Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay

The other day while driving to work I heard an interview with a band on my favourite radio. I didn’t know who they are as I haven’t heard them from the very beginning but they were very cool guys. As the interview went on, it became obvious… You got it, they were the Coldplay.

The band

Coldplay is a British alternative rock band. Although the lead guitarist and vocalist have started a band earlier, the current formation of Coldplay dates back to 1998.

So the members are:

Chris Martin – lead vocalist
Jonny Buckland – lead guitarist
Guy Berryman – bassist
Will Champion – drummer, backing vocalist, multi-instrumentalist

The band has just released its fifth studio album, they had several awards for the previous ones, so they might have some more in their collection soon. If you would like to know more about them and their performances check their official website at coldplay.com

Mylo Xyloto

It is a strange title for a new album, especially as it has no meaning at all. When I listened to Coldplay lads on the radio they told they have even googled it to be sure it has no meaning. Originally the band planned to release the album in December 2010 as an end of decade album but they decided to work more on it, so was released only on 24th October 2011. It is a concept album about Mylo and Xyloto’s love story which has a happy ending??? Shall I spoil it?

The band released two singles: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall was released in June and Paradise was released in September.

Tracklist

Mylo Xyloto is an instrumental intro of 42 seconds and the rhythm of it is becoming faster and faster as it develops. It can be hardly separated from the second track, Hurts Like Heaven which kick starts from where the intro ended and is a cheerful track. Chris’s vocals are fantastic, overall a great opener for the album. Paradise is my favourite track from this album, it is simply beautiful, anthemic. The vocals are amazing and also the instruments are in such a harmony, worth a listen even if you are not a fan of Coldplay.

Charlie Brown is a bit different from the previous tracks, after a slow intro the drums kick in and your feet start to move, get out of your control. This track grew on me, it wasn’t love for the first listening but its rhythm is just amazing and highlights Chris’s fantastic voice. The track itself has its up and downs, a good one. Us Against the World is a ballad, the vocals are followed by guitar and occasionally other instruments join in, it is a simple and melancholic track. I reckon your judgement about this track highly depends on your mood.

M.M.I.X. is a 48 second intro to the second part of the album. It is instrumental just like the first one, but this one slows down by the end so it links to the Every Teardrop is a Waterfall track which was the first single released from this album. It is a feet moving track as well and the oozing vocals are just amazing, not to mention its ending when the percussions take over the lead. Major Minus is the weakest track in my books. This track just couldn’t grow on me.
U.F.O. is a slow ballad again, the amazing vocals of Chris are followed by a guitar and the other instruments stay in the background, giving maximum dominance to the vocals. It’s a nice ballad, very catchy.

Princess of China features Rihanna, I expected more oriental effects in the track but there aren’t. The vocals of Chris and Rihanna work very well together and finally the concept of the album becomes more evident. Up in Flames is a moody ballad, one of my favourites from this album, a very smooth track with a sudden end.

A Hopeful Transmission is the instrumental intro to the third part of the album, it is very cheerful and promising. Don’t Let It Break Your Heart kicks in and you can’t control your feet again. It is a cheerful track with stressful percussion and oozing vocals, definitely one of the best tracks for me.

Up With the Birds is a slow ballad to close the album. Chris’s vocal is amazing, really catching.

My opinion about the album

I liked the idea to cut the album to 3 parts and introduce all of them with a short instrumental intro. The faster tracks have such a catchy percussion base that I could hardly control my feet. The slower tracks highlighted Chris’s amazing vocals. The album balances well with slower and faster tracks. There are 14 tracks on it actually but as the 3 intros are really short I would say 11 only. When I heard Paradise on the radio I knew I have to put my hands on this album and I can say it was worth waiting for an extra 10 months for it. Highly recommended for everyone who likes rock music in general.

This album grew on me and apart from one track I like all the others, I think it is an original one. Curious how the next one will be...

Available in CD, vinyl and mp3 formats. Amazon sells the CD for 8 pounds which is a very good value I think.