tauiwi

Karl >>>>>>>>>>>> Koshie

Its 12:05am Melbourne time in Australia. iTunes hasnt dropped it yet, i'm getting impatient. Whats the release timing rule with iTunes and new releases??

No luck for me either. Oh well, wasn't too impressed with the setlist for this mini-tour so not to fussed

Definitely going to try and get tix. Have a feeling this album will not be properly toured...

Always In My Head - ***** Magic - ***** Ink - **** True Love - *** Midnight - ***** Another Arms - **** Oceans - **** A Sky Full Of Stars - **** O - *****

Entertainment Weekly (USA) Source: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20816099,00.html Some things about Coldplay never change — frontman Chris Martin's dreamy falsetto, the dramatic piano flourishes, a general air of melancholy — but the maestros of feelings-rock have never made the same album twice. There's a restlessness to the band that most acts in their position would find both exhausting and potentially career-threatening. But rather than rewrite ''Clocks'' ad infinitum, Coldplay use their self-doubt to explore new avenues. Though Brian Eno, who produced their last two efforts, isn't here, his specter is everywhere; Ghost pushes his influence deeper into a humming, atmospheric abyss — from the twinkling drones beneath ''Midnight'' to the synth-swirl outro on ''Oceans.'' The moodier numbers, especially ''Midnight'' and ''Ink,'' masterfully subvert Martin's haunting voice in the mix, which offers an apt metaphor for his recent separation from Gwyneth Paltrow: When the uncoupling came, he consciously got lost in the music. In the scheme of Coldplay's career, Ghost Stories will likely be remembered as a transitional album. This is the sound of a band paying homage to their past — particularly 2011's hugely successful Mylo Xyloto — while pawing at the future. It's a drowsy experience, and often a true bummer; for all his skilled self-deprecation, Martin sounds genuinely heartbroken. But Ghost Stories can't help but feel like a prelude to something bigger and deeper. Best to check back in 2016. B Best Tracks: ''Ink'' ''Another's Arms''

HERALD SUN (AUS) Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/first-review-coldplays-ghost-stories-is-chris-martins-love-letter-to-gwyneth-paltrow/story-fni0bvjn-1226916012251 THE year’s most anticipated rock album is also Coldplay’s least-rock album. Ghost Stories is Coldplay’s most subtle album since their debut Parachutes, and also their most electronic — and emotional. Even before frontman Chris Martin announced his split from wife Gwyneth Paltrow the band had stated they’d not do the usual barrage of interviews for the project. Now we see why; these are the most public statements on Martin’s admirably private relationship, filled with soul-baring lyrics ready to be analysed given recent events. Paltrow called it ‘Conscious Uncoupling’. Martin opts for a less Oprah take on his feelings. You saw Sad Kanye, now hear Sad Chris. “I’ve lost you now, you let me go,” he sings on True Love. “But one last time, tell me you love me, if you don’t then lie to me.” That’s the tone here on this pre-divorce album, a broken man sharing his pain with the world via a love letter to his soon-to-be-ex wife. There’s times you feel like you’re eavesdropping. Dig around the credits of their sixth album — which is available to stream for free on iTunes — and the band thank their partners and children by just using their first initials — there’s ’amg’ — Apple, Moses and Gwyneth. Apple and Moses Martin are also credited as guest vocalists on final track O, a simple piano ballad using a metaphor of losing love as birds flying away. It’s hard to detect their voices, but a nice gesture from dad. There’s also a quote on the sleeve notes that shows all that time around Paltrow rubbed off on Martin: ‘Suffering teaches sweet understanding’. It’s credited to Marshall Ball — a man who cannot walk or speak but writes spiritually-charged books of wisdom. It’s very on brand with Paltrow’s website Goop. Subversive hit and minimal single Magic was a great musical introduction to the DNA of Ghost Stories. As was the even more subversive, even more minimal Midnight. That track sees Coldplay renew their relationship with experimental electronic producer Jon Hopkins, sampling his tune The Fourth State II. They’d previously used some of his beautiful work to bookend Viva La Vida. Always In My Head is stunning, presumably it’s French electronic producer Madeon (Lady Gaga) adding some of the “magic” acknowledged in the credits on this track. The song has experimental electro sounds moody synth washes and not too much else, just ethereal guitar and Cure/New Order submerged bass. Martin, whose vocals are front and centre like never before, notes ``I think of you, I haven’t slept, I think I do, but I don’t forget …” before closing proceedings with ``This, I guess, is to tell you you were chosen out from the rest.” Ink features folky guitar and skittish beats and Martin proclaiming “feels like there’s something broken inside.” Things get a little cheerier, at least musically, for the chorus with the line “All I know is that I love you so, so much that it hurts.” He does get a bit vocally upbeat at the end, when there’s some trademark U2-style guitar, but way back in the mix. Another’s Arms may be the album’s (shattered) heart. It’s a stark piano ballad, with a sample of female vocalist Jane Weaver’s Silver Chord, and stunted hip hop beats. Martin sings ``Late night watching TV, used to be you here beside me, used to be your arms around me, your body on my body.” He then just lets rip lyrically. Amateur psychologists and music reviewers (often the same thing) may project he’s singing about the thought of his wife with someone else here:``When the world means nothing to me — another’s arms, when the pain just rips right through me — another’s arms, when it’s just torture to me — another’s arms’’. Sky Full of Stars was co-written with Swedish chart invader Avicii, and he clearly supplies that wordless hands-in-the-air chorus. Also unspoken is the fact this is the radio single the band knew this album needed. It may not work quite as well as their previous nod to dance culture, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,but Sky Full of Stars provides a welcome pulse at just the right time. True Love ropes in Timbaland on beats, but it’s still decidedly downbeat, with an unexpectedly skew-whiff solo at the end. Oceans uses acoustic guitar and what sounds like underwater sonar bleeps instead of drums. It gives off a Radiohead circa OK Computer feel as an emotionally-raw Martin sighs “I’m trying to change. I’m ready for a change” and “to find yourself alone in this world, to find yourself alone.” It also takes you right back to the early charm of Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head, before they worried about big musical moments for stadiums. Even though it’s mainly ballads on the nine songs here, there’s no for-the-masses lighter-waver moment like Fix You. It’s not that kind of record. Just as their heroes U2 have done, Coldplay know exactly when to take a detour and dream it all up again, just as they did on Viva La Vida. They’re just lucky that they’ve banked enough goodwill that on this, their strangest but arguably most personal album, they’re likely to not lose too many passengers as they continue the interesting ride. 4 stars

