lennyrott1

I want to make one distinction here in this little debacle :) So I am kinda falling in between both arguments. Jonny and the Cake, I completely agree that Nicki Minaj=Massive Attack. I love both artists and what I understand that little equation to mean is that all music is subjective, it is art, some people like one more than the other but it doesn't matter. "It is just music" is absolutely correct. But I have to kind of agree with KidA in some respects. I don't think Nicki Minaj=Massive Attack in one major regard. I think that none of us can deny the fact that the music industry is a lot different than it used to be. If you look at a lot of radio-pop music, for example, a vast majority of the songs you will here are written and produced by the same Record Labels and producers and then divvied out to artists. Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, One Direction all have songs written for them for one purpose: to make money For me, that destroys some of the artistic prowess. Sure, these are still pieces of art and I still like many of them, and I do truly think all of those individuals are talented, but the result is pop-music trends, where inspiration comes to these producers through what will make money (EDM in Nicki, folk style delivery for One Direction, etc.) This is why so much pop music sounds the exact same, they actually scientifically follow a formula and don't challenge us. Much of the industry is monopolized to churn out this music. That is why bands like Massive Attack, Radiohead, and Coldplay are so important. They write really popular music as original artists. They mix pop/alternative music effectively and that is actually my favourite genre. (Of course, Radiohead doesn't really care about making records for money anymore considering their fan base haha)

Highs: --Really solid album with Magic, Midnight and Ink which I constantly have on repeat. Also like bonus tracks! --Beautiful live DVD and TV special that are truly special. --AMAZING artwork for this era. Absolutely love it. --Like the return to a few more melancholic and emotional tracks. Whole album has a cool atmosphere. Lows --Didn't like some of the production choices on the albums; sometimes feels a little to glossy and clean on otherwise great tracks (i.e. O, Oceans.) --ASFOS. I unfortunately am not a fan of this track, both as a single and climax to the album. Melody is good, just not the EDM production. --No tour! I still haven't got to see them :( --True Love and ASFOS music videos. The former is their worst to date, right up there with Charlie Brown, didn't achieve its aim imo. The latter was okay, but the song doesn't match the entire aesthetic so it felt awkward. Cool idea though.

I also am not a big fan of Miracles because of the same reasons. Unfortunately I found the electronic drum beat/snaps, the plasticy lifeless acoustic guitar and Chris' computerized hooting in the background a bit too clean and poppy, including the final climax and the "yeah yeah yeahs." So overall, I am mostly going to avoid it in my Coldplay discography. That said I do think there are some really positive things to take away from it. For one thing, I really love the piano/guitar melody and the way they are performed. It is really optimistic and fun. I also love Guy's bassline on the second verse and Will's background singing. It certainly feels like the whole band is involved, and while Chris' lyrics once again leave a lot to be desired, I still think they are a step up from Ghost Stories. And even if AHFOD suffers from the same problems, which I don't think it fully will, then I don't think it should ruin their legacy for anyone. Lets be honest, Coldplay is incapable of making a bad record. Sure, their last two have had a few issues and few too many glossy, radio-friendly numbers, but they are still overall really great. AHFOD won't be different, and if Miracles is a hint at a return to fun guitar, piano, drumming and some beautiful melodic moments, then I feel happy even though I don't like the song itself. Overall, I wouldn't be too worried :P Judging by our dislike of Miracles I am sure there will be moments on AHFOD that we may not like (too poppy/generic) but that won't ruin the whole thing for us, or their entire, beautiful legacy.

I have a question to ask of you all! What do you think the best run of Coldplay songs on a record is and why? The obvious answer is every song of every album :) but go beyond that! It can be any length, but should reflect a group of songs in order that you think work wonderfully together and are all awesome in your opinion! My top two answers for example: :viva: Cemeteries in London--Lost!--42--Lovers in Japan :mx: MX/Hurts Like Heaven--Paradise--Charlie Brown--UATW--MMIX--ETIAW

I do apologize if I offended anyone and brought down the good vibes :embarrassed: I guess I had to be the person keeping it two sided today, so I am sorry, but such is life. I have said to much so I will stop! No matter, Long Live Coldplay and enjoy the new tune everyone. As negative as I have been, a day where a new Coldplay song emerges is a good day :)

