Hutere's Big Ol' Coldplay Review

So, this Friday, I was listening to some music, and Violet Hill (Which I will review later) came on my Pandora. I then realized that, though I really enjoy Coldplay, I haven’t really listened to much of their music. With this thought in mind, I went to Amazon Prime and downloaded all of their albums.
I listened to all 93 songs over the course of two days, and now I’m going to discuss the highs and lows.
###Mylo Xyloto
This is the first album I’m gonna review. Now, here’s how it’s gonna work: I’m going to review a few songs, not all, from each album, and then I’ll give my overall thoughts. The last song I review on each album will be posted.

  • “Mylo Xyloto/Hurts like Heaven”
    These songs are technically listed as two, but they’re really just two parts of the same song. Mylo Xyloto is the wordless intro, with some nice instrumentals, and I especially like the soft beginning with the bells. Hurts Like Heaven is a pretty energetic song, with a pretty good beat and a catchy chorus. It’s a fun song, not the best, not the worst, but a good beginning to a good album.
  • “Up in Flames”
    This is one of my least favorite songs from the album, not because of the vocals or any of that, but because of the constant drum in the background, which really doesn’t fit with the delicate nature of the rest of the song. Other than that, it’s pretty good.
  • “Princess of China” (ft. Rihanna)
    Now, I usually don’t really like Rihanna, but she fits pretty well in this song. Unlike in Up in Flames, the drum is incorporated well. It’s catchy, and pretty good. The voices meld well, and you can hear both of them without them clashing.

Overall this was a decent album. Not the best, not the worst.

###Parachutes

  • “Don’t Panic”
    This song has an interesting tune, and a pretty cool sound, with a very well integrated guitar part. This song is also on the X Men: Apocalypse Soundtrack in a slightly more melancholy version.
  • “Sparks”
    This song is one of my favorites because of the dominating guitar. A very calm song with a nice tune the guitar leads the song, practically more than the vocals. Overall, a calm song good for a Sunday afternoon. Or whenever you relax. IDK.
  • “Yellow”
    I freaking love this song so much. I first listened to it about two years ago, as I wasn’t alive when it was originally out. I love how well the instruments and vocals are incorporated, and I really don’t dislike anything about it. Not to mention it was Coldplay’s first big hit.

Overall, this is a very good album, but still not my favorite.

##a Head Full of Dreams

  • “Hymn For the Weekend”
    I do not like this song. It’s probably my least favorite Coldplay song. The female vocals at the beginning ae just weird, and I’m just not a fan of the song as a whole.
  • “Birds”
    I actually like this one. Not conventional Coldplay, but still pretty good. I ike the beat, and this is probably my favorite song on the album, or:
  • “Everglow”
    This song feels mor like older Coldplay, and I like that. Not a huge fan of that random female voice at the beginning, but that’s nothing huge. I really like the piano part.

Overall, this is probably my least favorite Coldplay album. That still means it’s better than 90 percent of what comes out these days, though.

###Prospekt’s March EP

  • “Life in Technicolor ii”
    This is an interesting song for sure. I like the beat and the vocals are good. I quite like the way the melody goes from verse to verse, and the dips and turns it takes. I don’t have much experience with this album, however, so these reviews might ot be as in depth.
  • “Lost+” (ft. Jay-Z)
    I like the song Lost. But adding Jay-Z… just… no. So much no. I don’t like his portion of the song at all, and this wasn’t even one of my favorite Coldplay songs to begin with. The melody is good, until, well, you know…
  • “Lovers in Japan” (Osaka Sun Mix)
    This is a pretty upbeat song, and I like it. It reminds me of a few other Coldplay songs, but a band with so much music is bound to have some repetition. The lyrics are also very interesting in the beginning.

Overall, this is an average EP. Pretty good, but definitely has its issues.

###Viva la Vida

  • “42”
    This song is very interesting, the lyrics are kinda creepy, and the melody is, too. But I still really like the overall feel, it’s a solid song. The instrumentals are good, and the vocals are, too.
  • “Viva la Vida”
    I have a soft spot for this song, having played it for an audience. But even disregarding my bias, I still think this is a great song. The violins in the background are awesome, and it has one of my favorite vocals in a Coldplay song. The lyrics are also 10/10. Definitely in y top 5 Coldplay songs.
  • “Violet Hill”
    The darn song that got me into this. XP In addition to having a flow from Viva la Vida, it has a solid standalone sound. The vocals ae strong, and the lyrics tell an interesting story. It goes from strong in the center to soft and delicate at the end, which Iove.

A great album, though not my favorite, as it does have its lower points. (Darn you Jay-Z you ruined Lost)

###X & Y

  • “A Message”
    A peaceful song with a great guitar part. The song isn’t the best, as the chorus is a little weak, but not bad. Still probably one of the worst on the album.
  • “Square One”
    A kinda “floaty” song, if you know what I mean. It’s good. The vocals are meh, until you get to the chorus. I love the chorus, it’s one of my favorite parts of the album. Unfortuately, the rest of the song drags that down.
  • “Swallowed in the Sea”
    A sad song with a solid lyrical part. Instrumentals are almost nonexistent in the beginning, which is kinda disappointing, but it has a pretty good melody, and it picks up as the song progresses.

A decent album, kinda in the middle of all of them.