NY DAILY NEWS Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/coldplay-ghost-stories-transparent-unsexy-review-article-1.1789734 Coldplay's 'Ghost Stories' is transparent and unsexy: album review The ‘conscious uncoupling’ of Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow is an obvious theme on Coldplay’s new release, but Martin’s heartbreak produced a boring, deflated album. 2 stars. You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to figure out the deep inner meaning of the new Coldplay album. Each and every song addresses the "conscious uncoupling" heard 'round the world between band leader Chris Martin and soon-to-be-ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow. "Ghost Stories" — officially out on May 20 but streaming now on iTunes First Listen — finds Martin curled up in the fetal position, mewling non-stop about the love that let him down. "For a second I was in control," he moans in "True Love." "I had it once/I lost it though." "Feels like something broken inside," he echoes in the song "Ink," which mentions a tattoo he got of his love's name — an image that now only serves to mock him. "All I know is that I'm lost/whenever you go." In the video for the album's single, "Magic," a woman throws knives directly at his face. Of course, there's no finer inspiration for art than a broken heart. Unfortunately, it hasn't had so elevated an effect on Martin. It seems to have sucker-punched him, deflating any momentum in the beat or articulation in the melodies. Only one track speeds the rhythm. Even those that feature more aggressive percussion, isolate it, leaving the rest of the track barren. Call it music for those with "Low T." Whatever the opposite of Viagra is, Martin seems to have swallowed it before his creative process began. This isn't a new problem for Coldplay. They began as a modest band of balladeers who — through a mix of expert marketing and a general trend towards wimpier rock — helped them fill arenas and soared them to the top of the charts. While their music, here and earlier, features fine and elaborate production, the core of their songs remain pale. A new piece like "Midnight" has the dubious distinction of sounding remarkably like an act Coldplay first influenced. It's a dead-ringer for the most milky and blurred songs of Bon Iver. If the new music has the consistency of loose porridge, the lyrics prove just as watered down. Martin's pain hasn't brought out fresh language or interesting perspectives. Only in the very last song, "Fly On," does Martin get out of his own head, writing about love as a fickle, flying thing. It's a poignant image, if a borrowed one, specifically from Neil Young's classic on the subject, "Birds." It's a shame. A heartbreak is a terrible thing for a songwriter to waste. But the ache of "Ghost Stories" doesn't haunt. It bores. 2/5 ---------------- #ouch

