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

[harrisonrules]

(deleted)

My Universe Orchestra Version 

[Captain Crieff]

7 minutes ago, harrisonrules said:

(deleted)

My Universe Orchestra Version 

no download links to officially released material please

[lennyrott1]

Oldplayer here! I've been on the forums since 2010 (used to have another profile that I got locked out of) and I wanted to send off my thoughts on MOTS before I likely take a break from doing this sort of forum thing! It's nice to see everyone's reactions to the album and that there's a lot of different faves. 

 

First up my longer written thoughts:

Spoiler

Music of the Spheres Vol. 1 - 6 to 7/10

Overall, I’m happy but torn. MOTS feels like Coldplay’s boldest pop album yet, but there’s nothing too surprising to me as a longtime fan. What’s to be immediately appreciated is the band’s ability to successfully be a pop chameleon – delivering massive, neon stadium rock chants and melancholy ballads. But unlike past albums, like the mostly self-produced Ghost Stories or the Stargate-stained AHFOD, this album has its own distinct varnish from Max Martin. And for this set of songs, I think Max serves the band well BUT he also likely pulls away some of the sounds that could have made songs better in my opinion. In interviews, the band has mentioned pulling back and being more open to "pop" sounds on this album, echoing some of the same sentiments going into GS and AHFOD. But as an Oldplay fan, I did find myself missing Jonny's guitar solos, Davide Rossi's strings, and Will's organic drums which are largely replaced by computer drums on this record.

The rock songs still pack some punch, whether that’s the massive and life-affirming riff on Humankind or the Floyd solo on Coloratura. And the pop songs feel slicker than ever -- Higher Power and My Universe have rich bass, well-mixed vocals and a satisfying amount of guitar and bass licks to keep ever band member engaged even. But these aren't the most memorable or creative Coldplay singles.

The album also occasionally gets weird. People of the Pride, which is definitely pretty soft for a “hard” rock song, still packs a head-bopping punch and is filled with little distortions and grandiose horns to make it feel edgy. Biutyful is truly bizarre but a joy to listen to – almost like a country rap song but with heartfelt lyrics, an alien squirrel on vocals, and psychedelic watery effects. These songs show an evolution in Coldplay that blends pop and alternative together with overall satisfying results. This can’t be said with other songs, however. Let Somebody Go with Selena Gomez is fine while it’s on, but it has this weird structure and shifts that make it feel like it was recorded in a dozen studios. Luckily Human Heart, a headphone-filling hymn, is very gorgeous despite its mediocre lyrics.

There’s also the transitions, which are a big issue for me. While this style of short-to-intermediate interludes is not new for the band, they feel more like Chris trying to create a collage art project than a good listening experience. Sure, each smaller emjoi track sounds good and might break up the pacing well, but I can’t help but wonder if this was done for the emojis more than the songs. Infinity, surprisingly, is my least favorite moment on the album. Forgetting that this could have been the much better and more exciting Life Is Beautiful (which breaks my heart), the drums are stiff and clacky. The beat established sounds like a bad early 2000’s euro techno song in a video game, and the inclusion of church choir vocals feels like a total head-scratcher. I get needing to transition from MU and Coloratura with a glitchy song, but Guy and Jonny are nowhere to be found on this and I don’t think the songs elements come together.

But the closer of the album, Coloratura pays off. It’s a 10/10 listen for me and I actually think it fits into the album better than I thought it would – though it really does away with the other odd quirks the album had.

I’m still optimistic moving forward to more Volumes of MOTS, but this first album ends up being a lower-tier record for me, along with AHFOD and GS. I like it and will likely listen to it a lot as a Coldplay fan, but for my taste, there’s a lot of instrumentation omitted from the album that could have made it more interesting (i.e. guitar solos, horns, strings, etc). and Chris’s lyrics throughout are just not very good. However, I do have to continue admiring Coldplay's openness to collaborate, especially with diverse artists and producers, and how the lyrics of the songs (while sometimes frustratingly elementary) are often about universal human issues.

