1 minute ago, Simoce said:

No..any news?

For me not yet, I’m trying to contact them but no answer yet.

After the first listening to the new album: much better than MOTS - however, this is not a big challenge as MOTS has only two good songs on it ("Coloratura" and "Higher power") and is the worst album of the band. And after MOTS I was not looking forward to the new album - Coldplay were dead after MOTS. And the news that Max is working with them again foreshadowed the worst. And - indeed - "We pray" is the biggest shit right after "My universe". But I do like "IAAM" a lot, "Moon music" and "One world" are also worth a listen. But compared to other LPs it's still weak.

I won't say that Coldplay is back but they are trying to get out of their grave. Still hoping they will make a LP like AROBTTH in the future.

Edited October 4, 20241 yr by [Coldplay]Andi

19 minutes ago, [Coldplay]Andi said:

I won't say that Coldplay is back but they are trying to get out of their grave. Still hoping they will make a LP like AROBTTH in the future.

On Jimmy Fallen last night, Chris said that album #12 will be from their bedroom(s) so maybe Parachutes/AROBTTH? Would love for them to have been building up a catalog of true Oldplay songs to record and release like their first two albums for an official bookend to the Coldplay career.

I understand only wanting to put out LOVE music with their global megaphone, but we've now got AHFOD, MotS, and MM which are all in your face LOVE. I think they've put enough love out there now that it'd be ok for them to go back to more REAL and RAW to close out the career.

Edited October 4, 20241 yr by tyler.sonnenberg

I'm just gonna do a 3am brain vomit so feel free to scroll past this 

I've been thinking about what Chris has been saying recently, about how everything will make sense once the 12 album discography is completed. How Moon Music isn't overly commercial outside of a handful of songs, how it wasn't promoted that much, and how the final two albums won't have any singles (of course, whether Parlophone will go along with Chris' promotional vision is another question).

MOTS was despised by the fanbase pretty much from the get-go because of what it represented. The quick abandonment of the EL era. The fifty kazillion remixes, music videos and live performances of Higher Power. The blatant pandering to a mass audience by hooking up with BTS. The fact Max Martin has a production and co-writing credit for everything. And of course, the supermassive colourful world tour which has continued to this day. But then I think back to the 12 album plan, which Chris claims to have had in his head all along.  

So I wonder, perhaps having an album as blatantly commercial as MOTS was always a part of the plan. Because like it or not, Coldplay have a pretty sizeable audience who only care for the more basic pop stuff. And they wanted to give them one final gift before they go, along with having an excuse to have one final supermassive world tour. It's the farewell album for the fair-weather fans. I know they're going to keep playing live, but the MOTS tour is one of the highest grossing of all time. They're not going to beat that without a new record to promote. It reminds me of Queen's Magic tour, although under far less tragic circumstances. MOTS happened because, secretly, the band felt it was their last opportunity to make a record and tour like that. And for as much as Everyday Life is the greater artistic triumph, the MOTS tour would be a lot more fun to take part in. 

With that in mind, it makes me hate MOTS less, knowing it was the band getting all that pop stuff out of their system before the final stages of their recording career. Of course this could be totally wrong, and LP11 could be a garish Max Martin jackhammer of rainbows and guest stars. But given how 🌈 was intended as a preview, and how no singles are planned, it feels different this time. 

No download link for the live version either for me.

And that's available on cd for the usa.

How to alienate your fanbase.

1 hour ago, Famous Old Painter said:

So I wonder, perhaps having an album as blatantly commercial as MOTS was always a part of the plan.

That's been my theory from the beginning as well: the MOTS album and tour are there to maximize profit, with everything being pushed to the limit of optimization to make it highly profitable and build a financial cushion for the years ahead, which will inevitably be less lucrative. Even though I believe in Chris' sincerity toward BTS, I think it's also cleverly calculated because it's what works and guarantees success, same for Selena Gomez.

Now that they've done the job, the coffers are full (including for the industry), they can return to something a bit more personal, and that starts with MM.

I heard the album a few times now.

