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Ever since Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (the band's Achtung Baby equivalent), Coldplay started to innovate their sound and so Moon Music continues in the same path as all their albums since 2008. The alternative title of Music of the Spheres vol ii is apt as it is highly similar to its predecessor - although 2005's X&Y had aspects of a spacey soundscape Moon Music and Music of the Spheres sound particularly celestial and dreamy.
Similar in musical style to a lot of their records since 2008, most of the tracks are excitingly poppy. Lead single, feelslikeimfallinginlove is shimmering pop weaved with some acoustics while second release We Pray further shakes up the traditional Coldplay sound as it experiments with hip-hop. Aeterna is intriguing too as it is composed of pulsating dance beats and trancey electronics. However, the finest of the most overtly pop sounding tracks is the love-themed Good Feelings - featuring vocals from Ayra Starr - which incorporates yet more vibrant and throbbing synths and has a funkiness to it courtesy of a guest guitar performance from Nile Rodgers.
Nevertheless, despite the steady transformation in Coldplay's sound since 2008 there are still three songs that are not really in resemblance but have traces of their earlier years. iAAM and Jupiter while still rather poppy have similar instrumentation - crisp acoustics and quite powerful melodies - to their earlier material. Meanwhile, according to Chris Martin All My Love will be their last proper single and it is fitting as it is Beatles-esque, soothing and drenched with soaring strings and Lennon/McCartney-like piano parts.
The other three tracks enhance the variety of Moon Music further as they are quite avant-garde, ambient and ethereal. The opener Moon Music features yet more spectacular strings arranged by John Metcalfe and the segue into the second track is exquisite with Martin's vocals being manipulated into sounding alien and otherworldly. Alien Hits/Alien Radio (track 6) and the closer, One World, are standouts too with both sounding progressive and epic with the latter finishing Moon Music on a triumphant high.
Overall, while Moon Music is not absolutely as sensational as their three greatest records - A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y and the transitional Viva La Vida... - along with A Head Full of Dreams and Music of the Spheres it stands out as one of their best pop albums since the group's 2000-05 alternative rock imperial phase. Despite being diverse it is cohesive as a collection at the same time, and it is even better than Everyday Life. Lyrically, it at times faces darkness but it is ultimately a spirited and life affirming album during these troubled times. It is pleasing that their sensational Glastonbury 2024 performance - which even appealed to music fans who do not typically listen to Coldplay - may have reinvigorated interest in the band as Moon Music is set to enter the charts at number 1 with the highest first week sales of a UK act in 3 years. Although it would be amazing for their final album to take the band full circle and return them to their classic post-Britpop roots, their gradual reinvention of their sound since 2008 - which Moon Music strongly continues - has been highly satisfying and ensured they have remained relevant, interesting and cutting edge.
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La La La La - well, I'm not lost for words ...
Some would say this is a great album - well, it's certainly shifted a lot of units. Perhaps, though, that's just because it's Coldplay; and it is Chris Martin and co!Then there are others who will say it's poor, nowhere near as good as previous albums, veering towards MoR pop and that the band is taking it's fans for granted. I tend to agree with the latter crowd.It's an OK album which I bought ... because it's Coldplay and I have their previous albums. BUT, there are an awful lot of La La La Las for Chris to sing. What happened, mate? Did you run out of ideas, get writer's block? A lot of the songs are reasonable, but I just find the introduction of rappers on these albums as almost passé. On Pray, it just ruined the song.feelslikeimfallinginlove and All My Love are typical of what the band produce nowadays, so OK but not fantastic. Iaam and Aeterna are good and the others are reasonable.But the problem is that there is nothing new, nothing to get the energy levels up and nothing to get excited about. Perhaps Chris and co are more interested in making all their albums carbon-free. That's very laudable, but if their next album is like this, fans may just desert them and the album will be carbon-free because a lot fewer people will buy it.
Top reviews from other countries
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- Paula E. OnealReviewed in the United States on 18 December 2024
Can't stop listening
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