. They've done it again, they put out a truly surprising record. :wacky: What stands out is how bold it is, they've made bold choices and therefore it is only normal that opinions are divided. 

The flaws imo:

I do think the flow is less optimal than usual, which is a surprise because that's truly something they have mastered for a while now, a signature of their albums. I do think also that depending on the platform/version you listen to, there are lots of differences, I've read lots of different comments about that. It's also an album that feels too short, like a big EP with transitions and en epic finale. It's missing one or two full length regular songs.  Also it's literally 2 seconds short of 42 minutes. I'd like to know who's responsible for that. :angry:

The tracklisting is a bit off as well - why put Let Somebody go before Human Heart ? It's just weird.

The mix also forgets Jonny but I am hopeful for a live album to come out after/during the tour to really let him shine - we know from the first live performances that his contributions to the new songs are, as always, full of great ideas and just brilliant. I do understand them wanting to be bolder in where the songs lead and therefore perhaps having to go away from their core in order to do so. But Jonny is too good to be silenced. :wacky: 

Let Somebody Go is a skip for me, it just doesn't do much for me, i don't feel the band really being fully committed to it somehow. Not a good idea as a single either I think. But i've seen lots of people actually enjoying it so that's great!!!

That's about it for me regarding the things that kind of bother me.

Now onto the great stuff! :awesome::dance: 

The Live potential of that album. My oh my!!!! :dazzled:  I see it in the way as AHFOD, or Mylo for lots of people when it came out. You may not see it as a great album for now if you're not a fan of the mix or the production choices overall. But there are many tracks, more than I had anticipated, here, that are reminiscent of concerts or straight up made for the tour (HP, Humankind, POTP, MU, Infinity, Coloratura). They will likely become iconic live moments and that will make the abum experience much deeper.

I love how they are just being bolder and bolder with each album. This is just as bold as EL but in the complete other direction musically - which was to be anticipated of course. On first listen I was genuinely suprised by songs like Humankind, Beautiful (lol screw that dumb title) or Infinity sign (do NOT get me started on this ICONIC track!!!!) or POTP, even after seeing it live on Taratata. And while I do not find the transitions to be so great, they do make for a more interesting experience.

An interesting aspect of MOTS vol1 is how it seems to actually reference previous Coldplay work. There's Infinity sign of course which directly samples their own concert. But Alien Choir is also VERY Fix You. I remember the first time hearing MOTS the intro I thought it was AIMH. And Coloratura feels like the fully finished potential of MTM. It's very cool.

And when the lyrics lack depth or inspiration, they make up for it with really cool hooks in the melody (Humankind, the B song). I dare you not to have the B song stuck in your head at some point. It's impossible :laugh3:

Coloratura really shines through as the most epic, best track since DAAHF for me. The entire album is worth it just for this track. It is Coldplay at their best, in every single aspect.

Overall I think the album has real shiny, brilliant, incredible moments of epicness. It is uneven, yes, but it's another big optimistic giant mess with an incredible variety of genres and layers and it is a wildly entertaining ride. Like AHFOD, I'm not sure I'll listen to it much as an album after the era, but I will definitely have some strong attachment to particular songs, and that group will go bigger once I get to experience the tour.

Finally I would also like to point out that most artists of their scales who have recently been making a comeback.....are doing the exact same thing they've always done. It's working commercially but it's frankly uninspiring. I'm really proud of Coldplay for going their own way, for standing out. It is what makes them special and timeless.

My favourite songs so far : Coloratura, Infinity sign, Human heart. I think those will stand the test of time for my ears and heart. :wacky: 

I'm going to post in each thread now ok see you :awesome: :dazzled: 

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11 minutes ago, Famous Old Painter said:

I don’t want music that sounds like what they were doing 20 years ago. Coloratura came out this year, Everyday Life less than two years ago. I want stuff that sounds like what they’re capable of doing now, and they’re clearly capable of a lot better than the bulk of MOTS. 

Yes, exactly. As they said, old stuff is there for people to listen to. That's fine. We don't necessarily want another Parachutes or AROBTTH. They can experiment with new sounds and new ways to make music and still do it better.

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20 minutes ago, Coeurli said:

Why hello everyone! :wacko: 

I can't believe we're finally here! MOTS is out!!! :awesome:  I listened to it about 5 times I think yesterday. They've done it again, they put out a truly surprising record. :wacky: What stands out is how bold it is, they've made bold choices and therefore it is only normal that opinions are divided. 

