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Neek'd: Coldplay

look upon my works ye mighty and despair
9Coldplay
Music of the Spheres

2.6/5
It’s hard to believe that a record with such a dated pop palate would function as a last-ditch effort for airplay, but it seems that was exactly Coldplay’s plan. Hiding behind a head-scratching sci-fi concept (more head-scratching than usual I mean), the band delivers their most tired and bland collection of songs in their whole career. While the album perks up a bit near the end with “♾️”’s Viva-like shimmering soundscapes and the pleasant-but-overrated “Coloratura” (seriously, will you guys just go for anything remotely prog?), it’s hardly enough to save it. Few have defended the band as long as I have, but I’m afraid that this might be where we part ways. It’s inexcusable.

S:
A:
B: “♾️”
C: “Coloratura”
D: “People of the Pride” “❤️” “Higher Power”
F: “Biutyful” “Let Somebody Go” “Humankind” “My Universe”
8Coldplay
A Head Full of Dreams

3.2/5
Maligned to a ridiculous degree, AHFOD is nevertheless a clear misstep for the band. The furthest the band had dove into straight pop music at the time, it featured some cringe-inducing moments (“X Marks the Spot”) and misjudged guest spots (“Fun”), but contained an important sense of adventure and energy that Spheres lacks. Tracks like “Birds” and “Up&Up” are some of the bands most infectious and hopeful, and the brighter moments here outshine the dull ones by a fair amount. It’s far from a career highlight, but AHFOD proves that Coldplay on autopilot is better than no Coldplay at all.

S:
A: “Everglow”
B: “Birds” “Up&Up” “A Hymn for the Weekend” “Amazing Day”
C: “Army of One" “A Head Full of Dreams”
D: “Adventure of a Lifetime” “Fun”
F: “X Marks the Spot”
7Coldplay
X&Y

3.7/5
Buckling under pressure to finish off their opening trilogy, Coldplay deliver the most self-conscious album of their discography. The melodies feel overcooked and ambiguous, and Martin often pushes his voice into the discomfort zone. While the spacey, electronic-tinged opening moments of the album gel wonderfully, they’re quickly shrugged off into directionless territory. It’s also maybe their most redundant release, tracks like “Speed of Sound” and “Til Kingdom Come” uneasily borrowing gimmicks from past works. There are some essential moments here, like the vibrant “Talk” and the all-timer Coldplay ballad “The Hardest Part,” and plenty of overlooked rockers, but too often do we find Coldplay tripping over the laces of their own legacy before they really got the chance to cement it.

S: “The Hardest Part”
A: “Talk” “Fix You”
B: “Square One” “What If” “ X&Y” “A Message” “Low”
C: “Twisted Logic” “White Shadows”
D: “Til Kingdom Come” “Swallowed in the Sea” “Speed of Sound”
F:
6Coldplay
Everyday Life

3.9/5
Perhaps reaching back to reclaim some artistic clout, this double-album promised to be a return to the ambitious, shape-shifting pop-rock of the Viva la Vida days, and delivered mixed results. Show-stopping numbers like “Trouble in Town” and “Arabesque” rode alongside lowkey doodles that tinker with acoustic, choral, or electronic music for a couple moments before petering out. But this shattershot mess of a record is alternately a warm, confounding, and propulsive listen that deserves existence for the absolute keepers it gifted to Coldplay’s catalogue this late in the game.

S: “Trouble in Town” “Arabesque”
A: “Church” “Everyday Life”
B: “Orphans” “Sunrise” “Guns” “Old Friends” “Bani Adam”
C: “Eko” “Daddy” “WOTW/POTP” “Cry Cry Cry”
D: “BrokEn” “When I Need a Friend”
F: “Champion of the World”
5Coldplay
Mylo Xyloto

4.2/5
Probably the boldest reinvention of Coldplay’s sound to date, the band veered off the rock ramp into their own brand of overblown electronic pop. For many, this was when they got off the Coldplay ship, but there’s a lot to love in this ridiculous widescreen concept album. The sonic change seemed more of an artistic one than a commercial one, and “Major Minus”’s villainous jangle and the thunderous “Don’t Let it Break Your Heart” proved that the band weren’t interested in sacrificing their adventurous side. Sure the hits off this are annoying, but overall its a heartfelt and rambunctious ride through some ridiculous pop music. What’s not to love?

