Coldplay's fifth album - Mylo Xyloto - has been released worldwide today (including the US now we've heard!) some three and a bit years after Viva La Vida, to another huge wave of media and Coldplayer reviews. Read on for some more of your first impressions of the new album - including the latest poll results on what you thought of it. So far 44% of visitors to the main site and 30% of people on the messageboard gave the album full marks - but there are votes right across the board. Read on for the full results...
If you haven't yet voted you can do so now on our sliding scale poll to the right of your screen and also here in the first impressions thread. You can read and join in with more discussion on the new album at the Mylo Xyloto forum now. [Many thanks to EVERYBODY who had contributed so far...!]
Upon first listen, I felt a little underwhelmed. I didn't think it was bad, per say, but not what I was expecting. Upon a second and third listen, I really, really adore Mylo Xyloto. Like IOwxo2 said about Viva La Vida, I had the same issue with. Not this time around, however. The songs from this era give new life that I haven't felt in their past couple of albums. That said, it has its problems, but really, what album doesn't? I find it funny that I really liked Paradise previous to the official release of Mylo Xyloto, but I am not too fond of it right now. I assume it's because I've listened to it for so long that I want to hear the unheard things for now. For now, I'm going to give it a 8.5/10. It has energy, soul, emotion and beauty. Well done, Coldplay. [thanks DundahMifflin]
I'm still unprepared to put it in the album ranking list yet. I'm going to have to put some thought into that. And I had the same problem with VLV as well--really liked it, but didn't really get the brilliance of some tracks until later. This time, I felt that the songs I was iffy about I'd already heard, and they sounded much, much better in context of the album. Maybe it's because I was "more excited" for VLV's release, even though I had my concerns about what they were doing even back then. But I was so, so excited for it that when it came, it might have been inevitable for me to be a bit more critical of it at first (same thing happened to me with a non-Coldplay album this year that I was pants-wetting excited for). This time, I was quite worried about the whole thing, even though we'd heard most of the songs in some form, and was very pleasantly surprised. There was no hurdle of equating high expectations with reality and bringing them more down to earth: this time it was the opposite, and that was refreshing. [thanks ApproximatelyInfinite]
Just finished listening to it and I think that this is an incredible album. Let me just say that when Viva came out, it took me awhile for certain songs to grow on me but with this album, I didn't have that problem. I do not like the studio version of HLH and prefer the live version... same goes for Major Minus but other than that, I really love the album. So I give it a 8/10. I was actually quite surprised how much I liked Princess of China, I think Chris and Rihanna's voices go really well together. I love the studio version of Charlie Brown, U.F.O. is amazing and Us Against the World and Up In Flames still bring me to tears. Don't Let It Break Your Heart I loved immediately. It is so massive from beginning to end and is my favorite track. Up With the Birds is freaking gorgeous and a brilliant closing song. The boys did a brilliant job on this album and I am so proud of them. [thanks l0wxo2]
I think the right way for a new direction is what Viva was: With the instrumental diversity and world music vibes they had on there. It was really something, from the bongo drums on Lost! to the sitar in Yes (my favorite song from that era). However, throwing some synths on a phat beat isn't innovating, because sooooooo much pop music does that nowadays. Not that MX is bad by any means: I think it's a really good pop album. However, it's not as cohesive as Viva is, and I think they were going for cohesiveness and experimentation this time around. And yeah, while it's a different sound to what we're used to hearing Coldplay sound like, it still seems too safe and I can't help but get the feeling that this has been done before. I hope they step back and reassess themselves for the next album. Because while I like MX a lot, this will get old really quickly. I don't want Coldplay to become the crap pop-tart that Maroon 5 has become. Yuck. I'd give it an 8/10, but Coldplay: Watch your step. [thanks Baw8cc]
