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

[Captain Crieff]

18 minutes ago, Famous_Old_Painter said:

Thoughts about higherpowerspaceship.com?

it seems to be a screening of the Glastonbury performance in a hotel with nifty space hub rooms that have-build in audio systems + a night's stay

so that's pretty cool, but the T&C's say the prize is worth €750 so that's um, a lot?

Also, you have to live in The Netherlands to enter so if you don't, don't bother (they know your location through Spotify)

[lennyrott1]

I've been doing some thinking about scenarios for the upcoming era and why I'm feeling optimistic.  The TLDR is I'm really excited the band is working with Max Martin b/c he feels like a producer that uplifts artists to new heights vs. takes over with his own sound. But still I am hoping MOTS is a sister album to EL in that it recycles old ideas from Coldplay's most creative eras, Viva & MX, which will give us some heavy rockers and interesting alien soundscapes.

What expectations do you have? If MOTS just gonna be newplay on steroids? Oldplay? A mix?

Spoiler

So entering a new era, I'm trying to reframe Coldplay's career and how it might play out in MOTS.

First Era (Oldplay): Early Years, Parachutes, AROBTH, and X&Y as the alt-rock, pop, soft rock 2000's records --->

Eno Era (Transition to Newplay): The band brings on Eno to really change their recording style and soundscape. IMO, Viva is their most creative, best sounding era. The band largely records everything together in the same room. Chris is kicked out and many amazing songs are born without him. MX has the band asking: how big can we really sound? They collabed with RiRi, recorded Paradise, have a TON of singles stretching over the course of year. MX starts to show some holes though -- inconsistent production, slightly weaker songwriting and lyricism --->  

Pop Experiment Era (Newplay): Then, Chris moves to LA, breaks up with Gwyneth. The whole music recording dynamic changes with less in-person time and more Chris dominated songwriting. GS and AHFOD as sister albums, both largely dominated by pop songwriting styles, clean production, lots of bells and whistles, and even more big name producers/features: Avicii, Timbaland, Stargate, Chainsmokers, Beyonce. The occasional alternative track or feature still comes through (Jon Hopkins, Noel Gallagher) but for the most part the band is stretching their sound a bit thin, in my opinion, resulting in some great but inconsistent eras. The standout successes from these experiments are undeniably great, however.  ---> 

New Era (Postplay? lol idk): The EL era seems to be a synthesis of Oldlay and Newplay. Chris is the primary songwriter from LA still. The band still is extremely open to collaborations and producers. But they also find studio time in Italy, LA and England to perform songs together. For the first time since the Eno era, you can really hear the rawness of the band jamming together on TiT, Church, Arabesque COTW, even Orphans. But also you have a bunch of virtually Chris-only songs. Now with MOTS, it seems like Max Martin will play an Eno/Stargate role in helping on the entire album. For me, I wonder if MOTS will be like EL in that it feels like it won't follow conventional rules or genre restraints. Perhaps the comparison to MX will be accurate in overall sound and aesthetic, but it will sound much more modern. 

My overall hope: Recent interviews indicate the band worked together in studio a bunch over the past few years. So I'm thinking maybe like EL, we are gonna get a super well produced record that balances Oldplay, instrumental heavy songs with newplay pop experiments. And if we're lucky, Max Martin will guide the band to synthesize (pun intended) those sounds to sound mature, fresh, and artistically viable for a new decade of music. And maybe there's some leftover tracks from the Viva/MX eras that will make it on to MOTS (think ALIENS, Arabesque) and give Oldplayers a taste of some truly epic alien worlds alongside the quirky, danceable pop tracks like Higher Power. 

 

[Bauk]

1 hour ago, Captain Crieff said:

it seems to be a screening of the Glastonbury performance in a hotel with nifty space hub rooms that have-build in audio systems + a night's stay

so that's pretty cool, but the T&C's say the prize is worth €750 so that's um, a lot?

Also, you have to live in The Netherlands to enter so if you don't, don't bother (they know your location through Spotify)

Where did you guys find this? I’ve entered the competition, fingers crossed ? I was hoping for a videocall with the band ??

[Captain Crieff]

1 minute ago, Bauk said:

Where did you guys find this? I’ve entered the competition, fingers crossed ? I was hoping for a videocall with the band ??

I don't have a clue where people found the link to that website, but this is where I got the hotel - Glastonbury info from: https://www.facebook.com/538nl/posts/10158792614410485

considering the prize's value, a video call with the band isn't out of the realms of possibility I guess!

[Pokegleek]

Probably that infinite symbol is a track like Colour Spectrum. A short track/interlude called "Infinite" or something similar, but represented with the infinite symbol in the album track list. Just like Colour Spectrum was represented by a colorful line.