I give it a 7/10

 

 

Edited October 4, 20241 yr by Mr.Green

Here comes my overly long review after listening to the album about 5 times through. Putting my longer thoughts in spoilers because nobody needs that much on one page. I think this album right now is a somewhere between a 7.5-8/10 for me. 

Spoiler

My overall thoughts:  Moon Music finds the band reestablishing many of the characteristics that make it compelling in the first place while adding a surprising amount of depth and genre-defying moments. I'd describe it as a calming, and reassuring listen in a lot of ways and I really connect with the core messages and where Chris is at as a songwriter as striving to be a better more loving person in the face of a really horrible world sometimes. On top of that, the full band feels the most present it has since AHFOD. 

It’s a carefully crafted record that has an impressive amount of detail. Tracks often glide into one another between soft orchestral clouds. There are musical motifs reminiscent of some of the band’s best work on X&Y, VIva La Vida and Everyday Life but with a clear added influence of bands like Sigur Ros. Instead of walloping you over the head with loud, fuzzy synths like on MOTS, this record wants to be listened to carefully. 

The best and most surprising moments are serene and melancholy soundscapes likely produced by Jon Hopkins and Brian Eno. The opener Moon Music may be on the darkest and most somber things they’ve released in 20 years. I love how Rainbow sports a massive post rock build up followed by a piano rock tune with the beautiful Maya Angelou sample. 

The joyous Good Feelings, with its funky Nile Rogers guitar licks is impossible not to groove to. Aeterna has some of the biggest sound bass they’ve ever done, swimming in nocturnal house synths, and iAAM finds the band in motivation stadium rock territory giving fans a taste of what the band often does best. 

Like Everyday Life, Chris Martin is grappling with the struggles of belonging, feeling hope for a broken and often miserable world, and of course, grasping to feel love whether it’s romantic or universal.

I do have some problems of courese. Moon Music flows much better than its predecessor, but at times songs don’t seem confident in what they exactly want to be. Aeterna ends with a refrain of Feels Like I’m Falling In Love, perhaps the most forgettable song on the record, sung partially in swahili. And while some songs are given time to breathe, others feel jam packed with musical ideas that don’t get enough time to shine. The closer One World is an incredible song that wraps listeners up in a swelling of strings only to reintroduce the band with Chris shouting “In the end it’s just love!” Yeah, I think we knew Chris from the rest of the album, now let us enjoy the orchestra -- just feel like it's so close to perfection but they wanted too much. Like most Coldplay albums, it must be in the eye of the beholder. Lyrics are far more specific but can often leave more to be desired, espescially on FLIFIL, iAAM and Aeterna. 

It’s hard to ding the band for its musical ambition, but when trying to write a cohesive and consistent album, these moments are often doomed to either offend those enjoying the song its interrupting or not provide enough fully fleshed out material to make fans excited. For example, why tease 2 Aliens if you won't release it? Why tease beatuiful acoustic melodies halfway through Rainbow? Will we ever get those?

One thing is certain, Moon Music does feel like Coldplay, and people’s enjoyment of it may depend on their relationship with the band’s music over the past 25 years. Even with the continued collaboration of Max Martin, it’s a huge improvement over Music of the Spheres and to me it feels like a critical, central album in the band’s discography that synthesizes and expands on predecessors like Everyday Life, Ghost Stories, and A Head Full of Dreams. It’s not an instant classic, but one day I think it could be remembered as one, but cynicism -- the emotion this album asks the listener to grapple with -- is ironically a powerful emotion that will lead to extremely negative reviews that I think are unwarranted. It's a great album. 

Moon Music (10/10): Terrific opener. The strings are beautiful and sad, the piano soft and sweet. Chris’s lyrics are surprising to me, there’s a clear ambition and message kicking off this album setting a tone that may feel a bit more serious. 

Feelislikeimfallinginlove (7/10): Fantastic chorus with lovely synths and power chords and a dreamy outro help push it over the edge of being middling. The forgettable verses and soft instrumentals leave the song feeling a bit empty. The La La La’s also feels oddly trite given the previous song had good lyrics. 

