Soulless Pop by Coldplay
In their last decade, Coldplay have turned the rudder towards melancholic pop, preaching world peace, mental well-being and, above all, love. Naivety and dogged opportunism flow through their every classy track, complemented by ambient orchestrations and ingratiating AI algorithms.
Not that Coldplay have completely erased their early history of cleverly combining beauty and sadness with piano arpeggios and sober acoustics. Frontman Chris Martin still possesses a mesmerizing vocal, modulating bittersweet harmonies, unfortunately with rainbow emojis (that's the actual title of the song 🌈) without a deeper message. Coldplay truly sounds like Chris grandly proclaims, "I’m trying to trust in a world full of love, don’t ever forget those good feelings." As such, the band deliberately avoid more serious topics, wearing rose-tinted glasses wherever they can.
The Moon Music album could meet the attributes of a Chris Martin solo record. As if the rest of his bandmates would not exist, they would not be needed. We may even smirk about several paranormal phenomena, from banal lyrics to the compositions themselves, based on ambient loops, archaic orchestrations and a funky disco rhythm, which is exceptionally offered by the rocking song "GOOD FEELiNGS". All the tracks start mostly epic and have long intros based on falsetto (🌈) but blend topsy-turvy into an equally boring coda, without any more spirited musical message.
The unfolding orchestral drama of "WE PRAY" would be best suited to the soundtrack of Trolls 3, the lead single "feelslikeimfallinginlove" combines a cheap romance with a graduating stadium chorus, mixed feelings are evoked by other marketing songs attacking our emotions, such as "iAAM", or "All My Love", in which Chris finally sits down at the piano and remotely recalls his initial success with "Yellow".
As musicians, what can you (dis)appreciate about the album?
While Coldplay can boast a history of experimentation with sound, in the case of Moon Music everything feels like they've lost a clear direction. Musically, the album is mired in overproduction, where melodies get lost under layers of synthetic sounds that lack depth and originality. It misses the strong lyrics and catchy choruses that made Coldplay one of the greatest bands of the last few decades.
In addition, the album has a problem with monotony – the songs often blend into one, with no standout moment that really catches the ear. It lacks the energetic dynamics and emotional highlights that Coldplay have been able to create in the past. Even Chris Martin's vocal delivery, which usually saves the weaker songs, comes across as bland and tired here.
Overall, Moon Music comes across as an attempt at a modern sound, but one that lacks the heart and soul that once set Coldplay apart. If you're looking for an album that will truly immerse you, this unfortunately won't be it.
Coldplay – Moon Music
Parlophone Records, 00:44:00
Pop
30 %
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