USA TODAY Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/05/13/coldplay-album-review/9012963/ Within the realm of memorable breakup albums, Coldplay's Ghost Stories (** ½ out of four) lacks the confessional gut-punch of Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, the acrimony of Richard and Linda Thompson's Shoot Out the Lights and the irresistible sonic appeal of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. In fact, the band's sixth studio album and first since 2011's Milo Xyloto isn't even a particularly memorable Coldplay album. Frontman and vocalist Chris Martin, whose marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow was crumbling during the writing and recording of the album, pours aspects of that experience into nearly all of the nine song's lyrics. But the results tend to be either mopey or emotionally restrained — things to avoid if you intend to profit from your pain. Maybe spending some time in Nashville would have helped. When Martin sings in True Love, "I've lost you now/you let me go/But one last time/Tell me you love me/if you don't then lie/oh lie to me,'' it's sad, of course, and a bit pathetic, but there's no need to lock the liquor cabinet or anything. It doesn't help that the band has shifted from its grandiose and uplifting arena-size sound to a leaner approach that relies more on simple piano and acoustic guitar accompaniment. That serves some of these songs well, especially Magic, but you'll crave the synthesizer rush that comes only with Always in My Head, A Sky Full of Stars (featuring guest producer Avicii) and True Love. Those last two are the highlights of a minor album dealing with a tough but endurable setback in an otherwise charmed life. For the wounded spinners of Ghost Stories, it's time to saddle up those unicorns and head for the next chapter. 2.5/4

NME Source: http://www.nme.com/reviews/coldplay/15307?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=coldplayreview Once upon a time, picking over Chris Martin lyrics was a sport, a race to guess the rhyming word. Like Noel Gallagher — and doesn't that just trip off the tongue? — Martin seemed to be filling up space, chucking in a few platitudes to bulk up the bars between big choruses. He may not be Dylan just yet, but everyone will be parsing 'Ghost Stories' for a different sort of clue, maybe even hamfisted attempts to rhyme "conscious" and "coupling". Go on, chalk that up. Actually, perhaps he is a bit Dylan. If Coldplay are ever going to make their own 'Blood On The Tracks' (and if you've been holding your breath for that, you're probably in some strife now) this is the time. There was a collective sigh when news broke that Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow were splitting up. We've all lost something here, the beguiling image of the awkward, everyman, not-quite rockstar wooing the Hollywood superstar — but perhaps we can all gain something too. A raw, true Coldplay album might be an unexpectedly meaty treat for the masses, and a weight off Martin's shoulders. They've gone in eyes open, intending to adjust both sound and position, and it's a familiar strategy. There's always been a touch of the U2s about Coldplay's trajectory, from the vertiginous climb to the stadium big league to, naturally, the hiring of Brian Eno's fairydust talents. Compared album by album, it might go something like this: 'X&Y' was as complacent as 'Rattle & Hum', 'Viva La Vida' — with its knowing "Enoxification", lively embrace of pure pop and awareness of its surroundings — was as seminal as 'Achtung Baby'. Neatly, we can call the 'Prospekt's March' their 'Zooropa', while 'Mylo Xyloto' was 'Pop' from every angle, all shrill, disjointed highs, little triangles of bunting in search of a thread. That puts 'Ghost Stories' alongside 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'. A return to core principles. Next thing, Martin will be buying his hat first class tickets around the world. But this isn't quite early Coldplay rebooted. It shares a simple sparseness with 'Parachutes', but the approach is radically different. In harness with producers as diverse as Paul Epworth, Timbaland and Avicii, Coldplay have never sounded more electronic. Where 'Ghost Stories' really differs from 'Mylo Xyloto' is in a sharp dialling down of intensity, sonically if not lyrically, with only the Avicii-led 'A Sky Full Of Stars' cutting loose, and even then as a hesitant retread of 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall'. It's a reluctance that feels quite normal; introspection doesn't invite the poppers. The real heart of 'Ghost Stories' is in the warped Bon Iver-isms of 'Midnight' with its devastated plea to "leave a light on", in the beaten but unbowed bareness of 'Magic' ("If you were to ask me/After all that we've been through/Still believe in magic?/Yes, I do/Of course I do"), in the gorgeously off-key synth loops of 'Oceans' and in the choppy dubstep textures of 'True Love' where Martin croaks, "One last time/Tell me you love me," and we all start to feel his own hollowness. For an album that apparently began, for the very first time, with other members providing the kernels of tracks, this doesn't half feel like a Chris Martin solo record. And in that sense it was never going to provide fireworks. 'Ghost Stories' is a feeling more than a collection of songs, and takes a willing reception for granted. That feeling's not rancorous, it's bloodless and resigned, but touching as well. In its warm, delicate drift, this is a quiet success and, as the choral voices and synth glitches of 'Always In My Mind' bookend the album, there's a suggestion it's been parcelled up and everyone can move on. It's all part of the process. 7/10 -------------------------- A pretty well written review from the NME... They gave MX 5/10 so maybe they have mellowed

