Light, optimistic tracks. Catchy ballads. Quirky transition pieces. “Mylo Xyloto” is in the house.
It’s hard not to feel carefree when listening to Coldplay’s new album, released on Oct. 24. Starting off with a 42 second instrumental piece, I didn’t notice as the introduction of the album flowed smoothly into the next song. The second track, “Hurts like Heaven,” has an upbeat and instantly recognizable melody, with the synthesized background suspiciously resembling a few other tracks on the album, but with more major overtones.
There are also four crowd-pleaser tracks guaranteed to be (or already are) radio-friendly: “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” “Hurts like Heaven,” “Princess of China” and “Paradise.” The rest of the album, disappointingly, melded together into something that didn’t stand out.
What’s more, “Mylo Xyloto” has a few songs whose melodies strongly reminded me of past tracks on “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” and “X&Y.” For example, parts of the melody from “Charlie Brown” sounded like “42” from “Viva la Vida.”
“Viva la Vida”- the album before “Mylo Xyloto”- was a step into unknown territory for Coldplay, yet also a step forward. It took a lot of listening before I truly understood the album and caught on to the melodies, understood the way the tracks fit together and learned to enjoy what had seemed incomprehensible. It was unlike anything they had done before. “Mylo Xyloto”, however, is more straightforward and a bit on the safe side. While it is not a step back, it certainly won’t propel Coldplay like “Viva la Vida” did.
Do I like the album? I do. But I’m not entranced and intrigued by the music. I’m merely pleased by its fun, light-hearted tracks. While I recommend the album if you’re just getting into Coldplay (it can be purchased on iTunes for $9.99), old fans might find it too mainstream after the spectacular substance in “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.”