Album Review: Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay are very much the musical equivalent of the American show, Friends. Their music is relatively safe, enjoyable and always there - like a comfort blanket.

It only takes a few minutes of flicking through T.V channels to find Coldplay languishing in the background of a teen drama - or pretty much any program ever - ready to burst forth with an epic, climatic chorus to suit a moment of *insert emotion*. In fact, they have already been covered twice in two outings on this years live X Factor shows.

Yet whether you love them or loathe them for their, at times, mawkish, bland and overtly polished anthems, there will undoubtedly be a part of you that can’t help singing along to ‘The Scientist’, ‘Trouble’ or ‘Yellow’. Even the mere thought of Coldplay caused Bono to belt out one of their signature tunes during U2’s headline set at Glastonbury, this year. So, after the positive commercial and critical reception to the four-piece’s fourth album, the Grammy Award-winning Viva la Vida, have Chris Martin and Co. tinkered with their ready-made formula for success, or have they attempted to break new ground?


Well, the title is certainly ground breaking, but that’s because it is utter nonsense. Martin, attempting to explain the album’s title Mylo Xyloto, said, “Music comes from a place we don’t know. It comes out through the fingers and toes. So we had the idea of what if you had musical digits like xylo toes.” All that can be extracted from that baffling explanation is that Coldplay spent more time experimenting with drugs than they did the music.

However, whilst the name can be forgiven, the album’s lead single, ‘Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall’, is unforgivable. Unsurprisingly, it bulges with the grandiose sounds that are expected from a Coldplay song. It features a synth-heavy intro, before revolving principally around an electro-mash up of Peter Allen’s ‘I Go To Rio’. If this song was to be described in one word it would be garish. The juxtaposition of instruments during the song is unsettling, and to top it all off, the lyrics are childishly inept.



Second single, ‘Paradise’, is a drastic improvement, but that wasn’t going to be particularly difficult. It still fails to match anything from Viva la Vida, giving the impression of a band trying desperately to mould melodies together in the hope it sounds much more complex than it actually is. The “Parra, parra, paradise” chorus is a vain attempt at reaching the heights of Coldplay’s more heavyweight tunes, but it sounds welterweight at best. It is one of many moments during the album that Coldplay sound paradoxically stuck between attempting something new and settling for the formula of old.

‘Hurts Like Heaven’ was one of five songs debuted during the band’s headline slot at Glastonbury, and it is much more upbeat for Coldplay, kicking Mylo Xyloto off with an urgency that sounds very purposeful. Another song that was given a live outing at Worthy Farm was ‘Charlie Brown’, a song that is Coldplay through and through. It is much stronger than either of the singles, but only because it feels so familiar.



Chris Martin sounds better on the album’s slower, acoustic songs, such as closing song ‘Up With the Birds’, ‘U.F.O’ or ‘Us Against The World’, songs that are not trying so hard to please. ‘Us Against The World’ in particular, is a welcome respite from the synths that abound throughout most of the album. It is a subtle track, one that is more reminiscent of Parachutes.

‘Major Minus’, another track that was aired at Glasto, also prospers from the lack of violating and fiddly electronic instruments. It is back to basics, with an absorbing guitar riff and thumping drum beat. It's also a lot grittier than the rest of Mylo Xyloto, providing a welcome break from the shimmering, pop-orientated tracks, such as 'Don't Let It Break Your Heart'.



However, ‘Princess Of China’ quickly returns to the frustrating synth-heavy sound that feels so forced. It’s a track that has been much talked about in the lead up to Mylo Xyloto due to Rihanna’s appearance on the song, but the collaboration is bland and mind-numbingly boring. It only confirms Coldplay’s desire for pop mediocrity and a disappointing lack of imagination.

There are sparks of the pre-X&Y Coldplay during Mylo Xyloto, but they are far too infrequent. The thought of songs such as ‘Every Teardrop...’ and ‘Princess Of China’ being played alongside classics such as ‘Don’t Panic’, ‘Politik’ and ‘God Put A Smile On Your Face’ just doesn’t bare imagining. Sure, they’re different, they defy expectations, but not in a good way. Chris Martin has recently suggested - in what is more likely a publicity stunt than actual fact - that this could be Coldplay’s last album. If it is, then what a disappointing way to finish.

2/5