I've given it more time and it stands as a solid 7/10. UFO has grown on me and UWTB is now my favorite, POC > ETIAW >>>> Paradise, Charlie Brown and HLH are nice anthems, MX and AHT are really sweet, DLIBYH is bright and energetic and even a little shoegazy, Major Minus is still incredibly U2-lite, UATW is always incredible, and Up In Flames is monotonous and reflects how poorly Chris Martin's talent is aging. 7/10. Kind of meh, alright, easy to get sick of. [thanks admnistramation]
First thing to note, before buying the album, the only songs I listened to were those which were officially released on the band's website (Paradise/Waterfalls/Minus). I didn't listen to any leaks or even the live versions which have been circulating YouTube for the last few months.Absolutely love the artwork to the album, I get a choice of two covers! Overall, a good Coldplay album. For now, Viva La Vida is my favourite Coldplay album but I certainly prefer Mylo Xyloto to X&Y. After the innovation we got on the fourth album and its offspring EP, my expectations were obviously pretty high. I wouldn't say Coldplay have stopped inventing or tweaking their sound or even taken a backstep. I get the impression that while Chris wants the sound of the band to move forward, at the same he's very self-conscious of what critics and fans will think. He doesn't want to leave anyone behind but he also wants to keep people guessing with optimism. The transition we're seeing now to me resembles the Help-Rubber Soul-Revolver-Sgt Pepper transition of The Beatles in the sense that Coldplay is working up to something bigger. The transition in their sound is very methodical on this album in the sense that it doesn't take a massive leap forward like they did between X&Y and Viva. Next time around i'd love to hear a darker, moodier Coldplay with some atmosphere. While I like Mylo Xyloto for its exploration of sound, at the same time its done in a way that is decent and relevant to what is popular in the industry right now. I stress again, that does not make it a bad record but when you take into account the talent of the band and where the album could have gone, you can't help it wish for just a little bit more. 4 out of 5. [thanks TryWhistlingThis]
Personally, I find the album was superb, but it did have its flows. I find each song was so different than the text, so it kinda felt off balanced, but the story stayed strong. While I loved Moving to Mars, i'm sort of happy it wasn't on the album, i just don't think it would've fit with the rest of the songs =S. Id probably give the album 8.5 out of 10. [thanks ColdplayBlop]
Mylo Xyloto is definitly amazing. It's not their best, but still a great piece of art. Hurts Like Heaven and Charlie Brown are the best songs from it. Paradise sounds great in the concept of the album, and the interludes fit perfectly into the concept of it; Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall sounds better with M.M.I.X. and A Hopeful Transmission is a beautiful remix of Mylo Xyloto. I don't like the over-production in some tunes, but the second half of the album reminds me of Parachutes! (U.F.O., Up With The Birds...). Amazing, 8/10. [thanks JosephRengifo]
When it's good, it's actually good (Us Against The World, Charlie Brown) but when it's bad it falters (Paradise, Up In Flames). I'd rate it as the second worst Coldplay album, just hovering above X&Y. I'm a bit generous on the rating I guess as I gave it a 7/10. [thanks y3110w]
I just listened to it. It's a solid album, but I consider it their worst album. There's WAY too much production put into some of the songs, like "Hurts Like Heaven" (which was my favorite live track from the album besides "Charlie Brown"). "Princess of China" did impress me, but I still consider it decent (not enough Chris and not enough actual Coldplay with their instruments). Despite all this, however, I was really digging "U.F.O" and the last 4 tracks on the album, especially "Don't Let It Break Your Heart". For the people who say that it's a masterpiece though, I just want to ask you why? What makes this better than "Parachutes" and "A Rush of Blood to the Head", which are considered their masterpiece albums and put up with some of the greatest albums of all time (AROBTTH was ranked in the Top 100)? I'm not attacking your opinions of MX, I just want to know what makes you think it's so "groundbreaking". [thanks ImNotChrisMartin]
I give it a 7. The last part is absolutely incredible. It's wasn't as good as I would have expected 2 years ago, but I was pleasantly surprised. My favourite moment on the album is A Hopeful Transmission when it brings back the melody from the opening track, it's fantastic idea. The transition into DLIBYH is brilliant too. There's not a song I hate really, I've changed my opinion on ETIAW and Paradise because of the way they fit into the album, particularly ETIAW. So yeah overall I'm impressed. I didn't really get a feel for the narrative until the 2nd half where I sort of worked out what was going on. Decent album. I'd rank it 3rd behind VLV and AROBTHH. [thanks Cleggy]