The flaws imo:

I do think the flow is less optimal than usual, which is a surprise because that's truly something they have mastered for a while now, a signature of their albums. I do think also that depending on the platform/version you listen to, there are lots of differences, I've read lots of different comments about that. It's also an album that feels too short, like a big EP with transitions and en epic finale. It's missing one or two full length regular songs.  Also it's literally 2 seconds short of 42 minutes. I'd like to know who's responsible for that. :angry:

The tracklisting is a bit off as well - why put Let Somebody go before Human Heart ? It's just weird.

The mix also forgets Jonny but I am hopeful for a live album to come out after/during the tour to really let him shine - we know from the first live performances that his contributions to the new songs are, as always, full of great ideas and just brilliant. I do understand them wanting to be bolder in where the songs lead and therefore perhaps having to go away from their core in order to do so. But Jonny is too good to be silenced. :wacky: 

Let Somebody Go is a skip for me, it just doesn't do much for me, i don't feel the band really being fully committed to it somehow. Not a good idea as a single either I think. But i've seen lots of people actually enjoying it so that's great!!!

That's about it for me regarding the things that kind of bother me.

Now onto the great stuff! :awesome::dance: 

The Live potential of that album. My oh my!!!! :dazzled:  I see it in the way as AHFOD, or Mylo for lots of people when it came out. You may not see it as a great album for now if you're not a fan of the mix or the production choices overall. But there are many tracks, more than I had anticipated, here, that are reminiscent of concerts or straight up made for the tour (HP, Humankind, POTP, MU, Infinity, Coloratura). They will likely become iconic live moments and that will make the abum experience much deeper.

I love how they are just being bolder and bolder with each album. This is just as bold as EL but in the complete other direction musically - which was to be anticipated of course. On first listen I was genuinely suprised by songs like Humankind, Beautiful (lol screw that dumb title) or Infinity sign (do NOT get me started on this ICONIC track!!!!) or POTP, even after seeing it live on Taratata. And while I do not find the transitions to be so great, they do make for a more interesting experience.

An interesting aspect of MOTS vol1 is how it seems to actually reference previous Coldplay work. There's Infinity sign of course which directly samples their own concert. But Alien Choir is also VERY Fix You. I remember the first time hearing MOTS the intro I thought it was AIMH. And Coloratura feels like the fully finished potential of MTM. It's very cool.

And when the lyrics lack depth or inspiration, they make up for it with really cool hooks in the melody (Humankind, the B song). I dare you not to have the B song stuck in your head at some point. It's impossible :laugh3:

Coloratura really shines through as the most epic, best track since DAAHF for me. The entire album is worth it just for this track. It is Coldplay at their best, in every single aspect.

Overall I think the album has real shiny, brilliant, incredible moments of epicness. It is uneven, yes, but it's another big optimistic giant mess with an incredible variety of genres and layers and it is a wildly entertaining ride. Like AHFOD, I'm not sure I'll listen to it much as an album after the era, but I will definitely have some strong attachment to particular songs, and that group will go bigger once I get to experience the tour.

Finally I would also like to point out that most artists of their scales who have recently been making a comeback.....are doing the exact same thing they've always done. It's working commercially but it's frankly uninspiring. I'm really proud of Coldplay for going their own way, for standing out. It is what makes them special and timeless.

My favourite songs so far : Coloratura, Infinity sign, Human heart. I think those will stand the test of time for my ears and heart. :wacky: 

I'm going to post in each thread now ok see you :awesome: :dazzled: 

Where you say "The mix forgets Jonny" is interesting to me. Because it's not like GS where the guitar in songs like AiMH and Another's Arms is quieter than it should be, or on AHFoD where in Everglow it's just taken out for the most part, on Up&Up where the second single is overtracked by the vocals and everything else, or in Amazing Day where it's just very poorly mixed and sounds distorted. 

I don't feel like the mixing is the problem, more that he just doesn't play that much on MotS period. 

Edited by HowCouldIForget
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3 minutes ago, HowCouldIForget said:

I don't feel like the mixing is the problem, more that he just doesn't play that much on MotS period. 

Listening to the set from the London gig last night, the mix really upped the volume on Jonny even on the new songs, and to me it felt like I was finally hearing him. So I do think he's there more than what we hear on the album!

