Horns blare as Martins sings of his desire for peace. “Daddy” closes to the crisp sound of chirping birds that carries over into “WOTW/ POTP.” The latter fades with the inclusion of the city street bustle that begins “Arabesque,” the first big band moment of the album. The three succeeding songs are blended together by different samples. The next song, “BrokEn” takes an entirely different route, pairing a soulful staccato piano with a gospel choir that is rather stripped in comparison to the rest of the songs. It speaks soberly of injustice and is composed of a small voice paired with competing piano melodies and the pounding chords of an electric guitar. Swelling strings and a sample of a singer vocalizing in Arabic make Coldplay’s world music influence entirely evident.Ĭoldplay abruptly changes topic and sound with “Trouble in Town,” a piece that includes the audio of a now-disgraced Philadelphia police officer amid a racial profiling incident. Lead vocalist Chris Martin welcomes the listener back to his soothing vocals with a discussion of the interconnectivity between love and worship. “Church” is the first proper song of the album.
It is emblematic of a fresh beginning, a new chapter for the band. Violins take the lead, creating a serene atmosphere that evokes the feeling of a new day. The album opens up to the elegant and calming “Sunrise” that lays the foundations of the album. It delights in experimentation and sees the band collaborating with choirs, incorporating audio from a police encounter, and infiltrating the breaks between lyrics with world music and samples of speakers in various languages to further emphasize Coldplay’s global perspective. The work bounces between genres and themes.
It is a double album, with the first half titled Sunrise, the second Sunset. Last month’s announcement of their upcoming album, however, completely shattered such theories.Įveryday Life is Coldplay’s latest release.
Their 2015 album A Head Full of Dreams seemingly appeared to be the band’s final project, an idea that was further fueled by the production of a documentary spanning the band’s career. Electronic influences were a staple of Mylo Xyloto, and A Head Full of Dreams found Coldplay comfortably adopting a stadium rock sound.ĭespite the impressive discography of the band, silence has been the most common thing heard from Coldplay for the past four years. Their more sentimental side was explored in A Rush of Blood to the Head, and the band reveled in the sheer musicality of songs in Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. In their debut album, Parachutes, their soft rock style was established with songs like “Yellow” and “Sparks,” songs which cemented the band’s name. Over the years, Coldplay has toyed with a variety of sounds, making it nearly impossible to tie the band down to a specific genre. The band has an uncanny ability to tap into unexpressed feelings and emotions and express humanity’s shared aspiration for peace and love. The success of what is arguably one of the best rock bands of our generation comes from their ability to build connections between people.