By the way, I am really confident with my theory of Higher Power being the album's opening track after watching the song's hashtag on twitter. I'm pretty sure that the little symbol next to the hashtag is the kaotican symbol for #1. I wonder if they will use those symbols to identify each song's track number.

[IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8]

Think The Race is single worthy? Maybe the 3rd or 4th single perhaps. (If it’s on MOTS)

[dxm3557]

1 hour ago, Pokegleek said:

Probably that infinite symbol is a track like Colour Spectrum. A short track/interlude called "Infinite" or something similar, but represented with the infinite symbol in the album track list. Just like Colour Spectrum was represented by a colorful line.

By the way, I am really confident with my theory of Higher Power being the album's opening track after watching the song's hashtag on twitter. I'm pretty sure that the little symbol next to the hashtag is the kaotican symbol for #1. I wonder if they will use those symbols to identify each song's track number.

You're probably right about the infinite symbol, is the only one there isn't a planet, so it may be just a sort of a short instrumental or interlude track. I'm also guessing the planet with the moon may represents two songs on the same track. You know, a hidden track just like in Army of One with X Marks the Spot right after.

Edited May 11, 2021 by dxm3557

[harrisonrules]

Is it just me or does the E in the Kao alphabet look similar to the Mockingjay logo in Hunger Games 

 

 

[Gideon_Mx]

 

7 minutes ago, harrisonrules said:

Is it just me or does the E in the Kao alphabet look similar to the Mockingjay logo in Hunger Games 

 

 

Maybe a little bit! It does have the same kind of style but it's obviously a different letter/symbol.

[harrisonrules]

Wonder how this spiral is important 

Yes I know they are different but both have spiral effect 

[mboy114]

20 hours ago, dxm3557 said:

You're probably right about the infinite symbol, is the only one there isn't a planet, so it may be just a sort of a short instrumental or interlude track. I'm also guessing the planet with the moon may represents two songs on the same track. You know, a hidden track just like in Army of One with X Marks the Spot right after.

Ohh I never even thought of it like that! I was thinking 12 songs (two interludes) Infinity symbol = interlude 1

Moon (from planet) = interlude 2 

I didn't even think about the moon being a possible hidden track haha 

[42Escapist]

22 hours ago, Pokegleek said:

Probably that infinite symbol is a track like Colour Spectrum. A short track/interlude called "Infinite" or something similar, but represented with the infinite symbol in the album track list. Just like Colour Spectrum was represented by a colorful line.

Didn't Chris somewhat jokingly say something in a recent interview about giving songs titles with "emojis"? I could see them doing something similar to Colour Spectrum with these symbols. But only if it's not done too often and it's pretty clear what the actual song title is.

1 hour ago, harrisonrules said:

Wonder how this spiral is important 

Yes I know they are different but both have spiral effect 

I think the patch on Chris's soldier is supposed to be a UFO.  Except it's kind of a neon drawing of a UFO so it looks swirly. 

21 hours ago, IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8 said:

Think The Race is single worthy? Maybe the 3rd or 4th single perhaps. (If it’s on MOTS)

The Race would fit the album, if nothing sounds too different from Higher Power. But would it be a good single? Hmmm... I could see it as an album opener or the second track following an instrumental intro. Kind of like Hurts Like Heaven, which was the 6th single from MX. Maybe The Race could be one of the later singles unless they're really confident it could be a hit.

[stepstr]

So, the Glasto set will be 45 minutes only and I'm starting to wonder if we get anything new besides HP and the greatest hits because I thought it would be a proper 1h20m headline set. 

Spoiler

I'll try and guess what songs they'll play. 45 mins are 10-11 songs if there's no talking inbetween.

1. New intro + possible new song

2. Higher Power

3. Yellow

4. Paradise

5. Everglow / HFTW

6. Magic

7. AOAL

8. Champion of the World / Everyday Life

9. Viva

10. SJLT / ASFS

11. Fix You

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by stepstr

[lennyrott1]

Yeah that's a good guess. I am also really hoping for a new song but based on the rumors that the album is coming towards the end of the year I am worried Higher Power is all we are gonna get for the next few months. Maybe a remix or feature will drop with BTS. I am really craving other songs in this era now and hopeful we will get some really rocky tracks.

[stepstr]

30 minutes ago, lennyrott1 said:

Yeah that's a good guess. I am also really hoping for a new song but based on the rumors that the album is coming towards the end of the year I am worried Higher Power is all we are gonna get for the next few months. Maybe a remix or feature will drop with BTS. I am really craving other songs in this era now and hopeful we will get some really rocky tracks.

nonetheless, they launched a nice bunch of new songs in the summer of 2011 and also at a comeback gig at sxsw in 2014 

[LelieJens]

Not sure if it's mentioned already but I find it "disappointing" that both the live performances (Brit and Idols) aren't live at all. The two voice tracks of Chris are exactly the same (extremely noticable sighs at the exact same times, ...). 