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39 minutes ago, Coeurli said:

I am hopeful for a live album to come out after/during the tour

The same, I think that some songs on the album don't express their full potential in the studio version, so it would be interesting a live album. Of course it wouldn't compensate for some flaws of MOTS, but maybe for others it could help. I have in many cases enjoyed more their live albums than the studio ones actually

Edited by only.your.imagination
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1 hour ago, Famous Old Painter said:

I don’t want music that sounds like what they were doing 20 years ago. Coloratura came out this year, Everyday Life less than two years ago. I want stuff that sounds like what they’re capable of doing now, and they’re clearly capable of a lot better than the bulk of MOTS. 

1 hour ago, Famous Old Painter said:

I don’t want music that sounds like what they were doing 20 years ago. Coloratura came out this year, Everyday Life less than two years ago. I want stuff that sounds like what they’re capable of doing now, and they’re clearly capable of a lot better than the bulk of MOTS. 

THIS! 

And how come other artists are able to stick to their sound and genre and stay succesfull? Why shouldn't we be allowed to complain If we feel that the music doesn't sound like we know it can sound like?

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2 hours ago, Coeurli said:

Listening to the set from the London gig last night, the mix really upped the volume on Jonny even on the new songs, and to me it felt like I was finally hearing him. So I do think he's there more than what we hear on the album!

That's pretty interesting, I haven't heard. Guessing Higher Power would be one. I remember thinking the same on a couple of songs on MX even. Maybe. 

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3 hours ago, Famous Old Painter said:

I don’t want music that sounds like what they were doing 20 years ago. Coloratura came out this year, Everyday Life less than two years ago. I want stuff that sounds like what they’re capable of doing now, and they’re clearly capable of a lot better than the bulk of MOTS. 

As we say in spanish "¡Bravo!" ??

I think the point its not doing another Parachutes or XY. Nobody expects that.

But, as you said, we knoe Coldplay can do very good music: Arabesque and Coloratura show that and I think that are probably the best songs they have made in the last 10 years. We have another songs like Problem in Town, POTP or most of Kaleidoscope EP that show us how can sound Coldplay if they have continuated the road they had in Viva la Vida (in fact, I think that most of the best they have released in these years are demos and stuff from Viva la Vida like Arabesque, ALIENS or POTP). In fact, there are a lot od demos from Viva that could be a very good continuation of this great LP.

They started MX as a acoustic album with this funny version of Charile Brown with accordion (a version that hope one day they will release...), but they decided to change to make other tipe of album and music with Paradise and Princess of China.

In fact, there are a very clear line in Coldplay sound and music between Viva la Vida and MX.

 

Ok, all are agree that Coldplay are free to do what they ant, and actually I think that they do what they want (in general...).

But fans are also free to say if we like this new music or not, and I think that many of us doesnt like. I dont like the poppy sound or the electronic one, I like the rock or pop-rock that is what Coldplay used to be, and if Coldplay do pop songs I wont like that, it doesnt matter that is Coldplay, I dont like this type of music. Ans sadly, It seems as Coldplay now only knows making this type of poppy music full of colaborations and electronic efects.

There will be people who like that, ok its fantastic. But I fell in love with jhonny guitar and the Chris voice without electronic edits, and this Coldplay seem to be vanished ? 

 

P.D: Would be interisting to do in the forum a poll about the album, to know what note has between fans...

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Spotify have published their stats for 15th October. 

US top 200: #12 LSG, #25 MU

UK top 200: #20 MU, #21 LSG, #59 HP, #111 Yellow, #119 Humankind , #168 POTP, #175 HH, #196 Alien Choir

 

In comparison, stats for launch day of EL:

US top 200: #136 Champion of the World

UK top 200: #45 Orphans, #61 Champion of the World, #127 Church, #136 Sunrise, #139 Daddy, #157 Trouble in Town, #165 Arabesque, #198 Everyday Life

 

These are the 2 countries where most of the promo took place, source: https://spotifycharts.com/.

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Hope Humankind will be a single. For me it's miles better than MU and sounds like it could've been on MX. Not a top 20 Coldplay song, but still pretty cool.

Let Somebody Go is a sweet song, but sounds like Everglow's little sister. I'm a bit tired of that stuff, but of course it's not a bad song.