WE PRAY (8/10): A really amazing beat that utilizes Viva-esque strings and an organic-sounding hip hop beat to dramatic effect. The melody, lyrics and chorus are memorable and all the features are terrific, especially Lil Simz. It does lack a bit of edge and could use a bigger instrumental moment, rather than again leaning on "la la la's," but it rounds out to a solid and catchy listen. 

Jupiter (9/10): A lovely surprise. The acoustic guitar is fresh, the vocal delivery is amazing, the backing vocals and effects are delightful and the orchestra kicking at the end makes it feel like a soundtrack to a 2000’s indie move, but in a good way. The hidden outros are also really lovely. I want a full version of 2 Aliens! 

Good Feelings (8.5/10): As far as Coldplay’s limited dance numbers go, this might take the cake or at least it’s on par with AOAL. The exquisite production and Nile Rogers guitar feature creates a groovy, fun and delightful listen that I can’t not dance to. Arya Starr’s guest vocals and the ending "la la la's" are  perfectly tuned for summer singalongs. I don't know why they don't just drop the single, it's really good. 

Rainbow (9/10): An interesting listen though one that feels almost too meandering in the middle times. The opening Sigur Ros inspired piece is exciting and the “Angel Song” segment is very lovely and calming. I really enjoy the Maya Angelou outro as well. 

iAAM (8/10): A fantastic little stadium rock track harkening back to the Viva days. It’s one of the best instrumentals on the album and an energizing guitar solo, but does feel a bit short and rushed compared to other songs that draw on pacing wise. 

Aeterna (7/10): Nocturnal house music with a touch of funk bass. It’s fun to dance to, it’s catchy and has really interesting production changes. The outro feels a tiny bit out of place paired with this song but is very joyful to listen to. Could see this being a fan favorite or a song people hate. 

All My Love (9/10): Classic Coldplay piano ballad with crisp, gorgeous production and a passionate vocal performance. It’s short and to the point, Jonny’s solo is gorgeous and the crescendo with strings is nicely balanced though I wish the solo was a tiny bit louder. 

One World (9/10): I’m a sucker for this stuff. The orchestral piece is heart wrenchingly beautiful. The final moment where the band steps in is also wonderful though I think I would have preferred only string sections to close out the record. The "In the end it's just love" feels a little hamfisted. The surprise hidden track is just fine, a love letter to Glastonburgy I guess. Not really counting it. 

 

Edited October 4, 20241 yr by lennyrott1

The last secret track is such a troll, they were aware of the lalala critism to come. It's almost as if they're putting their fingers in their ears to drown it out.

Edited October 4, 20241 yr by Sonny
Spelling

this might be somewhat off-topic but im suprised not a lot of people have talked about this we pray acoustic performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqrJLcUAH-U (last song). honestly to me, its one of the most beautiful performances chris has put out and the acoustic version works soooo well with elyanna only too. it fully puts the song in a new context and you can really appreciate the beauty and message. also chris singing burnas parts brings out the melancholy too. i understand why they made it massive sounding on the record, but an acoustic version probably would have fit better. 

7 hours ago, j0r said:

Someone has received the email with download link of tour edition?

Just received it, they sent it as an apology because my merch I ordered is running late

13 minutes ago, yesyes said:

this might be somewhat off-topic but im suprised not a lot of people have talked about this we pray acoustic performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqrJLcUAH-U (last song). honestly to me, its one of the most beautiful performances chris has put out and the acoustic version works soooo well with elyanna only too. it fully puts the song in a new context and you can really appreciate the beauty and message. also chris singing burnas parts brings out the melancholy too. i understand why they made it massive sounding on the record, but an acoustic version probably would have fit better. 

Thanks for sharing! Really shows that Oldplay is still in there when they get out of their own way. Beautiful version. Hopefully they release a version like that!

 Back to Everyday life and I'll pretend it's the last Coldplay album until they release the self-titled album.

I have to say, Moon Music is really touching. Chris is completely naked on this one... 