Gosh if it were for those few singles/future single it wouldn't be so bad. I can even live with ETIAW, as i think it fits with the album pretty well. Paradise and and POC are just so bad wrong for coldplay. POC may be a fine pop song, but hearing it on the album sucked for me. I wish they left it off and released it on its own. As for the rest of it: I like the intro. And Hurts like Heaven is growing on me. Charlie Brown is still the next great Coldplay song. I'll stand by that statement I made after seeing them at ACL. Us against the world sounds good. Major minus is the song that I like (kinda) but just doesn't seem to fit on the album. I enjoy it live, but I don't think it belongs here. UFO sounds great, my favorite of the ones I hadn't yet heard. Up in Flames is ok, but I kinda find it boring. DLIBYH is pretty good. It remind me of Charlie Brown. And I'm actually ok with Up with the Birds. Overall, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. But I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully forgive them for featuring Rhianna on an album. It will never be as good as A rush of blood or Parachutes but is still better than X&Y. Is it better than LP4? Only time will tell. But I doubt it. 5/10 [thanks winigwl]
After listening to the album a few times, I think it's really a very different (but great!) record. I do agree with some of the opinions, in which the first part of the record is a little disjointed. It feels like a mishmash of songs just tacked together with no flow. I'd like to give some constructive criticism though (It's just my opinion).. The first part of the album could've used some segues between the songs (like a transition, where the song fades/connects to each other) so that it would've been less jarring and more cohesive as if it were telling one whole story. The band did it for some of the songs (MX into HLH, MMIX into ETIAW, UIF all the way to UWTB) and, in my humble opinion, it worked brilliantly. In fact, the way the band integrated the tune from MX into UFO and AHT was a really great touch. The reason why I'm bringing this up is because the band are pitching it to be a concept album with a story to tell (that they made this record with the goal of getting people to listen to complete albums), and I personally feel that if the songs from the first half actually transitioned into each other it would have nailed that pitch perfectly and given a relatively different experience. As for POC, it's a great song but I'm still not sold and kind of puzzled.. Was Rihanna really necessary? It felt a bit out of place hearing a female voice suddenly pop out from nowhere. Despite that, I think I'm not going to let that ruin these songs for me. It's a stellar record, especially for the last few songs where they actually took time to develop the song instead of trying to make it as short as possible. [thanks cephaus]
8.5 - 9/10. Overall great album, Hurts like Heaven/Charlie Brown did not disappoint in their studio versions. Don't let it break your heart is beautiful, didn't expect this type of song on this album, amazing. Sounds like a sped up Clocks/Speed of Sound with hints of Charlie Brown mixed in, but even better. Up in flames, I heard it once in that live video, was waiting for the studio one.. Incredible <333 Probably ONE OF my favorites. [thanks ja5219]
i pretty much hate it... i like the songs as individual tracks that are from different albums and artists that i pieced together myself and then put them on shuffle but as an album the story is great but the rihanna thing was awful and the music was too loud its as if chris was fighting it just to be heard coz i really wish theyd go back to songs like yellow where it moved me when i listened to it. like my life was a mess but who cares im not the only one. i miss that conforting feeiling coldplay music used to make me feel. its good though but its not as good as COlDPLAY. i hope this is the rough version and not the studio one they will release coz i wouldve been very upset if i had bought it. ps: i love coldplay more than anything and i hope they make a more coldplay-ish album and release it like they did with prospekt's march. thatll be great. [thanks Kaeious]