 

Track x Track Thoughts/Review

Spoiler

MOTS (no rating)

A lovely intro to this new era that isn’t altogether very surprising or creative. The ambience is very similar to AIMH from GS and I love the glitchy noises, reminiscent of MX from 10 years ago. I only wish this was longer, even just 30 seconds more would help the listener sink into the vibe a bit more.

HP (7/10)

A great addition to Coldplay’s single catalogue with a catchy chorus, great backing vocals from the love choir, and a fun 80’s groove thanks to great synths and Guy’s bass. This is one of Coldplay’s best produced songs – the vocals are clean, the guitar licks effects are audible, and the balance of modern pop and 80’s drums works. I also love the little sparkling effects throughout the song giving it space-vintage vibe. Unfortunately, Chris’s vocal performance is a bit understated and lyrically there isn’t much teeth. And while the song does pick up in the final chorus and outro, it feels a bit underwhelming. I would have liked more energy at the end, like a guitar solo, horns, choirs, more synths, a change in tempo – really anything to bring it home. It might be a slightly better album opener than AHFOD but the energy isn’t quite there.

Humankind (9/10)

This is exactly where Coldplay is best: Strong melody, great instrumentation, weird synth and alien sounds. Humankind feels like an MX song with extra rays of sunshine. The vocal effects and combinations are some of the best they’ve ever done. There’s a clear inspiration from stadium 80’s rock – Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen. The retro guitar licks and beautiful intro and outro tie this song together beautifully, it’s given plenty of time to breathe. My only small critique is I wish Jonny had a bigger guitar moment than the 2-second spot towards the final chorus. In album notes, Chris seemed to think the song was originally “too rock” which makes wish we could hear that version!

Alien Choir (star emoji) (no rating)

For having the title “Alien Choir” this has little in the way of choirs… It’s a nice little buffer between Humankind and the slower LSG, but that’s it… It sounds like Jon Hopkins made a quick ambient piece in 5-minutes and they threw it on. But it sets the mood well enough and I appreciate the grandness of it.  

Let Somebody Go (6/10)

This is an interesting song but I think it will be forgotten in Coldplay’s catalogue along with other mediocre features like Fun (feat Tove Lo). I appreciate the chill vibes and Chris utilizing a different retro piano sound to make this song have a different feel than say, Everglow. There are some lovely parts – I like the piano flourishes and Guy’s bass during the (awhooo’s). But the song overall is awkward to me and the energy between each section doesn’t match. The quiet intro, the trap beat with Selena’s short vocal feature, and the middle-song climax “when ya love somebody, got to let somebody go” is catchy and feels like it’s really reaching for the heartstrings. But the lyrics here are just… not good. They are just too vague for me to feel any emotional attachment.

Human Heart (8/10)

This is one of Coldplay’s most beautiful songs to date & following the template set by BrokEn on EL, I think they nailed their first-ever vocal-only song. Once again, the space + 80’s vocal effect ambience of this song is incredible, it feels Phil Collins-esque with a modern spin. Jacob Collier’s work here is impeccable, the harmonies are so deep that you can listen to it all day and pick up different notes. I also love how the band collabs with the amazing We Are King, who give the BEST female vocals on a Coldplay song yet. My only quibble with this track is the “boy” “girl” dichotomy is kind of boring and overdone in music, but I’m willing to gloss over the lyrics on this.

People of the Pride (7.5/10)

This track is a pleasant surprise – a reboot of the popular “Man Who Swears” demo from the Viva era in the style of a Muse song. The epic swelling synths and saxophone intro/bridge feel like a grandiose space epic, echoing the amazing guitar and saxophone finale of Arabesque. I also think the main riff while energetic and fun isn’t all that exciting. We’ve heard a lot of riffs like this before, whether from 80’s hair-metal bands or by Muse proper. Again, I think the song could have benefitted from a bit more energy – even if just a tempo changes at the end or if the instruments were more distorted and heavy sounding. As usual with Coldplay, this song sounds MUCH better live, as the buzzy guitar sound is somehow distorted yet too clean. But lyrically there’s a bit more to chew on here and I enjoy the little weird distortions you can hear in the background of the verse.

