Coldplay is not a band that tends to elicit moderate feelings from people. Everyone has an opinion, and that opinion normally takes one of two forms: vehement dislike or rapturous adoration. Some people, myself included, have even spent time on both sides of this fence (although I’m a firm believer in the latter opinion now). The detractors always argue that Coldplay is a one-dimensional (false), melodramatic (true) facsimile of Radiohead or Oasis or U2. But to say this is to miss the entire purpose of the band, which is to make friendly, arena-ready pop that still sounds intimate. It isn’t supposed to make you think, it’s supposed to make you feel. The world needs Coldplay, for any number of different reasons: they’re the band preteens listen to as a gateway to Bon Iver or Bright Eyes or James Blake or Arcade Fire, or they’re the band you can put on when you’ve had a terrible day and want something familiar and warm and entirely unintimidating.
This isn’t to say Coldplay evolved or surprised throughout their 16 year run. Dissociating yourself from the argument presented above and focussing on what they’ve achieved is fascinating: five studio albums (excluding Ghost Stories, the topic of today’s article) ranging from their hushed, acoustic 2000 debut Parachutes to the lush, bright pop of 2012’s Mylo Xyloto. During this span, they’ve produced hits (Parachutes, A Rush of Blood…, Viva la Vida) as well as misses (X&Y, about half of Mylo Xyloto) but it would be silly to accuse them of never straying from the proven path. They’ve also managed to create some of the most enduring and likable singles of the 00s: their introduction to the world in “Yellow,” the endless piano of “Clocks,” the heartbreaking “Fix You” and “The Scientist,” all the way to the grand imperial march of “Viva la Vida.” And in doing this, they were the torchbearers for the second wave of Britpop, inspiring and elevating countless bands (Keane, Gomez, Doves, Snow Patrol), if only for a brief period.
Recently, Coldplay released their sixth studio album, entitled Ghost Stories. It is unmistakably a Coldplay album; however it is also unmistakably different than any previous Coldplay release. Chris Martin, the band’s singer, separated from his wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and that event sets much of the album’s tone. However, even as this is definitely Coldplay’s break-up album, it is also filled to the brim with the decidedly non-breakup things Coldplay deals in: soaring falsetto, shimmering piano, and unbridled hope. Take “Magic,” Ghost Stories’ early single and strongest song on the album: “I just got broken/Broken into two/Still I call it magic/When I’m next to you.” The song ripples and pulses in the background, and Martin’s voice sails into that wordless, crystalline coo that he does so well. The song is downtrodden but also glistening and optimistic, and the purest distillation of the album’s themes.
The rest of the album spends most of its time dealing in mid tempo ballads of one form or another. The Aviici-assisted “A Sky Full of Stars” is the most obvious single here, with the piano and bells building to an arms-in-the-air climax which takes its cues from the build and drop style of EDM that Aviici deals with. The strongest vocal melody on the album is probably on “Ink,” which ties a clumsy tattoo-as-permanent-love metaphor (“Got a tattoo and the pain’s alright/Just one way of keeping you inside”) to a sprightly harpsichord melody. The back half of the album, especially after the aforementioned “A Sky Full of Stars,” gets mired in a bit of sameness which is exacerbated by the fact that “O” is reprised at the end of the album, three songs after it makes its first appearance. Mostly, however, the uniformity works well, giving the album a cohesiveness that was missing from Mylo Xyloto.
With Ghost Stories, Coldplay mines a different aesthetic than the bright and experimental pop of their last two albums, deciding instead to focus of shimmering piano textures and a sparser arrangement. While it’s definitely not Coldplay’s strongest album, it was a necessary bloodletting for Chris Martin and the rest of the band. It’s difficult to say how this album, or its singles, will stand the test of time, but I don’t think that’s what Coldplay cares about here. They’ve created a set of songs where you can share in their sadness, their troubles, and their hope for the future. I still believe in the magic of Coldplay, whether they’re aiming for the rafters or staring at their feet. Of course I do.
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