This album has me on the fence on whether I like it or not. I came into this album with high expectations. Especially since Chris Martin said it was going to be a masterpiece. I would say I lean more towards liking it than not. It seems almost like there is no structure. I compare it to picking up a strangers poetry book and reading page by page as if it was a novel. Some pages (songs ) on this album are amazing and others that come right after make no sense at all. I heard so many great things about POC and man I was so disappointed. To much Rhianna. If it were more Chris Martin and Rhianna put in something then cool, but it doesn't seem like a coldplay song at all. It's as if it were written for both Coldplay and Rhianna's album. Not cool, the reason why I didn't mind Jay-Z on the lost remix was because he played his part and had a cameo. Not the whole song. All in all its a great album in general (better than half the crap out now) but simply a good Coldplay album. I hope this is not their last album cause this is not the way I would want them to go out. [thanks ColderPlay]
It's definitely a strange album. I totally understand why they kept on saying it's a concept album, because I really really do feel the story in it. Strangely enough, the story reminds me of a mix of those weird Japanese animated films like 'Spirited Away' mixed with the huge, destroyed universe of Half Life with the songs being the journey of the main character in these environments. Overall - Although I love this album, there's a lot that stop it from being perfect. I felt a lack of intimacy between us and the band, like you get in all the previous albums (more so AROBTTH), but the overall feel of the album together as a whole almost overcomes the need for some of those moments, because if you listen to the album as a whole you become so engrossed in the feel of it almost as if you're in this environment that Coldplay has created, and you're on a journey through this environment. They've definitely changed. But that's not bad. [thanks natmac10]
Overall first impression: Strong and fun with a ton of energy. Compared to the others, unfortunately it's not as good on the first listens, for me. VLV, Parachutes, and AROBTTH were instant classics. Much more enjoyable on first listens than X&Y was... It is as good as I was expecting, but didnt exceed my hopes. Coldplay will always be my favorite band, I suppose. This just isn't their best. Nor is it their worst... 7.5 of 10 over all. Maybe an 8. [thanks mountainloafers]
After a first two listens, I'm not impressed. Princess of China is atrocious, and it's not even Rihanna's fault. I hope I will ever be able to forget that this song exists. Us Against The World is actually better on the album than live, which surprised me in a positive way. I was also surprised by DLIBYH (barring the last minute of the song). It's not that bad. But it feels a bit like an inferior Glass of Water. A Hopeful Transmission is awesome. The spoons are fantastic. Period. UFO is gorgeous, but I can't help feeling that they have done it before, and they called it Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground. Up With The Birds is odd, but I think I like it. I'm not very keen on Chris' singing in the second part though. But overall, it's definitely their worst album yet. It doesn't flow like I hoped it would. It's just a patchwork of different things. [thanks Tryptophan]
I've been a die hard Coldplay fan ever since AROBTTH. I love Parachutes, X&Y and Viva. And I mean LOVE. But I have to say, I am disappointed by this album. I by far prefer the acoustic tracks and popier tracks than the full out electronic ones. I really loved the singles that were released, and figured the whole album would resemble them. But there are tracks in there that are just filled with so many synths and electronic drum sounds that it's just....where's the band? What happened to the music being the four guys playing, not Chris with a bunch of keyboards and electronic effects? Hurts Like Heaven and Charlie Brown sound too much like Arcade Fire, which isn't a bad thing to sound like someone else. But I feel like I've heard these songs before because Arcade Fire released an album earlier this year and Coldplay seem to have taken a lot of influence from them. Up In Flames has a chord progression for the chorus that has already been used before. I've never been so harsh in my thoughts about a Coldplay album. With every other album, I LOVEd it after the first listen. But with this one, I'm very unsure. I sincerely hope this album grows on me, because I've never skipped Coldplay songs before due to the fact that I didn't like them (which means that I really DO love all of Coldplay's material until now...) [thanks _Broken_Doll_]
More Coldplayer reviews to follow...!
October 2011: Your One-Stop-Shop for Coldplay Info! (Updated: 20th October) [thanks ApproximatelyInfinite]
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