Biutyful (7.5/10)

This is a surprisingly fun little song and maybe Coldplay’s most bizarre 3-minutes to date. The beat is overall very pleasant and the acoustic guitar is nicely mixed in. Lyrically I actually enjoy the heart-on-sleeve joy of loving another person, and the “love me, love me, love me” refrain is very catchy and Chirs somehow performs it perfectly. I can perfectly understand someone hating this song – the watery synths aren’t that exciting; the beat isn’t that interesting and the high-pitched alien voice is a super odd choice. But somehow it all melds together for me and gets stuck in my head. This almost reminds me of Ink, another song that I shouldn’t like but do.  Perhaps its because the song feels the most like its own planet and the boldest on this album?

Earth Emoji (MOTS II) (no rating)

Keeping the weird aliens speech motif going, this is fine. I just don’t know why it needed to be a transition track.

My Universe (7/10)

Potentially Coldplay’s biggest song of all time, collaborating with BTS makes this a tough nut to crack as it will have a lot of culture relevance and likely will be awarded & commercially successful for the rest of the year. But at the end of the day, it’s mostly a bop. The bass is funky, the synths hit hard, and BTS’s vocal features are an incredible standout backed by beautiful Korean lyrics. The chorus is also so incredibly fun. It’s classic Chris Martin – lullaby-ish, simple, earnest, cheesy but in a good way if you’re in the mood. I also think the outro is a great way to make the song stand out amongst other 80’s funk-pop songs of late. What prevents this from being a better song for me is the repetition in lyrics and a general lack of creativity. We’ve seen other pop songs in this vein (e.g. Future Nostalgia) give arguably better hooks, more instruments, and funner lyrics. But Coldplay likely won’t get the credit they’re due for writing a song about togetherness and overcoming barriers while literally doing that.

Infinity Emoji (6/10)

I am extremely disappointed with this song. Even if we remove the fact that Life Is Beautiful (as performed in 2016) is a much better, more exciting, and explosive, this song elicits little response from me. Of the sounds here are sampled by Jon Hopkins/previously released Coldplay music. The build up sounds suspiciously similar to Life in Technicolor’s sample song, The Light Through the Veins, and the piano sounds like it was pulled straight from the Don’t Let It Break Your Heart reprise found on the Mylo Xyloto DVD. While I appreciate the effort here, this isn’t the type of song that makes me want to jam nor dance. Nor is particularly pretty or beautiful with its awkward transitions and stiff drum beat. What keeps me from flat-out hating the song is the vocals at the end and some of the synths.

Coloratura (20/20)

I can’t find a flaw with this song and I don’t care if people call it a Pink Floyd prog-rock ripoff. The opening piano is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard, and the core song of the track is both catchy and dreamy. The lyrics as well are amazing – reflecting on this Coloratura nebula as a place of acceptance, peace and love. I love how this song truly gets at the themes of people looking both at space and earth and reflecting on how precious our world is and how beautiful existence is. Jonny’s guitar solo slaps, the “oohh ohh ohh” chorus is amazing and Chris’s piano throughout the song feels like a perfect throwback to the Viva era. Meanwhile the rhythm section delivers some of its most technically impressive work to date. The extra production, including sweeping strings, glockenspiel ambience, and deep wobbling synths are all impeccable. This could be argued as Coldplay’s best-ever song.

Total: 75/100, but I'm subtracting 5-10 points for lyrics being lackluster and for a general lack of cohesion on this project.

 

[Famous_Old_Painter]

15 hours ago, lennyrott1 said:

Oldplayer here! I've been on the forums since 2010 (used to have another profile that I got locked out of) and I wanted to send off my thoughts on MOTS before I likely take a break from doing this sort of forum thing! It's nice to see everyone's reactions to the album and that there's a lot of different faves. 