S: “Charlie Brown” “Don't Let It Break Your Heart”
A: “Major Minus”
B: “Hurts Like Heaven” “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” “Princess of China” “Up in Flames” “Up With the Birds” “U.F.O.”
C: “Us Against the World” “Paradise”
D:
F:
4Coldplay
Parachutes

4.2/5
I share my generation's deep-rooted nostalgia for the warm, aching melodies of Coldplay’s debut. I too ripped many of these songs onto my iPod shuffle with YouTube-to-mp3. Unfortunately, they just aren’t all winners in my eyes. Yes, absolutely the essentials are essential. “Trouble” will always haunt my memories of adolescent love, “Don’t Panic” will remain a nostalgic shroud over my high school days, and “Yellow” is, well, “Yellow.” But there’s a fair amount of filler here I could never forgive, I never found “Shiver” to be nearly as convincing as their later forays into alt-rock. And to cap it all off, “Everything’s Not Lost” is a whimper of a closing track with an even less compelling hidden track stapled on at the end. And so Parachutes remains a spotty collection of tracks that I mostly love. I wish it was a little more for me.

S: “Trouble”
A: “Don’t Panic” “High Speed” “Yellow”
B: “We Never Change” “Spies”
C: “Shiver” “Sparks”
D: “Everything’s Not Lost/Life Is for Living”
3Coldplay
Ghost Stories

4.3/5
To me compelling melodies and genuine delivery trump everything, even dumb lyrics. Chris Martin might not be the best lyricist or vocalist, but the man he believes in the stuff he’s singing. Songs like “Ink” or “Always in My Head” would be easy to dispose of if Martin wasn’t at his best vocally here, channeling his distress through their newfound emphasis on grooves and beats, making for an (comparatively) understated journey into the dark. There’s little relief to be found on this record, which lends weight to when sonic brightness creeps in. Even the overwrought “Sky Full of Stars” feels distraught. I wasn’t always a fan of this album, but it’s gotten to the point where I don’t really see the weak links anymore. I’m sure they’re there. Maybe I’m just easily fooled. But I’d prefer heartbreak feel this reassuring rather than the other thing.

S: “Midnight”
A: “Ink” “O” “True Love”
B: “Always in My Head” “Magic” “Another’s Arms” “Oceans”
C: “A Sky Full of Stars"
D:
F:
2Coldplay
A Rush of Blood to the Head

4.5/5
A sonic leap-and-a-half away from Parachutes, AROBTTH rocks listeners with the spacey “Politik” and doesn’t let up. Emphasizing icy guitars and wonky atmospheres, Coldplay’s sophomore effort lends equal focus to the poppier numbers as it does the darker moments. While some toothless tracks like “Green Eyes” or “In My Place” miss the mark, there’s plenty of bite to the album that Coldplay sorely lacked later on in their career, making weird churners like “Daylight” or “A Whisper” land far better than one would expect. This is the sound of a band joyously exploring its options, and it’s just remarkable how many of them land, no matter what side of themselves they show.

S: “The Scientist” “Clocks”
A: “God Put a Smile upon Your Face” “Daylight” “Amsterdam” “A Rush of Blood to the Head”
B: “Politik” “Warning Sign” “A Whisper”
C: “In My Place” “Green Eyes”
D:
F:
1Coldplay
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

5.0/5
The hopeless romantic that I am, Viva la Vida remains one of my favorite albums of all time. Is this ridiculous? I’m sure. But I remain captivated by its gorgeous blend of styles and emotions. There’s a sadness that permeates the happiest moments here, and a hope that lifts up the darkness. There’s an excitement to every song here like the sound of a band so in love with trying new sounds and knowing they’re nailing it. From the gentle haze of “Strawberry Swing” to the jagged guitar of “Violet Hill,” this is Coldplay at their most confident, moving, and inspired. I love it.

S: “Violet Hill” “Yes” “Viva la Vida” “Strawberry Swing”
A: “Death and All His Friends” “Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love” “42” “Lost!”
B: “Life in Technicolor” “Cemeteries of London”
C:
D:
F:
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