It is just music, and I am being a bit to vocal right now about how upset I am, so I am going to stop here. You are completely right though. Music is just my favourite art form and Coldplay my favourite band, and so when I dislike a track by them based on the grounds that it is unoriginal and doesn't move me like Coldplay used to, it is just a stark reminder that as I grow older and my tastes expand, Coldplay's music hasn't really kept up... So personally I am very upset, and my opinion is minuscule among the tons of you that like it, and that is actually reassuring. I am nervous for this bands future though, not only in my musical taste, but in staying relevant in world that has thousands of songs that all sound the same. I don't want Coldplay to be "swimming on a sea of faces." I want them to succeed in making the amazing high quality pop music that moves fans and critics worldwide alike. That is where I will leave it though. I agree with you, I am my own person and the matter is subjective, but I do care what other people think because like them, I am a music fan too.

No, but at least they were more distinctly original. The amount of beats on Magic for example and the way they vary is really amazing actually. This sounds like any country song or christian rock song in the U.S. to me, and at moments I even felt like One Direction was going to swoop in with the vocals.

You are right about the bass, it is one of Guy's most diverse in ages, which becomes more frustrating considering it doesn't play a more prominent role. It doesn't belong in a song of this low of quality. But I am glad to see him step outside his usual few notes per song hahaha

I am sorry if I killed the vibe in this forum. I sincerely am happy that people are liking this song. I just want to express, however, that this is potentially the first Coldplay song ever that I fervently dislike. For the next few days websites and magazines are going to be reviewing this track and I am predicting right now that our boys are going to receive some of their worst marks since X&Y. You can love it all you want, but this track is also a Miracle for a Coldplay critic, and those guys, while usually too jaded, do have some points. I honestly think this band has few weaknesses, but this track exemplifies all of them: poor lyricism, EXTREMELY generic sounds, an attempt at way too many hooks, etc. I am going to try to forget this song and disregard it. I am hoping with all of my Coldplay fandomship now, that AHFOD has only the few good qualities of this song and nothing else to do with it.

Atlas definitely. I have my gripes about that track because it feels rushed for the movie theaters, but there are moments in it that are so incredibly powerful. Plus the lyrics are really solid. Despite the cheesy chorus at the end, and "carry your world!" chant, Jonny's guitar is awesome and the whole atmosphere is haunting and beautiful. Both dark yet uplifting. I am going to try to forget that Coldplay ever made Miracles tbh.

I don't think that reviewer liked the track, but I think what he is referring to is the fact that Jonny and Chris kinda play over the drumbeat playfully together. I really like that to be honest, but I don't think it can save the rest of the backing track, and the fact that the drumbeat and acoustic guitar are dull. My favourite example of Coldplay's syncopation is the end of 42 where Chris and Jonny just explode with uplifting piano and guitar like they are trying to play over each other. I am glad they are doing it again, but as a professional drummer and bassist, you gotta do something more exciting than that.

Thanks for being the only one to agree with me so far. And sorry if you are a fan of Christian Rock/Pop music, but to me it is one of the least interesting or creative genre. Very clean sounding, very white sounding, follows a single chord structure and beat throughout with no significant variation. I think poor Coldplay is going to get beat up for Miracles. I will get beat up on this forum but I will stand up for what I believe! I think Miracles, along with recent tracks like ASFOS are some of their worst to date.

I shall try.. just hard to see your favorite band take a direction that doesn't fit your taste, and this makes me even more nervous for AHFOD. This song would be great and sound like Viva if it had a creative twist and wasn't so generic. I can only hope if the album continues in this vein that they make it original, fresh, and not so damn cliched.

I am glad people are loving it so much, but this is a huge let down for me. I mean huge. I thought I was listening to a hallmark channel movie soundtrack when it started, or maybe a Christian rock jam. (for those of you not from America, it basically just means super unoriginal, cheesy, over the top, disregarded.) I have listened to about 5 times now and only think it is okay. The drumbeat is super boring and cheesy, I have heard it a thousand times before, the maybe three guitar chords that repeat are lifeless, I like how Jonny and Chris' guitar/piano match during the rift but the melody is boring, and Chris hooting like "yeah yeah yeah." It feels like a parody of Coldplay. I am sorry for the negativity, but I really am sad :( I had hi hopes for this track and it really is, quite, well, milquetoast. It feels like a track I have heard a million times before. The band sounds more like a studio band than ever before.

Today's gotta be the day. It has felt like far too long a wait since this song was announced! I am jonesin for it.

