lennyrott1

Haha so Chris seems to be dealing with it in a similar way then! I really didn't think that they would feature someone else on an album after MX, but I guess we will see. Maybe the song won't make it or Rihanna will end up using it. I am secretly hoping the rest of the band vetoes future tracks like ASFOS and PoC. Chris' musical taste has certainly taken a turn in interviews recently to support One Direction, EDM and other major pop sensations. I am not saying that his inspiration is limited to Top 40, I mean the guy loves music, but what is so great about Coldplay records is how they meld together so many influences of different genres: folk, electronica, rock, pop, etc. I would say most albums have been pretty neutral in how they share these influences, so I don't want them to slip into formulaic pop music alone.

^ A year ago! Daylight and Yes probably would have been my answers, but Magic is one of the sexiest songs to come out all year.

^ I really hope that isn't true. I don't mind Chris writing songs for other pop-stars, and I can forgive Princess of China somewhat because it fit into the aesthetic of Mylo Xyloto (god what awful lyrics though,) but no more, Chris!!!! This would most certainly mean we can expect more radio-friendly pop sounds which more than likely means more electronics and possibly EDM elements to their music. And personally, I think there are a lot of us who really, really don't want this to happen again.

Two sources now that have suggested a back to back LP release in 2014 from Coldplay, I think that is plenty of reason to be hopeful. However, it does seem out of place. Maybe just a Ghost Stories EP Prospekt's March style? ' I don't know a lot about how record labels work and I am just speculating, but Ghost Stories had little promotion, and as much as I want to think Coldplay an independent band, wouldn't their label want them to now release something more commercial? Don't get me wrong, Ghost Stories still to me was a huge release. Midnight got a ridiculous amount of press coverage, and Magic and ASFOS are radio favourites, but it just seems if they were actually releasing an album in a little over 3 months time, with singles/videos/concerts etc, then we should be hearing about it ASAP?

Haha it totally is a Chris thing to have a big red heart. I personally don't think it is awful, certainly one of their least appealing and most generic, but I have seen worse artwork. By Coldplay standards this isn't great though. Batman's version is far better. Any B-Sides on the release? If not, is this the end of the Ghost Stories era?

So here I am, it is Midnight, I want to sleep, so I watch the music video and a blast of very recent nostalgia hit me. You see, when Midnight dropped unexpectedly, I was shocked and somewhat skeptical. "This sounds like vocoded Bon Iver, this video seems kind of amateurish, sheesh they sure are trying to be weird and alternative here and maybe trying too hard," I thought to myself. After a few days however, it all caved in on me. I fell head over heels for Midnight and a surge of excitement reigned through me. "Is Coldplay finally going to release an album that is fully electronic? Are they abandoning the pop and radio friendly mantra for actual experimentalism and alternative sounds? Like the news articles inquire, is Coldplay going to finally leap into dark, icy, different music like they have always slightly teased?" These were some of the best days of my Coldplay fandom. It became clear quite quickly however, once Magic was released, that Ghost Stories was indeed going to be a safe, comfortable pop record, and this was supported more so by ASFOS later on, which was a huge disappointment to me. I shouldn't bash on Ghost Stories here, it is a fine record and Magic is the quintessential perfect pop song with great electronics and atmosphere. Okay time to stop rambling. My main point is: PLEASE COLDPLAY COME OUT WITH AN ALBUM FULL OF MIDNIGHT'S. GO ALTERNATIVE FOR REAL THIS TIME AND SURPRISE THE CRITICS AND PISS YOUR LABEL OFF AND MAKE A LOT OF FANS ANGRY. MAKE MUSIC FOR YOURSELVES BUT PLEASE EXPLORE NEW SOUNDS AND SHARE EVEN IF NOT EVERYONE WILL LIKE THEM. This is my plea...

You are completely right haha. We human beings tend to do hate things without giving them fair chance. On my end, for example, I am predisposed to hate bands like Nickelback, Daughtry or Shinedown despite the fact that they have millions of loving fans. I would even bet that if I went to one of those concerts, or carefully listened to an album, I would gain more respect, but I don't. Same goes for Coldplay haters. They take the hits like Speed of Sound, Paradise or Yellow (which I love) and point out their simplistic lyrics and falsetto and say "Coldplay are whiny and making repetitive, boring music." I can understand why you may dislike the pop hits, ]Viva La Vida is my least favourite song on that album (despite it being perfect in every way,) but they know nothing of the many great treasures in Coldplay's discography! I wager it is impossible for a human being to dislike every Coldplay song that has ever been released.

^ Aye. Though our discourse is completely faceless, it is hard not to feel effected personally by cyberbullying. Though I am personally old enough to not give a crap what people think, for teens it can be dangerous, and you are right, it is impossible having a discussion when someone brutishly bashes something openly because it is inconsequential for them to do so. Coldplay does attract mad hate. Sucks. Oh well. LP7 is going to be such a masterpiece that everyone will just stop making music and the debate will be over.