 

Edited by Famous_Old_Painter
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Everybody knows the mums know best, so here are my mother's opinions on the new album.

My Universe

My mother didn't like it when it first came out but after hearing it for a second time it has grown on her a lot, like it has for me.

Humankind

My favourite track on the album alongside Coloratura, my mother was positive about this song. I loved the choruses on this song, and my mother did as well.

Let Somebody Go

She didn't give any opinions on it (although that isn't a bad thing), but she did ask "Who is Selena Gomez?" Bless her. She is my idol.

Human Heart

We both found this a more relaxed and emotional track. Others have said it's a bit boring, and I do think at some times it is a bit empty. It could have been improved with just a little bit more going on, and perhaps by ditching one of the verses.

People Of The Pride

She absolutely loved this. When the song got going she said "This album is really good", so I think this was her favourite song from the album. I don't like live music - it makes me feel very anxious - so I can't comment on if it is better than the live version. Talking about concerts, we both saw a news report on the BBC about the kinetic flooring and she saw the recent concerts they've been doing, with all the pretty lights in the audience, and she said we should have gone to the concert they did on the 12th at the O2. Of course, that would have been impossible as I had COVID at the time.

Biutyful

When she first heard the Alvin And The Chipmunks lyrics, she laughed out loud, but by the end she was enjoying the song. I did as well, which was surprising.

My Universe

She didn't hear the song when it was first released, but liked the song anyway. She particularly enjoyed the outro. Strangely, she preferred the normal version to the acoustic version, which I didn't expect since she likes the more acoustic song Coldplay makes.

Infinity Sign

My mother got up and danced at this one. I gagged a little, but I'm glad she enjoyed it. For me, the clapping )or whatever it is) is quite annoying and should have been turned down a little. With no lyrics I also found the song too long. If it was half its current length I wouldn't have minded the way it was produced.

Coloratura

When Coloratura came out (or, more specifically, Overtura) I was going through a very tough time in my life and it did make me feel a bit better. We both really enjoyed the song, especially when Chris sings "And in this crazy world, I do / I just want you." Awww.

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After the first listen: not my favourite Coldplay album. In my opinion, Human Heart and Biutyful are weak, but probably Biutyful could be stuck in my head for a little while, especially the part of the chorus. Human Heart is like a choir and I just don't like it, I find it boring. I just listened to the singles and Coloratura before listening to the full album. The singles are those songs that for sure can be stuck in your head, so that's why they chose them to be on the radio. Coloratura is a masterpiece. I just would save Humankind, Let Somebody Go (good ballad), People Of The Pride and Infinity Sign (this one could be like the electronic sister of Chinese Sleep Chant and DJS have material to make a really good remix of 7-10 minutes)

I missed more prominent guitar riffs like the one on Coloratura...

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I’ve not posted my thoughts on albums before but I’ve followed all the hype and speculation for this one since higher power now so I’m feeling especially invested. Personally I loved this album. I don’t think it’s very coherent but I think it’s just fun.  
(P.s MX and EL are my favourite albums) 

anyway…

? - I love this.  I love the soundscape feel and the ambience and I wish it was longer 

Higher Power - great track, I think it’s better with the addition of the intro now as well

Humankind - this one’s good too, something about it gives me Viva La Vida vibes.

- again, love the ambience but kind of just wish it was part of Humankind to end the track properly rather than be an interlude

Let Somebody Go - nice ballad, 2nd half is better than the first, enjoyed the feature more than I thought i would

❤️ - probably my favourite on the album

People Of The Pride - super Muse vibes, definitely could have been better in some spots (better guitar tone, more emotion in vocals) other than that good track, love the brass

Biutyful - I think this is so fun, I love it. Big MX vibes with the electronic/acoustic pop vibes

? - little bit pointless, could have been something more interesting considering it is its own track, but feel as if it should have just been put on the my universe track as a bit of a intro

My Universe - originally thought I’d hate this because I’m not a BTS fan, neither do I like most sun-genres of pop, but this one just works for me and I really like it

♾ - love this one. Love the synths and I think the crowd that’s been added is just a really cool idea

Coloratura - probably one of my favourite tracks they’ve ever released. Enough said.
 

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11 hours ago, Famous Old Painter said:

I hope the near-universal backlash MOTS has received makes them re-evaluate their approach for Vol. 2 (or whatever LP10 ends up being)

I'm afraid it might do the opposite.