##a Rush of Blood to the Head

  • “God Put a Smile on Your Face”
    The vocals and melody are kinda weird on this one, but I like the lyrics. One of the weaker songs of the album for sure, but by no means a bad song.
  • “Warning Sign”
    A solid song with one of the better instrumentals in the album. The chorus is meh, but still decent. I like the guitar part, simple as it might be.
  • “The Scientist”
    I love this song so much. I have no issues with it, to get that out of the way. I love the piano part, and the vocals are amazing. The lyrics are great, the everything is great. I can’t say anything bad about this song, it’s too good. It may well be my favorite song of all time, as changeable as that title is. You know, I think it is.

Not my favorite album, but it houses my favorite song, so…

Before I get to the final album, I’m gonna get some songs that weren’t really on albums out of the way.

  • “Brothers and Sisters”
    A very different song. The vocals are a bit underwhelming in the beginning, but the instrumentals are pretty cool.
  • “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” (Coldplay vs. Swedish House Mafia)
    A very, very energetic song with a good EDM feel, even though that isn’t typical, I still enjoy the song. I really enjoy the melody.

And, the final album,
###Ghost Stories

  • “Always in My Head”
    A peaceful song that reminds me of Jonsi, in a way. I love the vocals for this one, and the light, airy feel of the entire song, but it still has a good, solid underlying beat. A bit repetitive, perhaps, but very good.

“Midnight” (The bullets weren’t working right)
A very cool, ghostly song. I love the overall feel, though the vocals aren’t necessarily strong

  • O [+Hidden Tracks]
    A beautiful song, definitely in my top Coldplay. The lyrics, vocals, and piano are all very well done, and the hidden track (which is actually O, the one I was talking about before is titled Fly On) is pretty good, too. For sure (Fly On) my favorite off the album.

Overall, my favorite Coldplay album. I definitely recommend it.

Overall I still love Coldplay, and now I can say I’ve listened to all of their songs. I there are any specific songs you would like me to review, just ask, and if you’d like me to go more in depth on one I already posted, just ask.
If you read the whole thing, I commend you.
This is Hutere, signing off for now.

11 Likes

What other bands are you gonna review?
Gold star for putting all this together. I enjoyed reading it even if I don’t listen to Coldplay XD.

1 Like

I’m thinking I might do Weezer, though one of the albums isn’t on Prime.
Thanks.
(Kodaline, Mumford and Sons, and Sleeping at Last are other ones I’ve considered)

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I’ve been going through Coldplay’s music over the last few days, not having listened to it a ton for a few years. I almost expected to be disappointed, but nope! It’s just as good as I remembered by and large. I’ve even found a few songs I’d overlooked in the past, like Swallowed in the Sea.

My personal ranking of the albums would be something like this:
Viva la Vida
A Rush of Blood to the Head
Mylo Xyloto
X&Y
Parachutes
Ghost Stories
A Head Full of Dreams

Out of curiosity, what did you think about A Sky Full of Stars? I liked some of the songs on Ghost Stories, but the techno influences (which were most prevalent on that song) didn’t really work for me. A lot of the songs, I thought, had the problem you pointed out with “Up in Flames”–out-of-place rhythm parts.

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Sky Full of Stars was OK. I didn’t really think it was anything special, and the techno was indeed odd for Coldplay.

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Hey! Someone else that likes Coldplay! :blush:
I 'd say that they are one of my favourite bands (heck, I was about to change my avatar to the cover of A Rush Of Blood To The Head cover art), so it’s always great to see others that like them too, and don’t just write them off like a lot of other people.

Try listening to their B-sides and hidden tracks, there are a lot of hidden gems in there! Also, take a look at their live performances if you have the time, they’re so energetic on stage. Some songs sound better live than in the studio.

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Doesn’t this one have ‘Paradise’? Reveiw that one, I personally like and want to see what you think.

Also, what about the first ‘Life in Technicolor’?

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Trust me, I have, and I know.
I just didn’t review any.

All right, as for Paradise:
It’s an extremely nostalgic song for me, but some areas in it have odd rhythm stuff that seems slightly out of place, such as the constant drum in the song, which clashes with the delicate nature of the song. Overall, however, I really enjoy it.
And Life in Technicolor I:
I can guarantee you I like it. It’s on Viva la Vida/Death and All His friends, which, after the writing of this review, became my favorite album of theirs.
The initial part of the instrumental is slightly elongated and repetitive, but you can feel the build up, so that really isn’t a problem. Having no lyrics makes it a bit more difficult to review for me, I don’t quite know why, but I do enjoy the song.

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Reviews XY without including “What if” and “Fix you”. :stuck_out_tongue:


Personal list:
A Rush of Blood to the Head
Ghost Stories
XY
Parachutes
Viva la Vida
Mylo Xyloto
A Head Full of Dreams

2 Likes

I tried to review the lesser known stuff.
I’ll review them for you later, I’m kinda sick rn.

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That’s why I haven’t heard of half of these…

Nah, it’s good. I was just poking fun because some of the other albums had their most popular songs.

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What do you think about Army of One (and the hidden track, X Marks The Spot)?
It divides opinion, some say it’s fun, but some say they’re really badly written songs with little to no effort put into them. I kinda like them to be honest, it’s a little different. Catchy too.

I think I need to listen to more Coldplay. I’m mainly familiar with “Viva la Vida” but the others only somewhat such as “Sky Full of Stars”. My dad listens to them a bit more than I do so I’m going to look them up soon.

2 Likes

It’s ok.
I mean, it isn’t the worst, but is isn’t amazing.

I’ve listened to and liked Sky Full of Stars, Viva la Vida (the song) and Paradise, but from this list it feels like I should listen to a lot more of their songs

I love all the songs you reviewed. I might sound crazy, but I like the weird ones mostly because of the weirdness.