 

First up my longer written thoughts:

  Hide contents

Music of the Spheres Vol. 1 - 6 to 7/10

Overall, I’m happy but torn. MOTS feels like Coldplay’s boldest pop album yet, but there’s nothing too surprising to me as a longtime fan. What’s to be immediately appreciated is the band’s ability to successfully be a pop chameleon – delivering massive, neon stadium rock chants and melancholy ballads. But unlike past albums, like the mostly self-produced Ghost Stories or the Stargate-stained AHFOD, this album has its own distinct varnish from Max Martin. And for this set of songs, I think Max serves the band well BUT he also likely pulls away some of the sounds that could have made songs better in my opinion. In interviews, the band has mentioned pulling back and being more open to "pop" sounds on this album, echoing some of the same sentiments going into GS and AHFOD. But as an Oldplay fan, I did find myself missing Jonny's guitar solos, Davide Rossi's strings, and Will's organic drums which are largely replaced by computer drums on this record.

The rock songs still pack some punch, whether that’s the massive and life-affirming riff on Humankind or the Floyd solo on Coloratura. And the pop songs feel slicker than ever -- Higher Power and My Universe have rich bass, well-mixed vocals and a satisfying amount of guitar and bass licks to keep ever band member engaged even. But these aren't the most memorable or creative Coldplay singles.

The album also occasionally gets weird. People of the Pride, which is definitely pretty soft for a “hard” rock song, still packs a head-bopping punch and is filled with little distortions and grandiose horns to make it feel edgy. Biutyful is truly bizarre but a joy to listen to – almost like a country rap song but with heartfelt lyrics, an alien squirrel on vocals, and psychedelic watery effects. These songs show an evolution in Coldplay that blends pop and alternative together with overall satisfying results. This can’t be said with other songs, however. Let Somebody Go with Selena Gomez is fine while it’s on, but it has this weird structure and shifts that make it feel like it was recorded in a dozen studios. Luckily Human Heart, a headphone-filling hymn, is very gorgeous despite its mediocre lyrics.

There’s also the transitions, which are a big issue for me. While this style of short-to-intermediate interludes is not new for the band, they feel more like Chris trying to create a collage art project than a good listening experience. Sure, each smaller emjoi track sounds good and might break up the pacing well, but I can’t help but wonder if this was done for the emojis more than the songs. Infinity, surprisingly, is my least favorite moment on the album. Forgetting that this could have been the much better and more exciting Life Is Beautiful (which breaks my heart), the drums are stiff and clacky. The beat established sounds like a bad early 2000’s euro techno song in a video game, and the inclusion of church choir vocals feels like a total head-scratcher. I get needing to transition from MU and Coloratura with a glitchy song, but Guy and Jonny are nowhere to be found on this and I don’t think the songs elements come together.

But the closer of the album, Coloratura pays off. It’s a 10/10 listen for me and I actually think it fits into the album better than I thought it would – though it really does away with the other odd quirks the album had.

I’m still optimistic moving forward to more Volumes of MOTS, but this first album ends up being a lower-tier record for me, along with AHFOD and GS. I like it and will likely listen to it a lot as a Coldplay fan, but for my taste, there’s a lot of instrumentation omitted from the album that could have made it more interesting (i.e. guitar solos, horns, strings, etc). and Chris’s lyrics throughout are just not very good. However, I do have to continue admiring Coldplay's openness to collaborate, especially with diverse artists and producers, and how the lyrics of the songs (while sometimes frustratingly elementary) are often about universal human issues.

 

Track x Track Thoughts/Review

  Hide contents

MOTS (no rating)

A lovely intro to this new era that isn’t altogether very surprising or creative. The ambience is very similar to AIMH from GS and I love the glitchy noises, reminiscent of MX from 10 years ago. I only wish this was longer, even just 30 seconds more would help the listener sink into the vibe a bit more.

