COLDPLAY DISCOGRAPHY RETROSPECTIVE: PART 2 From the start of the 2010s and onward, Coldplay has never been the same. Seemingly changing their sound from album to album, at this point, they’re fairly removed from the Radiohead inspired alt-rock that started their career. Post-Viva La Vida Coldplay tends to be divisive. Some people will go as far as writing it all off. I don’t think it’s quite that simple. With their newest album Music of the Spheres being released recently, let’s look through the latter half of their catalogue which brought them there.
Mylo Xyloto (2011) Mylo Xyloto was a watershed album for Coldplay. This would be the album to create the distinguisher between the “old” and “new” eras of the band. The synth influence that was creeping into their sound on X+Y has been embraced on Mylo Xyloto and the album overall is a fair bit more accessible in its sound. For me, this is one of their most underrated projects. A lot of people write it off because it’s the first “new” Coldplay album, but I think it’s better than a lot of people give it credit for. This is Coldplay at their most colourful and uplifting without losing the heartfelt lyrics or beautiful instrumentation that made them interesting. It’s a slightly different version of the band but it’s still good.
Ghost Stories (2014) Ghost Stories sees Coldplay get heartfelt again. This is easily their most emotional album since Parachutes, or maybe ever. This is a concept album heavily influenced by Chris Martin’s divorce from his now ex-wife. It really doesn’t shy away from the obvious sadness of a topic like divorce.
Sonically, this album goes even further into the electronica influence present on Mylo Xyloto but utilises it in a tasteful and minimalistic way. Unfortunately, I find the album to be quite samey, especially around the start. It keeps this subdued, sombre tone for most of the album, but it leads to some of the record’s best moments when it ventures out of it. Ghost Stories at its most experimental and different can produce some brilliant tracks. For the most part though, the album is decent if a little forgettable.
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