Famous Old Painter

Wow, I'm out of the loop. Look forward to seeing it soon then!

I'm worried there'll be a ton more Church-style lipsynching at the next performance if Chris' vocals don't improve

Yeah, sunset Jordan time. Which is probably tomorrow in your time.

There will be another performance at sunset

Chris lipsynching on Church makes this feel less like a live performance and more like a music video

My partner’s out of hospital now and alive and well. Obviously the road ahead is going to be a difficult and frightening one for both of us, but I’m staying optimistic. Thanks for all the love and support, it means a lot.

Thanks, Captain

I’m listening to Daddy at the moment and the beeping of the heart machine is in perfect tempo

My partner is hospitalised after she attempted to take her life today. I can’t say I’m holding together terribly well either. It’s... rough to say the least.

Sunrise - Would've made for a neat 30 second intro. Wears out its welcome pretty quickly. Church - It sounds very 90s, which is unexpected for Coldplay. It's quite a grower though. I like the singing at the end, gives it a real new-age feel. Trouble in Town - I like it, don't love it. I like when the full band comes in near the end, gives me a slightly Radiohead feel almost. I'm not sure about the violent sample though, feels pretty jarring. BrokEn - Kind of a generic gospel tune. Don't really need it. Daddy - Holy shit. This is one of the best songs Coldplay have EVER done. So unbelievably beautiful. Just incredible. Makes the whole album worth it. WOTW/POTP - Just a rough demo. Not really needed. Arabesque - An incredible tune, probably their best song of the 2010s, but doesn't really belong on this album. When I Need a Friend - Nice choral interlude. Really doubles down on the whole new-age feel. Guns - Meh. Not huge on the lyrics, and there's not enough going on with the music to keep me invested. Orphans - The best mainstream pop song Coldplay have done this decade, easily. Fits in with the rest of the album better than Arabesque does. Eko - Nice little celtic folk thing. It's ok. Cry Cry Cry - Didn't like it at first, but it's grown like crazy. Now it's one of my favourite songs. Old Friends - Pre-Parachutes vibes. Reminds me of songs like See You Soon. Pretty, understated thing. Bani Adam - Nice little piano bit in the first half. Not as sold on the second half. Champion of the World - The lyrics are really touching. Wonderful tribute to Scott Hutchison. But the music isn't quite clicking with me yet. Everyday Life - Works better in context of the record. Sweet closer. I don't dislike any of the songs, but I don't really love any songs other than Arabesque, Orphans and Daddy yet. Most of the tracks feel like song ideas and demos, which is fine but not quite as fleshed out as I would've hoped. No idea where I'd rank it yet, but my top 3 of Viva, AROBTTH and Ghost Stories remains firm.

This is my favourite song off the album by a huge margin (ok, apart from Arabesque). It's so beautiful

I get what you mean, but it makes a lot more sense if you examine the lyrics as well.

It feels crass and inappropriate to speculate but I can't help myself, do you think this song could be about Scott? Several of the lyrics seem to point that way. If so, it's a really touching tribute. I had no idea Scott had any sort of relationship with Coldplay, but his death seems to have affected them enough to write this song. Or maybe they were working on it before his death and it's all just a coincidence.

Looks like it’s been spelled wrong for over 10 years now. You’re the first to point it out in all that time

[spoiler=I'm Richard. Hey!]

I mean, that's exactly what happened when it came to swearing

I don't think I'm spoiling too much when I say you're in for a treat

Yeah, wasn't expecting that at all. I assumed Ghost Stories was about as dark as Newplay were ever going to get. I was very wrong. This album might be even darker than AROBTTH, which is crazy considering they just came off the heels of AHFOD.

That's goddamned beautiful

I’m glad they’re finally moving away from the MX/AHFOD sound but not gonna lie, I’m not enjoying it as much as I hoped I would

Maybe it's because I've known these songs for ages by Orphans and Arabesque sound completely out of place. The rest of this album is so quiet and sad that it makes Parachutes sound like a death metal record. Not what I was expecting at all.

If the rumours are true and EL will feature a pop disc and an experimental disc, and we’re also getting a pop album next year, that’d be disappointing. I’d like more than half an album of experimental Coldplay if they’re being that prolific.

I remember an old quote about David Bowie only being as good as the people he collaborates with. I think that’s a bit unfair towards Bowie’s own genius, he’s obviously brilliant in his own right, but there’s a reason why his album featuring Donny McCaslin and Maria Schnieder was better received than his record with Mickey Rourke rapping on it. The same idea is just as applicable to Coldplay I think. Obviously a brilliant band in their own right, but they need the right collaborators to bring out the best in them.

I also suspect Wonders of the World/Power of the People may be a double track like Army/X Marks or Yes/CSC

Everyday Life is 53 minutes. Removing the singles we're left with 44 minutes. Assuming the average song length is 4 minutes (some will be shorter, some may be longer) that leaves us with room for about 11 extra songs as a best case scenario. So there are either gonna be some super short songs on here, or there will be about 3-4 interludes. Maybe 2 interludes per side? Just a guess though.