HP (7/10)

A great addition to Coldplay’s single catalogue with a catchy chorus, great backing vocals from the love choir, and a fun 80’s groove thanks to great synths and Guy’s bass. This is one of Coldplay’s best produced songs – the vocals are clean, the guitar licks effects are audible, and the balance of modern pop and 80’s drums works. I also love the little sparkling effects throughout the song giving it space-vintage vibe. Unfortunately, Chris’s vocal performance is a bit understated and lyrically there isn’t much teeth. And while the song does pick up in the final chorus and outro, it feels a bit underwhelming. I would have liked more energy at the end, like a guitar solo, horns, choirs, more synths, a change in tempo – really anything to bring it home. It might be a slightly better album opener than AHFOD but the energy isn’t quite there.

Humankind (9/10)

This is exactly where Coldplay is best: Strong melody, great instrumentation, weird synth and alien sounds. Humankind feels like an MX song with extra rays of sunshine. The vocal effects and combinations are some of the best they’ve ever done. There’s a clear inspiration from stadium 80’s rock – Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen. The retro guitar licks and beautiful intro and outro tie this song together beautifully, it’s given plenty of time to breathe. My only small critique is I wish Jonny had a bigger guitar moment than the 2-second spot towards the final chorus. In album notes, Chris seemed to think the song was originally “too rock” which makes wish we could hear that version!

Alien Choir (star emoji) (no rating)

For having the title “Alien Choir” this has little in the way of choirs… It’s a nice little buffer between Humankind and the slower LSG, but that’s it… It sounds like Jon Hopkins made a quick ambient piece in 5-minutes and they threw it on. But it sets the mood well enough and I appreciate the grandness of it.  

Let Somebody Go (6/10)

This is an interesting song but I think it will be forgotten in Coldplay’s catalogue along with other mediocre features like Fun (feat Tove Lo). I appreciate the chill vibes and Chris utilizing a different retro piano sound to make this song have a different feel than say, Everglow. There are some lovely parts – I like the piano flourishes and Guy’s bass during the (awhooo’s). But the song overall is awkward to me and the energy between each section doesn’t match. The quiet intro, the trap beat with Selena’s short vocal feature, and the middle-song climax “when ya love somebody, got to let somebody go” is catchy and feels like it’s really reaching for the heartstrings. But the lyrics here are just… not good. They are just too vague for me to feel any emotional attachment.

Human Heart (8/10)

This is one of Coldplay’s most beautiful songs to date & following the template set by BrokEn on EL, I think they nailed their first-ever vocal-only song. Once again, the space + 80’s vocal effect ambience of this song is incredible, it feels Phil Collins-esque with a modern spin. Jacob Collier’s work here is impeccable, the harmonies are so deep that you can listen to it all day and pick up different notes. I also love how the band collabs with the amazing We Are King, who give the BEST female vocals on a Coldplay song yet. My only quibble with this track is the “boy” “girl” dichotomy is kind of boring and overdone in music, but I’m willing to gloss over the lyrics on this.

People of the Pride (7.5/10)

This track is a pleasant surprise – a reboot of the popular “Man Who Swears” demo from the Viva era in the style of a Muse song. The epic swelling synths and saxophone intro/bridge feel like a grandiose space epic, echoing the amazing guitar and saxophone finale of Arabesque. I also think the main riff while energetic and fun isn’t all that exciting. We’ve heard a lot of riffs like this before, whether from 80’s hair-metal bands or by Muse proper. Again, I think the song could have benefitted from a bit more energy – even if just a tempo changes at the end or if the instruments were more distorted and heavy sounding. As usual with Coldplay, this song sounds MUCH better live, as the buzzy guitar sound is somehow distorted yet too clean. But lyrically there’s a bit more to chew on here and I enjoy the little weird distortions you can hear in the background of the verse.

Biutyful (7.5/10)

This is a surprisingly fun little song and maybe Coldplay’s most bizarre 3-minutes to date. The beat is overall very pleasant and the acoustic guitar is nicely mixed in. Lyrically I actually enjoy the heart-on-sleeve joy of loving another person, and the “love me, love me, love me” refrain is very catchy and Chirs somehow performs it perfectly. I can perfectly understand someone hating this song – the watery synths aren’t that exciting; the beat isn’t that interesting and the high-pitched alien voice is a super odd choice. But somehow it all melds together for me and gets stuck in my head. This almost reminds me of Ink, another song that I shouldn’t like but do.  Perhaps its because the song feels the most like its own planet and the boldest on this album?

