para-para-parrotdies

No, because I keep hearing Para-Para-Parrot's Ass

Listen, it's great that A-ha's music holds much significance in your life (although their "social work" shouldn't really factor into this discussion...) but you're missing the point. The argument I made was that Coldplay's early influences were innovative and influential musicians, bands unafraid to push boundaries. But these days, they have moved away from the aforementioned influences. You might prefer A-ha's music but can you honestly say they are more innovative musically than a band like Radiohead? Jeff Buckley? I'm sure Morten Harket would even concede this point...

Both mediocre songs but ETIAW is significantly better.

Right! Songs like Chinese Sleep Chant might not be everyone's favorite song but at least you see that they're stepping out of their comfort zone and trying to branch out musically, really experiment sonically. This is an example of good "change." An example of bad "change" is a song like Paradise. Honestly, I wonder how many people would admit they enjoy this song if the name "Coldplay" wasn't attached to it but that's neither here nor there.

I also believe that Coldplay needs to branch out in terms of musical influence. When they were first starting out, they stated that musicians like Jeff Buckley, Radiohead and Echo & the Bunnymen were their musical inspirations, bands they looked up to in crafting their sound. ....nowadays, it's musicians like A-ha, Jay-Z and Rihanna. :stunned:

You're absolutely right - if this is indeed the direction they want to go, then it's their prerogative. I'm just expressing my disappointment because the recent singles that we've heard don't exactly come anyone near their potential. Everytime I listen to the new songs, I'm constantly left feeling that if the band was just a bit more daring and pushed the envelope more, they could reach another level musically. Instead, it seems they're content with the songs they are making.

And this is the reason for my disappointment. Coldplay should never feel obligated to cater to the audiences and compromise their integrity as musicians - they should instead focus on expanding their musical horizons and developing their sound. Say what you will about Radiohead but they never cater to what the audiences want.

While I am not terribly fond of the idea of Rihanna collaborating w/Coldplay, I will reserve judgment until I hear it. After all, I thought Kanye + Bon Iver would have been a terrible idea but we ended up with "Lost in the World." That being said, I don't understand why a song like "Moving to Mars" was left off the album while we have a song like "Paradise." Not only is the first song more daring + innovative, it sounds more authentic than the overproduced mess known as Paradise.

Sorry, what are you trying to say?

And that's the question I asked earlier (to which no one really responded): why does Coldplay have to follow the mold so to speak and have their singles appeal to Top 40 listeners? Why do they care about specifically choosing songs to appeal to the Top 40 crowd? Shouldn't they let the music speak for itself? I realize the above may sound elitist so let me explain a bit further. I just don't see the need for Coldplay to release mediocre songs only for the intention of attracting more fans. Just take a look at Radiohead for example: they've constantly been changing their sound without releasing radio-friendly singles. That doesn't stop them from having their albums reach #1 or selling out all their shows in minutes.

By Top-40, I was referring to the US charts, not the UK. And to be fair, I did make an error - Radiohead have had a grand total of 2 singles in the top-40. Nude at a glorious #37 and Creep at an even better #34. It's funny that you bring up the number of times Radiohead had a #1 album, despite never really having radio-friendly songs. It only goes to prove that you don't need to have massive radioplay to be a successful band. Don't believe me? The polarizing Kid A charted #1 in the US with no official radio singles.

Never have I attempted to say MX was going to be a terrible album or anything of that nature. I have limited my opinion to the singles ETIAW + Paradise and those songs alone. As I've stated over and over, I will reserve judgment on the entire album once I hear it (This includes the collaboration with Rihanna). In fact, I don't think anyone has attempted to say the upcoming album is going to be bad. People have just been expressing disappointment and unfortunately, some posters have been equating this with "judging the whole album." As I've tried to make clear over and over, criticism does not equal "hate."

I couldn't have said it better myself. What really struck me about the old Coldplay songs was how effortless + organic they sounded. You really believed what Chris was signing, even if they weren't works of literary genius. Now... it sounds like they're working so desperately to create another hit that it just sounds overproduced and ironically, lifeless.