Seriously, I am sick of playing the low quality version through YouTube There's only so many times I can flog that

AUSTRALIA Are you serious

Taking this with a grain of salt, but it does add up... Certainly the bit about having a quiet 2014. Release the album, don't really tour it, then smash it in 2015

Plenty of lols https://twitter.com/search?q=%23consciouslyuncouple&src=typd

Gwyneth Paltrow announces she will ‘consciously uncouple’ herself from Chris Martin, spawning a hilarious new hashtag Source: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/gwyneth-paltrow-announces-she-will-consciously-uncouple-herself-from-chris-martin-spawning-a-hilarious-new-hashtag/story-fnk825aa-1226865201808 IT was such a Gwyneth way to announce a separation. “Consciously uncouple” were the exact words she and Chris Martin used to announce that they were splitting after ten years of marriage. That’s right, Gwynnie couldn’t just announce her imminent divorce, she had to come up with the “Goop-iest” phrase ever to no longer be married. “We hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner,” the pair said in their joint statement on Paltrow’s Goop website. While it’s incredibly sad news for the pair, it seems that without even realising it they’ve spawned 2014’s latest buzzworthy catchphrase. Breakups will never be the same. Now millions of people are asking themselves what they would like to “consciously uncouple” from and are sharing the breakups they’re dreaming of on Twitter. Crop tops, Kale, Kimye coverage, selfies, belfies, organic quinoa recipes, the list goes on. It’s time to watch the growth of a brand new hashtag, Twitterverse. Welcome to the world, #consciouslyuncouple.

I'm sure CM and GP were having their problems back then... not so much a separation, but marital issues. Maybe I am drawing a long bow

So the front cover is definitely a HEART broken into two.

aleale posted this from the secret Sony shows in this thread just 4 days ago.... :( http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/threads/99182-21-Mar-2014-Coldplay-Sony-Pictures-Studios-Los-Angeles-USA/page22

Seems like the whole ghost-stories theme fits, the lyrics, the mood and everything. So sad.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin split, announce they’re ‘consciously uncoupling’ source: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/gwyneth-paltrow-and-chris-martin-split-announce-theyre-consciously-uncoupling/story-fnk825aa-1226864968928 This story was published: 1 hour ago March 26, 2014 9:00AM It’s over. GWYNETH Paltrow and Chris Martin have announced their separation. In a statement released on Paltrow’s Goop website, the actor announced she and her Coldplay husband are parting way after 10 years of marriage. “It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate,” the statement says. “We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. “We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been. We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.” Paltrow and Martin met in 2002 and grew quite close as the Coldplay singer helped the actor deal with the death of her father, Bruce Paltrow, who passed away in October 2002. The Coldplay singer is credited with helping the actor overcome the death of her father, Bruce Paltrow, in October 2002. Martin wrote the song Fix You about Paltrow’s loss, and he stated in an interview in 2012 that he cries every time he hears the song. The couple were married in December 2003 and Paltrow gave birth to the couple’s first child, daughter Apple Blythe Alison Martin, in May 2004 in London. In 2006 they welcomed their second child, son Moses Bruce Anthony Martin. In 2012, when promoting the film Thanks for Sharing, (about sex addiction) Paltrow was asked if she’d forgive her husband if he ever cheated on her. “I think that if the idea of being committed to someone is important to you, you begin to value certain parts of your social life over another,” Paltrow said. “No couple is the same, and as such, every couple takes on different challenges. I would like to think that I would be forgiving and/or forgiven, but I can’t give an honest answer as I haven’t really experienced that.” Just last month a message about Paltrow appeared on Whisper — an anonymous secret-sharing app — claiming that the actress has been having an affair with well-known entertainment lawyer Kevin Yorn. Her rep slammed the rumour, saying it’s “100 per cent false”.

I guess we all take the site for granted, and it was just sad to see it down whomever's fault this was, given it was another great moment for Coldplay fans! Long live the Coldplaying community

What the fudge, I cant believe the site was down when the show was on... I wanted to converse as it was going, felt naked without Coldplaying. And the big return after being in the studio! Aaagh! Geez they looked awkward playing the new songs. Funniest moment: When the streamers came down, covered the stage, and made it very difficult for the boys to play

Oh mann I have to wait until tomorrow now? /DamnAustralia

It's top 10 in all but one of the major nations for itunes

It IS their day job.