I believe that the growing unjustified criticism towards Coldplay (I mean the fact that reviews sound more and more like personal attacks - towards Chris's lifestyle and family in particular - rather than like constructive criticism) has done nothing good to the band. Instead of guiding them, many critics simply focused on their stereotype and stuck to that. For example, they continue to say that every Coldplay record sounds exactly like Coldplay, while the band has evolved so much actually.

I think this eventually led the band towards the "We have nothing to lose, we've going to make whatever we feel like" or "We want to make music for those who like it", abandoning that desire to prove their extraordinary qualities to those who were not into their stuff.

We would probably have had something different if only they had received a different reception by music experts. Not more positive, but more constructive and formative. Instead, now we have a kind of huge gap between fans, who adore them, and music experts, who mostly consider their music to be garbage, whatever they do.

Edited by TheLostColdplayer
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Some really nice songs... but sounds a bit patchy as an album... kinda spread too thin... not like VLV when they were jamming the songs in every corner... a pretty pointless penultimate instrumental song and the squirrel voice back again on 'biutyful'...

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So after two consecutive days of listening to the album, here are some of my thoughts. A lot of what has been said before also applies to how I feel about the album as a 'whole' or pieces of the puzzle (which don't fit perfectly) put together.

Music of The Spheres (6/10)

Good opener to build the anticipation during live shows for sure. Melds well into Higher Power. But, compared to other album openers, it doesn't come close. For me, it should've just been part of Higher Power (album version).

Higher Power (8/10) - on shuffle

Absolute banger of a single. For me, it's one of their better 'pop' singles. I've been enjoying it since release and I still do. This is the perfect result of a pop-rock band going into higher spheres and experimenting with modern day pop music.

Humankind (8.5/10) - on repeat

The first time my BF heard the song, he instantly said ''It sounds like something from Mylo Xyloto'' and yes I agree. It's an ubeat mylo-rock anthem that just works very well. It sounds like a mix of DLIBYH, ETIAW and Life Is Beautiful (thank god they didn't release that song, and hopefully never will)

(no score)

Should've just been part of Humankind. I really don't get why they would want to make this a separate song. To fill the gaps?

Let Somebody Go (7/10) - on shuffle

Had to grow on me, but after a few listens I'm totally in love with Will's harmonies, the piano sounds and the beautiful Basslines. Maybe a bit too much Everglow pt.2. I do hope Will will rediscover his acoustic drum kit, or even a cajun again.

❤️ (5/10) - to skip
I like the chorus, but I'm not a fan of acapella songs, or gospel, or choirs.

People of the Pride (8/10) - on repeat

Definitely a banger. Coldplay going full rock and I love it. Even though the song doesn't feel that original (the riff sounds very common). But well, a moshpit at a Coldplay concert? I'm in! I love how they tried to make a real rock song and succeded, however I think I'm missing a bit of depth/Coldplay feel. So I'm afraid I might lose interest in the song sooner or later.

Biutyful (3/10) - to skip

This I dontt really get. Why the high pitched voice? I guess it's called experimenting, but I'm not really feeling it. And again the drum machine feels a bit cheap. The last minute is probably the best, when you can hear Chris's voice like it should (this sort of saved the song). 

? (no score)

The same as the other instrumentals, pointless, bland.

My Universe (5/10) - easy to skip but also easy to listen to

Well. It's a nice song for One Direction (if they still existed). The 'dance break' part almost saved the song.

(7/10) - on shuffle

This is how an instrumental or interlude should be. I love that they're really trying new things. Even though I think the beat and intro is a bit too long.

Coloratura (10/10) - on repeat

I think most has already been said about this one. Saved the album for sure, but feels more like a stand alone song. This is Coldplay at their best

 

So for now, I have some mixed feelings. I do love a couple of songs, but just don't really get the way the album is shaped with all the interludes and weird stuff going on. And I feel that most of the songs are more standalone ones, they don't really work as a whole for me. In terms of ranking the albums, I think MOTS vol i will be one of my least favourite ones and kind of a let down compared to Everyday Life. Thank god for Coloratura and Humankind.

Edited by 42JTR
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  • Captain Crieff changed the title to 🪐 Coldplay: Music of the Spheres 🪐 | Out Now! | Discussion

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