Coldplay - A Head Full Of Dreams

Everybody knows Coldplay. Everybody loves Coldplay. Crazily enough, Chris, Jonny, Guy and Will have had a career lasting almost 20 years, yet their still as current as they were in 1996 and admired by the younger and older generations alike. Of course, keeping up to date with the modern-day musical market is a hefty challenge, but clearly these four are way ahead of the game. So what really keeps Coldplay's successes alive? Their new album, A Head Full Of Dreams, which debuted at number 2, may hold all the answers.  

Coldplay are well known for their quirky and original sounding tracks - this album makes no exception. With exciting riffs, abnormal structures and a variety of topics and lyrics, its no wonder this album was as highly anticipated as all their other triumphs. The lead single, Adventure of Lifetime, sets the tone for the whole album very well. It introduces Coldplay's way of competing in today's market: a diverse, new sound. The song starts of with electrionic vocals and an infectious riff leading into Chris Martin's incredible vocals. An electronic sound isn't exactly what audiences associate Coldplay with. I'm sure many of us think of the alternative-rock hits such as Yellow, Fix You and Magic when we hear of the band. We were kind of introduced to the idea in Ghost Stories through songs such as Midnight and A Sky Full Of Stars, however in this album the feel is much more like a re-work of late twentieth-century pop; a completely individual sound that still ties in with ideas that dominate the charts right now, such as covers of classics like Show Me Love by Sam Feldt, originally by Robin S. I think that's how Coldplay still manage to grab hold of the top spots - by creating their own unique sound while still in-keeping with what's popular on the scene at the moment. It's exciting that bands such as Coldplay are able to shake up their sound and still remain so popular. Despite this, the song Birds reminds me of songs from Mylo Xyloto, which I like because it shows they still recognise their original sound. They also have added songs such as Everglow and Up and Up that are traditional Coldplay ballads.

What I love about this album is that it is the complete contrast to the solemn Ghost Stories. This album is much more upbeat, showing off their ability to diversify, suggested in anthems such as the eponymous A Head Full of Dreams and represented in the colourful album cover and interesting gorilla-based music video. Each song sounds simple on the surface, but when peeling back they layers, you can definitely tell that a huge amount of work went into creating just one track. Taking Adventure of a Lifetime as an example, you've first got the catchy riff, the great bass and the electronic vocals, which then smoothly transitions into fantastic guitar work and harmonising. The creative and complex dimensions demonstrated in this song can be identified in many other songs on the album as well. Even though each song has a similar musical concept, every one is different - songs like Everglow and Hymn for the Weekend are individual in both sound and story. 

I mostly really like this album, however there are parts I'm not a huge fan of. I feel like there has been a role reversal with the complexity of the construction versus the complexity of the lyrics. For example, I wouldn't expect Coldplay to write lines such as "My heart go boom, bo-boom boom" , featured in the hidden song X Marks the Spot. They do include great lines elsewhere, I just love Coldplay's poetic lyrics so much that I guess I was looking out for them more and didn't hear as many. Saying that, they maturely discuss some topical issues such as alcohol and drugs in Hymn for the Weekend, which is probably my favourite song on the album. It was also great to hear Beyonce on this song as well, showing they are dipping into different genres. That being said, I would prefer if Coldplay didn't go down the R&B/pop route this album hints at, as a fan of their more classic hits. I think a voice as soulful and folk-like as Chris' doesn't fit the vocals within the R&B/pop genres. I understand that Coldplay are trying to make each song different, but I feel X Marks the Spot deviates too far from the sound of the rest of the album. As a fan of their more traditional tracks, this album isn't really up there with one of my favourites - if you do prefer 'classic Coldplay' I'd recommend listening to the album X&Y, the Coldplay album I personally think is the best. Of course, this is just my opinion - you might like the chilled pop vibe this album gives off if you're much more into that kind of music.

Although I love Coldplay, this album wasn't my favourite. I do like a lot of the songs and the fact they have the confidence to branch out, but personally the direction they were going in with some of the tracks put me off slightly and made me miss the beautiful lyrics and the hearty piano ballads you can't help but sing along to. Don't get me wrong, the album has some great tracks on there, but for me it doesn't equal the standards of their other albums. I would rate A Head Full of Dreams 3 out of 5 and my favourite songs are Hymn for the Weekend, Army of One and Adventure of a Lifetime. 

Hope you are all well and getting into the festive spirit. Hopefully I'll be more active on here in the coming weeks with some Christmassy themed posts!

From,
Eleanor