Whenever I feel down I binge watch live Coldplay performances and the Viva Era (in my opinion) is the absolute best. When else can you see Coldplay swap through so many instruments or put new spins on songs. I love the acoustic yellow with Will on guitar and Guy on mandolin, or the dancy/trippy mash up of GPASUYF and Talk! Their I Hear Radio Session with the Michael Jackson cover and stripped down approach. Or how about the amazing Viva era videos? Not a bad one in the bunch. If they can beat Strawberry Swing I will be very surprised. Sure their other tours of past were way more rockin (Twisted Logic) or in the future all out light shows (MX) but in Viva they sure experimented with sounds for amazing results.

About to see Paul McCartney who oddly enough is dropping by in my little town of 70,000!

^ They totally deserved it after that crap they pulled before Ghost Stories dropped! But if they come out with news about LP7 I will nonetheless praise them.

I'm not as strong as you You're the only one And I'm dying trying It's all in my head And you're the only brave To leave me hurt And I'm not as strong as you But I am everywhere DOWN IT GOES then To the precious middle DOWN IT GOES then Towards my middle

Of all the posts on this forum other than mine, I agree with this the most! Well said.

Top Five constantly changes for me! It needs to be more like top 100, because there are only a handful of Coldplay songs ( Up In Flames, True Love, ASFOS, X&Y, What If) that I usually skip over. Right now....well I would say: 1. 42 --makes me go crazy every time it comes on. Beautiful and dense. 2. Politik -- no need to explain this. 3. Shiver -- so damn fun. so goddamn fun. excuse the language. 4. Midnight-- beautiful, experimental (by Coldplay standards) and relatively new. 5. Magic-- Even newer and just a blast to sing along, dance and mellow out to.

This was hard has heck. I had to cheat and make some a tie. Tracks 3 and 7 were a real challenge. Track 1 : Politik > Don't Panic > Life In Technicolor > Square One = Always In My Head > MX (though all are amazing!!! Track 2: Hurts Like Heaven > Cemeteries in London = Magic =Shiver > In My Place > What If Track 3: GPASUYF= Paradise > Spies= White Shadows > Lost > Ink Track 4: 42 > The Scientist > Fix You > Charlie Brown > Sparks > True Love Track 5: Yellow > Midnight > Lovers In Japan/Reign of Love > Clocks = Talk > Us Against The World Track 6: Yes/Chinese Sleep Chant > Daylight > Trouble = Another's Arms > X&Y > MMIX (too short to compare :( ) Track 7: ETIAW > Green Eyes > Speed of Sound > Parachutes > Viva la Vida > Oceans Track 8: Violet Hill > Major Minus = High Speed = A Message > A Warning Sign > A Sky Full Of Stars Track 9: Strawberry Swing > Low > A Whisper > O > We Never Change > UFO Track 10: AROBTTH > DAAHF = Everything's Not Lost > The Hardest Part > All Your Friends > Princess of China Track 11: The Escapist = Life is for Living > Amsterdam = Swallowed In The Sea > Ghost Story > Up In Flames Track 12: Twisted Logic > O (Reprise) > A Hopeful Transimission Track 13: Til Kingdom Come > DLIBYH Track 14: Up With The Birds

I too felt like Ghost Stories didn't have an edge. Perhaps it is the change of music taste. I am 20 and became obsessed with all of Coldplay's Discography when I was 14, right when Viva dropped, and I know that there are many others on Coldplaying in roughly the same boat. Mylo Xyloto started showing the signs of some of the pop directions they were heading, but I still love it because it has a distinct alternative edge (when all is said and done) and original flavour. Ghost Stories doesn't have an alternative edge. Sure Midnight is beautifully ambient electronics and AIMH is subtle, Another's Arms subdued, but it is their most crisp and clean pop record to date, and that often makes it underwhelming. Coldplay helped turn me on to some really good music over the years and overall the feelings I used to get from Coldplay records (joy, excitement, melancholy, meditative, dancy) have been sourced elsewhere. Ghost Stories is good, but now when I think of it, I think "meh." I am pretty much in agreement with everyone at this point, I really don't know what I want from LP7, I always come back to Coldplay, but I am getting to an age where I listen to a lot of other music that has more feeling and depth for me. Maybe for those of us disappointed with Ghost Stories, it is simply a change in musical taste. Perhaps our musical taste has become more alternative whilst Coldplay's becomes more pop oriented? I mean, there is a big world of music out there we can all access like never before...