Earth Emoji (MOTS II) (no rating)

Keeping the weird aliens speech motif going, this is fine. I just don’t know why it needed to be a transition track.

My Universe (7/10)

Potentially Coldplay’s biggest song of all time, collaborating with BTS makes this a tough nut to crack as it will have a lot of culture relevance and likely will be awarded & commercially successful for the rest of the year. But at the end of the day, it’s mostly a bop. The bass is funky, the synths hit hard, and BTS’s vocal features are an incredible standout backed by beautiful Korean lyrics. The chorus is also so incredibly fun. It’s classic Chris Martin – lullaby-ish, simple, earnest, cheesy but in a good way if you’re in the mood. I also think the outro is a great way to make the song stand out amongst other 80’s funk-pop songs of late. What prevents this from being a better song for me is the repetition in lyrics and a general lack of creativity. We’ve seen other pop songs in this vein (e.g. Future Nostalgia) give arguably better hooks, more instruments, and funner lyrics. But Coldplay likely won’t get the credit they’re due for writing a song about togetherness and overcoming barriers while literally doing that.

Infinity Emoji (6/10)

I am extremely disappointed with this song. Even if we remove the fact that Life Is Beautiful (as performed in 2016) is a much better, more exciting, and explosive, this song elicits little response from me. Of the sounds here are sampled by Jon Hopkins/previously released Coldplay music. The build up sounds suspiciously similar to Life in Technicolor’s sample song, The Light Through the Veins, and the piano sounds like it was pulled straight from the Don’t Let It Break Your Heart reprise found on the Mylo Xyloto DVD. While I appreciate the effort here, this isn’t the type of song that makes me want to jam nor dance. Nor is particularly pretty or beautiful with its awkward transitions and stiff drum beat. What keeps me from flat-out hating the song is the vocals at the end and some of the synths.

Coloratura (20/20)

I can’t find a flaw with this song and I don’t care if people call it a Pink Floyd prog-rock ripoff. The opening piano is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard, and the core song of the track is both catchy and dreamy. The lyrics as well are amazing – reflecting on this Coloratura nebula as a place of acceptance, peace and love. I love how this song truly gets at the themes of people looking both at space and earth and reflecting on how precious our world is and how beautiful existence is. Jonny’s guitar solo slaps, the “oohh ohh ohh” chorus is amazing and Chris’s piano throughout the song feels like a perfect throwback to the Viva era. Meanwhile the rhythm section delivers some of its most technically impressive work to date. The extra production, including sweeping strings, glockenspiel ambience, and deep wobbling synths are all impeccable. This could be argued as Coldplay’s best-ever song.

Total: 75/100, but I'm subtracting 5-10 points for lyrics being lackluster and for a general lack of cohesion on this project.

 

I liked your review and Ink is great (from another one who can't understand why he like that song so much).

[jcfromparis]

Less than one week from its original release, they have now the Digital Deluxe Edition ????

With 4 remixes not included on the cd ?

Since the beginning of the HP promotion, it's puzzling how they manage that.

One-track cd for HP (but remixes exist and are released digitally)

Two-track cds for MU (but not with remixes)

And now this...

[HowCouldIForget]

Such a huge difference listening to the actual CD in my car vs the leak on my tablet.

2008 car vs 2016 cheap model tablet for speaker comparison

Humankind- Having a harder time hearing the guitars, for sure. Don't like that.

Let Somebody Go- Selena's voice sounds less intense or just better mixed in general. I also notice the bass throughout the song, rather than just near the end. 

Biuytiful- Still do not know how to spell this damn song. Same thing with LSG, except even more noticeable. The filter Chris uses is not nearly as annoying on the chorus and at the end. Also, I notice the guitars more in this one. 