The more I listen to this album, the more I like it.
The cinema screening was a very special moment for me, and I think that, as time goes by, I will retain a soft spot for this album like the one I have for Everyday Life.
MOON MUSiC might as well be in my top 10 of all time. The first listen left me shattered. What a wonderful piece of music.
iAAM and 🌈 are my second and third pick for a top 3. Love them to death, but I just wish Neon Forest was a bit longer!
We already knew that AETERNA was going to be a banger, and I didn't expect much from JUPiTER, but it was an awesome surprise.
So, all in all, I'm so happy with this record, and I hope that they play lots of these songs on tour!

I got an email from the Coldplay store apologising for the delay, which seems to not just affect me but everyone else in the UK. As someone else said earlier, they're giving out the Tour Edition as an apology which is great. However, this is only the MP3 version and not the WAV files the paid version have. They have a bitrate of 224kb/s but to me sound marginally worse than the iTunes version I've had to have refunded. It's a nice thing to have, but I don't see why they couldn't have given the WAV version instead.

I will avoid posting a lengthy review until a time in the not-so-near future, as I've always done, because I like to take my time absorbing every note and lyric to make sure I fully appreciate the album. But so far and after about 5 listens I'm finding it difficult to justify the hype. iAAM is exceptional (clearly from the VLV sessions) but almost everything else has been underwhelming. 

I grew up listening to U2 and I can't help but compare it to All That You Can't Leave Behind, which was incidentally also their 10th studio album. We were all waiting with bated breath, and, some with worry, to see how and what they deliver. And what they delivered was a masterpiece that won seven Grammy Awards! That album is also largely built around themes of hope, resilience, and personal reflection, but so far I'm afraid when you compare the two one is a Rolls-Royce and the other feels more like a scooter!

Edited October 4, 20241 yr by nvdmm

17 minutes ago, Doomotron said:

I got an email from the Coldplay store apologising for the delay, which seems to not just affect me but everyone else in the UK. As someone else said earlier, they're giving out the Tour Edition as an apology which is great. However, this is only the MP3 version and not the WAV files the paid version have. They have a bitrate of 224kb/s but to me sound marginally worse than the iTunes version I've had to have refunded. It's a nice thing to have, but I don't see why they couldn't have given the WAV version instead.

This is my experience as well, unfortunately it's the MP3 version. Still, I don't want to sound ungrateful.
It seems that the delay is European-wide, as I am writing this from Spain.

4 hours ago, nvdmm said:

I will avoid posting a lengthy review until a time in the not-so-near future, as I've always done, because I like to take my time absorbing every note and lyric to make sure I fully appreciate the album. But so far and after about 5 listens I'm finding it difficult to justify the hype. iAAM is exceptional (clearly from the VLV sessions) but almost everything else has been underwhelming. 

I grew up listening to U2 and I can't help but compare it to All That You Can't Leave Behind, which was incidentally also their 10th studio album. We were all waiting with bated breath, and, some with worry, to see how and what they deliver. And what they delivered was a masterpiece that won seven Grammy Awards! That album is also largely built around themes of hope, resilience, and personal reflection, but so far I'm afraid when you compare the two one is a Rolls-Royce and the other feels more like a scooter!

All That You Can't Leave Behind is my favorite U2 album!!! Nice to see it mentioned here.

7 hours ago, Jonan said:

This is my experience as well, unfortunately it's the MP3 version. Still, I don't want to sound ungrateful.
It seems that the delay is European-wide, as I am writing this from Spain.

I second this! I’m from France and received the email from the store right after my purchase of the Tour edition…

Just ask for a refund and waiting. 🤷🏻‍♂️

So what is this song ? It's not Jupiter but it does sound similar..maybe it's the old version ?

https://x.com/humanheart___/status/1771945269006856556?t=0zapVgkfQoMD3PzMegwHOg&s=19

Edited October 5, 20241 yr by Galal

4 hours ago, Galal said:

So what is this song ? It's not Jupiter but it does sound similar..maybe it's the old version ?

https://x.com/humanheart___/status/1771945269006856556?t=0zapVgkfQoMD3PzMegwHOg&s=19

Sounds like Chris messing around on an Fmaj chord.