I am agreeing with most this thread. Coming into LP6 I was really optimistic that Coldplay might actually shoot for less mainstream inspired music, especially with the darkly atmospheric and beautiful Atlas and Midnight. Before the album dropped, I thought Magic was going to be the only single and I loved it, considering the song is very original, groovy and fun. I was wrong. After listening to Ghost Stories through and through, I have to say I have lost my optimism. I don't want to sound like too much a whiner here, it is a solid album by my favourite band, but I would prefer if they found new inspiration. The band that used to take cues from indie and classic artists to turn them into accessible, masterful songs for me is no more. When Coldplay channels more "quality" music like Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Arcade Fire, Johnny Cash, Bon Iver, U2, worldly sounds, folk, shoegaze, electronica, they have come out with their most successful, critically acclaimed works. In my view, ASFOS is a shallow rendition of EDM taboo's while Ink (though I love it) sounds like a fuzzy copy of REM. True Love, albeit beautiful, feels inspired by Disney soundtracks. Undeniably, Coldplay has always followed popular musical trends to some degree, but the production on Ghost Stories and MX are the biggest violators. I think we are going to have start accepting that Coldplay is going to become only more overproduced as time goes on. Ghost Stories is too squeaky clean for me. Even the "beautiful and soulful" songs like Oceans and O are so sterile that they don't have the emotional, sould lifting effect that classic Coldplay does (i.e. The Scientist, Til Kingdom Come, Fix You, Don't Panic, Trouble, Amsterdam) LP7, unless Coldplay completely strips back, which I think we already know they won't, will undoubtedly be very produced, very radio-friendly. And I will probably still like it.

Please let this come out soon! Ghost Stories overall wore on me pretty quickly :embarrassed: Unlike every other Coldplay album it just doesn't have that instant classic/almost perfect vibe to it that keeps others on repeat, it almost feels too safe. I really want to see this current era be used as a propellant into some new fresh and tightly executed tunes: more atmosphere, better lyrics, more interesting electronics/beats, or hell, more rock 'n roll or an all out acoustic jam fest. Coldplay is a band that could literally do anything it wants to and sell millions of records or singles, why not make things more interesting? I want an album sans obligatory big hit. No more production from DJ's or hitmaker producers. Ditch Epworth, Timbaland and Avicii and go for the experimentation that Eno and Hopkins are known for. Or why not work with other REAL solid musicians to explore new sounds? Artists like Rihanna and Avicii aren't going to take them anywhere interesting for me. When I think of how talented Coldplay are, playing so many instruments, having so many good genre crossing tunes, so much production value, it is frustrating to hear songs like ASFOS or True Love that follow bland cliches and fads. They can do so much more than that and man I hope they do soon.

I love Ghost Stories because I think it is honest. I may feel that it is my least favourite album from my favourite band, but that isn't saying much. They took risks, for better and for worse, but you can tell no matter what, track to track and as a cohesive album, they were honest. Chris' lyrics are sometimes cringe-worthy, but if that is what he wants to say then more power to him. It is overall quite subtle, chill and surprisingly sexy. Even if you can't stand some of the tunes (I am with you), you can't deny the honest emotion, and that is what I love about Ghost Stories.

Gotta say it is really fun, but that first build and drop looks like four dorky guys with acoustic instruments dancing to rave music they couldn't possibly play hahahaha.

[video=youtube;VPRjCeoBqrI] Here It Is!!

This is amazing! This clip is absolute proof that an acoustic version of this track would be incredible! I would instantly replace the original with it on the album and it would make Ghost Stories that much better! I hope they release one soon...

Disappointingly none of them really. Really going back to older albums for solace. Bummer. But if I had to pick, probably Magic, Midnight or Ink. Magic for its grooving, minimalist and sparkly production, Ink for that damn "All I know," hook, and Midnight for the hypnotic effect that I find enormously mood setting. Either that or I blast the intro or the last 1:30 of O :)

That sounds awesome. Man I love this song. Not sure if it is because I can attribute it to a happy time in my life or just because it is so amazingly produced. SO MANY COMPLEMENTING LAYERS UPON LAYERS RAINBOWS POURING OUT OF GUITARS AND ELECTRONIC DAZZLES. Gosh, really is my favorite MX era song now that I think of it...

One of my favourite youtube reviewers just did Ghost Stories. As a warning, he mostly likes to review underground, indie, and big alternative music and very rarely does bands like Coldplay. I have always liked him though because he doesn't rule out any music and comes into everything very open. In fact he has mentioned before that he actually likes a lot of Coldplay whereas his friends love to hate on them (probably for no reason at all.) That said, this guy is pretty well spoken and knows a lot about music so I thought I would share his review, which as a hardcore fan, I disagree with only slightly. Also, I know he gets a lot of things wrong on this review (Timbaland and Ink, not realizing Chris Martin's situation, not referencing their early records) but I still think he makes good points. [video=youtube;FihAfj0FALk] I also think these people at Consequence of Sound are pretty well spoken and have a good review of the album where the overall consensus is around where I am at (though one girl clearly doesn't like or know Coldplay.) [video=youtube;Kky-t8JBTnE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kky-t8JBTnE