Infinity Sign- This is the doozy. The guitar parts I love sound more prominent and the main synth melody less so. But what really stands out is the main beat, which actually sounds like a drum now rather than a drum machine and...the oles. I read a mention of them in the Rolling Stones review and heard a couple people mention it but the leaked version I have does NOT have this. At all. And I dont know why. That and the drum part, in particular, make me confident what I've been listening to is actually a different version.

Most of this, I figure, comes down to how different speakers sound but Inifity Sign has to be a different. Trying to decide how this affects my opinion of the song. The drum sound makes it better, for sure. 

Based on this, I like Let Somebody Go and Biuyiful more than I did originally and Humankind less. Which is unfortunate, because the latter is one of my favorites on the album.

Now, I have to listen to Coloratura, People of the Pride and My Universe in the car. 

[ToniMoreno]

6 hours ago, jcfromparis said:

Less than one week from its original release, they have now the Digital Deluxe Edition ????

With 4 remixes not included on the cd ?

Since the beginning of the HP promotion, it's puzzling how they manage that.

One-track cd for HP (but remixes exist and are released digitally)

Two-track cds for MU (but not with remixes)

And now this...

Completely agree with you.

I dont know why they release matterial after we have bought it that could be inside the CD/vinyl and release it only online. As a fan Im very dissapointing with that. I think they sould look after their fans and include this special bonus in the CD/vinyl, that are the conten which is mostly bought bay fans instead of the streaming and digital editions...

[LisaFeehily]

Well, they look at it from a sales perspective. they want to get people to buy it who haven't bought it yet. With the BTS remix and orchestral version it's obvious who they're targeting with this. And their own fans might buy a digital copy on top of the physical copies they had purchased before. It probably works in driving sales. And that's why they'll continue to do this.

[shred]

What is up with all these remixes in this era.

 

[Jaes]

Since this is a digital deluxe edition, I'm sure there will be a physical deluxe edition, then a special or expanded edition, and a tour edition, etc.

Edited October 19, 2021 by Jaes

[Eskapist]

So.. after a week of listenings, here we are :

Top / Very good 

Coloratura - Human Heart - Infinity Sign - Higher Power ( surprisingly ) 

Good / Average

Humankind - People of the Pride

Not for me

Let Somebody Go - Biutyful - My Universe

[dxm3557]

7 hours ago, HowCouldIForget said:

Such a huge difference listening to the actual CD in my car vs the leak on my tablet.

2008 car vs 2016 cheap model tablet for speaker comparison

Humankind- Having a harder time hearing the guitars, for sure. Don't like that.

Let Somebody Go- Selena's voice sounds less intense or just better mixed in general. I also notice the bass throughout the song, rather than just near the end. 

Biuytiful- Still do not know how to spell this damn song. Same thing with LSG, except even more noticeable. The filter Chris uses is not nearly as annoying on the chorus and at the end. Also, I notice the guitars more in this one. 

Infinity Sign- This is the doozy. The guitar parts I love sound more prominent and the main synth melody less so. But what really stands out is the main beat, which actually sounds like a drum now rather than a drum machine and...the oles. I read a mention of them in the Rolling Stones review and heard a couple people mention it but the leaked version I have does NOT have this. At all. And I dont know why. That and the drum part, in particular, make me confident what I've been listening to is actually a different version.

Most of this, I figure, comes down to how different speakers sound but Inifity Sign has to be a different. Trying to decide how this affects my opinion of the song. The drum sound makes it better, for sure. 

Based on this, I like Let Somebody Go and Biuyiful more than I did originally and Humankind less. Which is unfortunate, because the latter is one of my favorites on the album.

Now, I have to listen to Coloratura, People of the Pride and My Universe in the car. 

Wait, are you telling me there is a version of Infinity Sign with no Olé chant? Would you mind send it to me please?

[HowCouldIForget]

2 hours ago, dxm3557 said:

Wait, are you telling me there is a version of Infinity Sign with no Olé chant? Would you mind send it to me please?

Apparently there is haha Just send me a PM so don't I forget. About to start work ?