Unlike AHFOD and MOTS, I can relate to the new album. For me, it’s an album that needs to be listened to from start to the end to understand the whole message, which is quite clear. Like Ghost Stories, I see it as a very cohesive album, except for "We Pray," which I like, but I felt it lost a bit of flow in the album. Jon Hopkins’ contribution was very well done, and I hope we get more from him on the next album. My two main complaints are that I feel the band doesn’t fully utilize the climax to let Jonny shine (Max Martin?) and adds unnecessary parts, like the "FLIFIL 2."

MOON MUSiC (8.5/10): Melancholic like "Always In My Head," it was a very positive surprise. It sets a tone for the album like "let's find the answers together." The only point I didn’t like much was the transition to the next track.

feelslikeimfallinginlove (6.5/10): Works much better in the context of the album. I still find it superficial, but it contributes well to the whole.

WE PRAY (6.5/10): It’s one of the feats I liked most from the band. I find it powerful, both in the instrumental and in terms of lyrics. However, I felt it lost a bit of context in the album.

JUPiTER (7/10): A positive surprise as well. It could easily fit on EL and brings a beautiful message, even though the lyrics seem superficial. I like the transitions, but like in other tracks, I think they could last longer.

GOOD FEELiNGS (5,5/10): Very well constructed, with a strong bass line, but Jonny could appear more. There are moments in the album when I stop and think, "now is Jonny’s moment," but he doesn’t come as I would like. I try to relative the Chris's lyrics, but in that I couldn't.

ALiEN HITS/ALiEN RADiO (10/10): I was expecting something special based on the reviews, but not this much. It’s a journey. I’m very happy that it serves as a spoiler for the next album. My only complaint is that I wish the explosion from 1:30 to 2:00 lasted longer.

iAAM (9/10): One I was most looking forward to. It’s truly special, a mix of VLV with MX. I also wish it were longer. It feels a bit rushed, and Jonny could have had more space.

AETERNA (7.5/10): I was almost sure I wouldn’t like it, as it’s not really my style, but it’s very well executed, with a strong bass presence and an amazing atmosphere. However, I think the second half didn’t quite fit.

ALL MY LOVE (9/10): What a beautiful piano line. It reminds me of Beatles and Elton John. The climax of the song is very well crafted and builds up gradually. It will be part of my wedding song.

ONE WORLD (9.5/10): There’s a melancholy around 4 minutes that is very special, and it’s one of the moments that moved me the most in the album (and why not the entire discography?). It’s the end of a cohesive album that truly is a journey for the band. I only didn’t give it a 10 because I think the recorded voices could have been better utilized.

7,9/10

In the end, I’m very happy with the new work. I think that this album will get more recognition when the discography is complete, and we'll understand more of it. I believe it plants seeds for the last two. Although I agree that sometimes the lyrics seem superficial, I think they carry much more feeling and connection than MOTS, and they blend well from start to finish. I think we can expect great things in the last two albums.

Edited October 5, 20241 yr by _josemarcelo

14 hours ago, Doomotron said:

I got an email from the Coldplay store apologising for the delay, which seems to not just affect me but everyone else in the UK. As someone else said earlier, they're giving out the Tour Edition as an apology which is great. However, this is only the MP3 version and not the WAV files the paid version have. They have a bitrate of 224kb/s but to me sound marginally worse than the iTunes version I've had to have refunded. It's a nice thing to have, but I don't see why they couldn't have given the WAV version instead.

Receiving the album in MP3 format makes sense: we ordered the physical album, and this is what we are waiting for. The MP3 version is a very nice gesture. Those who ordered the digital album get the WAV version, as this is the 'full' version, ensuring they are treated equally to physical album buyers. We will receive the 'full' version with our physical copies.

Has anyone listened to the notebook edition yet? I haven't seen any comments on it and it's not been shared in the usual places.