“Mylo Xyloto”
Coldplay
3.5/5
Capitol Records
With a little help from their friend Brian Eno, Coldplay delivers an electronic-pop hit with “Mylo Xyloto.”
Since Coldplay marveled the U.S. with “Yellow” in 2000, the quartet has not only grown up in their personal lives, becoming fathers, husbands and probably one of the most successful bands since The Beatles, but also in their music with more elaborate pieces of art.
“Mylo Xyloto,” which has no special meaning, takes unexpected twists and turns from the band’s four other albums.
The album is full of dance hits, light hip hop tones and classic Coldplay touches.
One of the best parts of Coldplay is that they know how to write simple lyrics, add funky beats and classic 70s rock to make it a sensational hit.
For fans of Coldplay’s acoustic and piano sound, “Mylo Xyloto” may leave a bitter noise in their ears preferring their past records.
The second single, “Paradise,” follows more of a “Viva La Vida” Eno-sound with suspenseful violin solos falling into an explosion of electronic beats.
The lyrics paint a picture of a girl struggling to find her paradise but by the end of the song, the eccentric dance-pop beats leave the listener to think he or she stumbled into their own paradise.
One of the most surprising songs is “Princess in China,” which features and an unexpected appearance from Rihanna on the track. The song sounds more like something off of her up-and-coming album with hip-hop beats and heavy use of synthesizers.
Rihanna’s smoldering vocals match strangely well with Chris Martin’s sweet voice singing about a tragic Romeo and Juliet romance.
“Major Minus” plays with soft drumming and a pretty straightforward guitar strum but once Martin tunes in with his “Oooh-Ooooh”’s the song kicks into a fast dancing beat.
“Charlie Brown” has nothing to do with the comic book gang but will have listeners doing the classic Peanuts shuffle moving side-to-side. The song dies down to Martin soft grazing the piano keys falling close to “The Scientist” sound.
Coldplay slows down the album with “Us Against the World” as an acoustic guitar carries Martin’s voice into what feels like a ‘70s anti-war song singing “Through the chaos as it swirls, it’s us against the world.”
Each member slowly adds piano, a wave of electric guitar and a pinch of bass as the song progresses.
It brings a touch “Parachutes” and “A Rush of Blood to the Head” to the mostly lively, dance pop album.
With every album, including “Mylo Xyloto,” Coldplay brings a new aspect of life and color into their songs.
Reach the reporter at mpareval@asu.edu.
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