[Nature]

So almost a week later and i already dont really listen to this album anymore, only 2 tracks or so. Their weakest and most dull album yet. Forgettable.

[BerheavedTripod8]

I'm sorry if already noted, but was away for a couple days and there's too much to catch up on, so I didn't read all replies. In the Biutyful visualiser they seem to acknowlegde a volume two, the 1 behind Music of the Spheres is not the most logical letter/number if you're making a typo ending with s, and if it was a typo, they would've updated it by now I presume 

[Yes?]

MOTS for me is the boys taking their experimental phase from Everyday Life and applying it to a pop framework akin to A Head Full of Dreams - and it is so, so much stronger than that album.

A sign of how much I like it came when I tried to decide on my least favourite track, which I found genuinely difficult. On balance it's probably My Universe, which I still like.

Humankind, People of the Pride and Coloratura are all potential elite tier songs. Biutyful surprised me massively and is one of my favourites. Infinity sign is a great Hopkins piece, and Let Somebody Go has been a real grower.

[Yes?]

Slightly off-topic, but I figure this is where I'm most likely to get an answer - how likely do we think it is that they announce dates for Manchester in the UK? They've always done the city in the past, and the Etihad seems like a safe bet.

I'm torn between booking Wembley tomorrow and travelling to London, or holding out for the M dates...

[Famous Old Painter]

People of the Priiiiiide 

 

Can't take credit for this, as much as I wish I could

 

 

[WeddingDom]

This album has really grown on me, especially songs like Humankind, Infinity Sign and Byutiful. It's miles better than AHFOD. 

[IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8]

1 hour ago, WeddingDom said:

This album has really grown on me, especially songs like Humankind, Infinity Sign and Byutiful. It's miles better than AHFOD. 

I think I prefer AHFOD over MOTS. 

[lennyrott1]

7 hours ago, Yes? said:

MOTS for me is the boys taking their experimental phase from Everyday Life and applying it to a pop framework akin to A Head Full of Dreams - and it is so, so much stronger than that album.

A sign of how much I like it came when I tried to decide on my least favourite track, which I found genuinely difficult. On balance it's probably My Universe, which I still like.

Humankind, People of the Pride and Coloratura are all potential elite tier songs. Biutyful surprised me massively and is one of my favourites. Infinity sign is a great Hopkins piece, and Let Somebody Go has been a real grower.

Good analysis! I agree it seems like MOTS is an extension of EL especially in the theme of togetherness, one people, inclusiveness, world languages etc. I will likely always think of these albums together despite their stark production differences. 

The more I think about it, the more I'm kind of angry they did a space theme but didn't deliver any narrative. There's not ONE song that actually discusses the "planet" in a tangible way except Coloratura. Honestly, they could have named this album "Music of the Pizzas" and had songs like "Hawaiian" "Pepperoni" and they still just would have been love songs that have nothing to do with pizza. Instead they went with spheres, but it has nothing to do with planets or space.

[johnnymax8652]

1 minute ago, lennyrott1 said:

Good analysis! I agree it seems like MOTS is an extension of EL especially in the theme of togetherness, one people, inclusiveness, world languages etc. I will likely always think of these albums together despite their stark production differences. 

The more I think about it, the more I'm kind of angry they did a space theme but didn't deliver any narrative. There's not ONE song that actually discusses the "planet" in a tangible way except Coloratura. Honestly, they could have named this album "Music of the Pizzas" and had songs like "Hawaiian" "Pepperoni" and they still just would have been love songs that have nothing to do with pizza. Instead they went with spheres, but it has nothing to do with planets or space.

I wanna Vol. 2 be called like this ?

[LisaFeehily]

Everyone is a slice somewhere!

[only.your.imagination]

34 minutes ago, johnnymax8652 said:

"Music of the Pizzas"

Being Italian I could create a song-type of pizza alternative setlist for MOTS, but I will hold myself back?

But yeah, there isn't a  narrative, they tried to put some references to MX in My Universe video but in my opinion the outcome is a bit messy in this respect

Edited October 20, 2021 by only.your.imagination

[marcofratini]

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