It could be that the Idols version was live and the Birts was lip synced (because of the fireworks and filming) but I hope the Glastonbury show is 100% live and not Chris lip syncing over a pre-recorded track. (Like Clocks in the AHFOD tour) 

[Everyday life]

1 hour ago, lennyrott1 said:

Yeah that's a good guess. I am also really hoping for a new song but based on the rumors that the album is coming towards the end of the year I am worried Higher Power is all we are gonna get for the next few months. Maybe a remix or feature will drop with BTS. I am really craving other songs in this era now and hopeful we will get some really rocky tracks.

Yeah or maybe a remix that it features Dua Lipa hopefully in the next month Coldplay had a lot of announcements this month on their interview talk about new music that is 80s music, few collaborations which is BTS that people talk about, and a new album release but anyway they will probably have a feature remix in the meantime. 

[Famous_Old_Painter]

https://www.instagram.com/p/COvjediB7-g/?igshid=1ibpazlbkuelm

So Chris and Jonny has planets om their backs and Guy a moon? Wonder if the chosen planets, one being Kaotica, and the moon symbolize important tracks of the album. So if Kaotica is Higher Power, which could the other important songs be? And does Will have a planet om his clothing?

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by Famous_Old_Painter

[IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8]

4 hours ago, lennyrott1 said:

Yeah that's a good guess. I am also really hoping for a new song but based on the rumors that the album is coming towards the end of the year I am worried Higher Power is all we are gonna get for the next few months. Maybe a remix or feature will drop with BTS. I am really craving other songs in this era now and hopeful we will get some really rocky tracks.

A new (2nd, big hit perhaps) could be in between the 2-3 months on Higher Power and album announcement after. So probably July or August I say the 2nd Single drops.

[Captain Crieff]

3 hours ago, LelieJens said:

Not sure if it's mentioned already but I find it "disappointing" that both the live performances (Brit and Idols) aren't live at all. The two voice tracks of Chris are exactly the same (extremely noticable sighs at the exact same times, ...). 

It could be that the Idols version was live and the Birts was lip synced (because of the fireworks and filming) but I hope the Glastonbury show is 100% live and not Chris lip syncing over a pre-recorded track. (Like Clocks in the AHFOD tour) 

wait

 

I went back and forth between the two videos and at first the vocals did sound exactly the same but I think I notice some subtle differences?

- the first 'hour' in 'dancing every hour' sounds is a bit longer in the Brits performance than in the American Idol one (1:07 in the Brits video, 1:12 in American Idol)

- the falsetto higher powers sound slightly different

- the first 'then your love soooong' is longer in the American Idols performance than in the Brits one

 

so now I'm confused because other than that it does indeed sound identical so how is that possible?  or do I just desperately want to hear those differences because it would be inexplicable to lipsync a prerecorded performance you can just rerecord or edit if something goes wrong?

[stepstr]

Ok, so I've got two moments where I'm questioning his vocals and the entire Brits performance.

1. First verse, '...and I think my shoes untied, oh-oh'. 

He's neither holding the mic near the mouth nor articulates this 'oh-oh'.

2. Around 1:42, when he's giving JB a hug, and then suddenly appears at the center of the stage looking at a different camera. Bad video edit? Was it even live? They could have filmed the thing when they were rehearsing it last week. 

Am I overthinking? 

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by stepstr

[Captain Crieff]

15 minutes ago, stepstr said:

Ok, so I've got two moments where I'm questioning his vocals and the entire Brits performance.

1. First verse, '...and I think my shoes untied, oh-oh'. 

He's neither holding the mic near the mouth nor articulates this 'oh-oh'.

2. Around 1:42, when he's giving JB a hug, and then suddenly appears at the center of the stage looking at a different camera. Bad video edit? Was it even live? They could have filmed the thing when they were rehearsing it last week. 

Am I overthinking? 

 

Apparently it wasn't live, Chris was in Malibu on Friday apparently and there's no way he'd have bypassed Britain's quarantine rules

but I noticed that weird edit at 1:42 too, not sure what happened there

[stepstr]

Ok, whatever. 

I mean, not really 'whatever'. But I am still glad they're back and the song is nice. 

[BerheavedTripod8]

They're definitely different. The "I'm like a broken record" is drawn out more on the american idol version.

[CP-EST]

There has been no Higher Power actual live performance yet, guys. Although it's a bit interesting how these performances were done technically. I wrote my opinion about it on this thread.