Umm... because it's a terrible metaphor. This has nothing to do with "new Coldplay" vs "old Coldplay" - it's objectively bad songwriting (reminds me of girls in high school trying to write "deep" poetry and developing similar metaphors :dozey:)

I've mentioned Nigel Godrich before and I truly think he's the best candidate to help bring further evolution in Coldplay's sound. But unfortunately, this partnership is highly unlikely as Coldplay already deals with enough Radiohead comparisons.... how sad

I certainly can't speak for other people but what I mean by "mainstream" is something that is generic sounding, something that could have been easily recreated by another band or group. In that regard, "Paradise" certainly fits the bill because it's highly reminiscent of a lot of OneRepublic's songs, such as their hit song "Apologize." The similarities are not that surprising considering Timbaland was involved in both songs. To be clear, I think only a few people really dock points from Coldplay for being "mainstream." If people don't want to listen to music because it's more accepted, then their loss. I could care less. However, I do care about the quality of the songs and unfortunately, ETIAW + Paradise don't meet Coldplay's high standards or potential. I will say I have some hope for other songs we've heard, such as Charlie Brown and Us Against the World but I'll reserve judgment until I hear the studio versions. For all I know, they could have undergone a "Major Minus" treatment

If we want to listen to a song sounding like Jay-Z, we'd put on a Jay-Z record. Same thing with Beyonce, Damon Albarn and other famous musicians he's been hanging around with. No matter how hard Chris tries, he'll never create a "Blur" song better than Damon Albarn could. Or a "Beyonce" song... He should instead be focusing on expanding Coldplay's musical landscape rather than recreating a variation of his pals' songs. I think at this point, Coldplay is changing just for the sake of change. There's no musical or lyrical inspiration - they just feel compelled to change because the last time they didn't, they were ripped by the press (remember X&Y people?). But unlike the change during the Viva era, this "change" seems artificial and disingenuous: the lack of direction is reflected in both the "new" clothes (how...different...) and the new songs. Even their interviews can't seem to zero in on their creative inspiration/direction for the album: first they say it's going to be "more acoustic" and "more intimate" before it somehow evolved into a "White Rose Movement" inspired concept album...

No one is actually saying they hate MX...that word is used so often that it has now lost its meaning. People have just been expressing their disappointment with the recent singles, something every fan has the right to do. Unfortunately, other posters have interpreted even the tiniest bit of criticism as "hate" for the band. Listen, if people genuinely "hate" the band and MX, they would not spend time on the forum, writing long + detailed opinions about the songs. It's because people actually care and are genuinely worried that the trend in ETIAW + Paradise will carry out the album. I repeat: this is not "hate"

Ok, you might not be a fan of Rihanna... but to say she's ugly? Seriously???

Musically, I do agree to some extent that they have grown since their early days. Their recent output might not reflect a direction I would like for them to go but you can definitely notice the change + effort. I also agree that Coldplay were and probably never will be known for their lyrics - just compare their songs to works by Bob Dylan or Ian Curtis for example and there's a huge difference My issue is that the recent songs lack heart + emotion. Someone compared Paradise to a summer blockbuster: it's made for people to be entertained with catchy hooks + generic lyrics. Do the recent singles sound pleasant enough? Sure, I guess they're ok to listen to once. But are they songs that merit repeat listens? My answer still remains no. Hopefully, the other songs on the album will change my mind but this is my general feeling regarding the new songs

Right, for some reason the recent songs have failed to convey the same sense of emotion songs from the past. Part of it is due to the musical direction and part due to the stagnation in lyrics. Where's the heart in any of these songs??

Exactly! Don't you find it just a bit curious that Chris Martin was once able to write lyrics to songs like Politik + Amsterdam... but nowadays, it's almost as if he resorts to elementary rhyming schemes? Usually, songwriters get better over time but it appears to be opposite with Mr. Martin... (Musically, I do think Coldplay evolved somewhat with Viva and I'll reserve judgment for MX once I hear it in its entirety.)

Maybe Dave Sitek or Steve Albini?

Paradise: "But it flew away from her reach / So she ran away in her sleep / Dreamed of Para-Para-Parrot's Ass"

You're right - only the members of Coldplay can truly understand its purpose and meaning of a song. But that's actually not the point I've been making from the beginning. I haven't even been focusing on MX-era songs. What I've been looking at are the lyrics of songs post-X&Y era and how they seem to lag behind their early work. You could be the biggest fan of Coldplay's recent stuff musically but can you honestly say the lyrics are better? Do songs like Lost + 42 have better lyrics than songs like Shiver or A Rush of Blood to the Head? I think it's a fair question to ask...