^ Very good examples. Seems to be the cool thing nowadays. I have nothing against it so long as they keep it fresh! We hark a lot on EDM on this website, but within that genre there is some awesome, creative music coming out. I like how the guys were giving praise to Disclosure, for example.

You are absolutely right about ASFOS' message. I think emotionally the album is very mature, and lyrically too, albeit simple. I guess what I mean as far as immaturity, and perhaps it isn't the best word, is the fact that the song is very generic and lacking original sounds. I like the song overall but compared to other big, optimistic Coldplay tracks, like Fix You, well, I won't go on. I guess what I mean by mature sounding is originality in the music itself, lyrical themes that extend beyond love/loss, and some bold, new sounds for pop music. But let's be honest here guys. Do you really think they will make ASFOS? We already know it was pretty controversial among the band and the album. Maybe they will do EDM, but perhaps it will be good EDM, or groovy dance like Magic. A ton of bands have delved into dance and have still maintained great sound: Arcade Fire, The Clash, etc. ASFOS just doesn't want to make me dance because it is white noise within all the other radio songs today. I would rather dance to a song like Shiver honestly.

^ He said it during the Jo Whiley interview on Monday while sitting next to Will. The jist of what he said was basically that they want it to be a bit more colorful and grander (not necessarily more bombast) and that he would would hope that people could slide their feet to it. At that point he kind of cowered and Will gave him a little look haha. I can't find the link on the BBC 2 website anymore, but if find that thread someone may have uploaded it! But others can vouch he said it. I should say that I don't have a problem with dance music really, I mean I usually danceto Coldplay songs like ASFOS, Yellow, Paradise, and my favourite is Midnight and Lost, but if Chris is saying "slide your feet" then it must be VERY danceable if he doesn't consider their earlier work to be. Of course, he could have just been joking, but, I don't think so .

Spot on, mate. Coldplay hasn't been an actual rock band for a while now, but they have always made mature music. If the majority of songs on this album are going to be about "hope," and "anything is possible." I will be enormously disappointed UNLESS they can actually make it sound mature. Strawberry Swing, Lover's in Japan, and maybe HLH are good examples. Solid, beautiful , uplifting songs made by skilled musicians. ASFOS is not mature sounding to me. I am super worried though. If this album is going to be bright and colourful again, dancy and considering Chris' lyrics of late, well, this could be their most radio friendly, least alternative endeavor to date. And it if it truly comes out as a companion to GS, then we know it will be heavily electronic rather than instrumental. I love electronic music, but it remains my worst fear from Coldplay when they slip into sheer sheeny pop. It is when their quality dips significantly in my opinion, especially with ASFOS.

I am skeptically optimistic, yet more worried than ever about AHFOD. First of all, I am troubled when they interview and talk about GS as a "risky album" and an "experimental record" and then go on to say AHFOD will be more bright (the daytime) and more tourable. For me, GS was just as safe as all of their other albums. It has beautiful slow burn songs, and 4 massive pop tunes (Magic, Ink, True Love, ASFOS) Midnight was definitely a step outside the box, but I would say the same about Major Minus, Chinese Sleep Chant, and Low in the past... So if the latter mentioned pop songs are "risky" then I am definitely worried that the next album will be even more poppy. Furthermore, we know now that the songs will mostly be in the same vein as GS, and that Chris said, perhaps much to the chagrin of Will, that he hopes people can "slide their feet to it." This is an indicator to more EDM influences in my opinion. Not to mention the fact that today's interviews showed the guys praising Sam Smith, Disclosure, and Ed Sheeran, all of whom are very dancy right now. Maybe they are just showing respect to their Grammy friends, but I really am hoping AHFOD is optimistic in the way some of Viva's/MX's songs were and not like ASFOS.

It is Finals Week for me, a tad stressful. I could really use some Miracles right now!

I am not so sure, I just watched the interview and Guy seemed pretty certain that they would still be working on the album and Jonny kinda nodded. They didn't deny it, but I think that was an overall negative answer...

Perhaps it is just a generational gap :freak:

^Wow you got some talent! Great work! :) Kinda reminds me of Arcade Fire's Reflektor but I like this more! Thanks for the art!

^Oooooh, that is a great album. I dunno, I think there is a possibility they do a few songs in that musical vein. Also, what do people think of Atlas Project's idea for AHFOD's cover? I actually really like it! Not that I think the boys would go with something like this, but maybe a little similar?