Review of Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto: A Great Album!

No, in case you were wondering, "Mylo Xyloto" is not the name of a new prescription drug on the market for treating gas pains and indigestion. "Mylo Xyloto" is the name of Coldplay's newest album. As Coldplay albums tend to unfortunately be not the most common occurrence, I felt compelled to present a review of "Mylo Xyloto".

Coldplay's latest album was released October 24, 2001. To say the least, I was quite impressed with this album. I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed that this album does not include the song "Don Quixote (Spanish Rain)" as I was really looking forward to listening to that song, but I'll live. For Coldplay fans looking for a bit more of an upbeat tone, "Mylo Xyloto" will not disappoint. Where "Viva la Vida" had more of a macabre, serious, militant, and escapist tone and "Prospekt's March" had more of a reconciling, somber tone, "Mylo Xyloto" seems to add a new dimension to Coldplay's music.

Before I continue with a more in-depth review of the album, I must confess as Coldplay is one of my all-time favorite bands that I was really surprised that this album sounds as good as it does. Where Coldplay has been playing off of various plagiarism allegations (I'm sure personalities like Phil Collins, Sting, and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) pre-ordered their copies of "Mylo Xyloto"), "Mylo Xyloto" incorporates new sounds into Coldplay's music. In this way, one listening to "Mylo Xyloto" should not be afraid to hear music reminiscent of Genesis, Electric Light Orchestra, and even some electronica; that may be welcome news for many Coldplay fans.

The first major opening song "Hurts Like Heaven" evokes a more positive, upbeat tone that was been lacking in "Viva la Vida" and "Prospekt's March". For Coldplay to lead off this latest album with an upbeat, fast song came as a bit of a shock to me. "Hurts Like Heaven" is a bit reminiscient of "Life in Technicolor II" to the point where a fan can say, "Yes! This is the fast upbeat sound of Coldplay that we've been waiting for."

The album's third song "Paradise" incorporates a sound akin to Electric Light Orchestra while still retaining the standard "celestial" sound of Coldplay. Anyone who is familiar with Coldplay's music knows that Chris Martin is a skilled, artful poet, and "Paradise" does well to reflect Martin's poetic abilities. "Paradise" is a bit reminiscent of the song "Glass of Water" from the extended play "Prospekt's March". If you enjoyed "Glass of Water", you will probably enjoy "Paradise".

The song "Charlie Brown" is arguably one of the album's best. The song combines Coldplay's celestial sound with a catchy beat. For some of Coldplay's songs, it can be difficult to pinpoint in what precise frame-of-mind or context the song is meant to be understood -- "Charlie Brown" is one of those songs. Nevertheless, the song definitely serves as one that incorporates Coldplay's standard sound. The fifth song on the album "Us Against the World" is a mild interlude between "Charlie Brown" and "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" that does well in demonstrating the softer side of Coldplay's music. "Us Against the World" is by no means a "Postcards from Far Away" or a "Green Eyes", but does well in separating the two more upbeat songs.

The song "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" was the first single Coldplay released from "Mylo Xyloto". Where Rolling Stone gave the single a rating of three and half stars out of five, Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song a rating of four stars rating out of five commenting that the song "is unlikely to be hailed as an instant classic to match the very best of Coldplay's past work, but a strong argument could be made that the band has never released their best material as the first single from any of their albums. As an appetizer, 'Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall' is very pleasing and will leave fans eagerly anticipating much, much more". Now, as we are well past the appetizer phase and have heard the entire album, I still agree with Lamb. The song will most likely not attract any new Coldplay fans, but does well in bringing new Coldplay music to the world. Even so, I would not say that "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" is the best material on this album.

The eighth track on the album "Major Minus" is an aggressive, electric-guitar song that hearkens back to Coldplay's earlier sound in "Shiver" on the album "Parachutes" or even "Violet Hill" from "Viva la Vida". As such, both tracks eight and nine simply appear to be setting up for "Princess of China", which is arguably the best song on the album.

The first time I heard "Princess of China", I thought to myself, "Aw, hell no. What are you doing here, Chris?" The song is unlike Coldplay's usual sound...and the entrance of Rihanna came as a bit of a surprise to me. At that point, I thought to myself, "C'mon, Chris, if I wanted to listen to Rihanna, I would've bought a Rihanna cd." The song is a bit slow in developing, but when it does, the song really blossoms into a new dimension of Coldplay's sound. Where the thought of Rihanna singing with Chris Martin on a Coldplay album may make a longtime Coldplay fan uneasy, in all sincerity Coldplay redeemed the song to make it a musical work of art. "Princess of China" is such a good song that without it, dare I say it, "Mylo Xyloto" would be a completely different album. It is as if the song crowns the album (no pun intended).

"Up in Flames" is a slower ballad and as with tracks eight and nine, one cannot help but feel that tracks eleven and twelve are setting up for "Don't Let It Break Your Heart", which I would say is probably the best track on the album. "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" is for all those loyal Coldplay fans who have grown to sincerely love Coldplay's music and lyrics over the years. It is the archetypical Coldplay song with the booming piano and epic sound, and to say the least, if "Princess of China" is the crown of the album, then "Don't Let It Break It Heart" would be the heart of the album.

I would imagine that some music critics would not look upon "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" as anything special, but a devout Coldplay fan would recognize it as a truly trademark Coldplay song. It was as if the song was written in particular for Coldplay fans...for those who would hear the sound of Coldplay and recognize it...as if the song was what those fans needed to hear. It's as if Martin is saying, "So what if it hurts? It's always hurt. Let's make the best of it." One might say that the song is exactly what a Coldplay fan would need after the dire, somber, and escapist tone in "Viva la Vida". In "Don't Let It Break Your Heart", Coldplay returns to its signature celestial sound that would most likely appeal to one who enjoyed tracks like "A Message", "Glass of Water", or "Crest of Waves".

To say the least, in terms of the entire album, "Mylo Xyloto" is upbeat and refreshing when compared with "Viva la Vida" and "Prospekt's March". Where "Viva la Vida" and "Prospekt's March" may have led one's spirit to lift up off the ground for the sake of life or love or something greater than oneself, "Mylo Xyloto" seems to be about lifting up one's heart or at the very least, making use of one's heart to make the best of a bad situation. In case you're unfamiliar with Coldplay's music, the idea of making the best of a bad situation is a recurring them in much of Coldplay's music.

Where "Viva la Vida" trailed off with "In the end we lie awake and dream we'll make an escape", "Mylo Xyloto" ends with a hopeful "Good things are coming our way." Thus, with the backdrop of the global financial crisis, "Mylo Xyloto" seems to be approaching Coldplay's recurring realist/escapist perspective in a new light -- so as to say, "It's okay to be positive, upbeat, and optimistic even if it appears as if the sky is falling". I can say with confidence that "Mylo Xyloto" is not going to go down in history as Coldplay's greatest album, but in some ways the album gives due justice to those who relate to and identify with Coldplay's music. With "Mylo Xyloto", the band seems to be making the statement that even with Rihanna, Coldplay is still Coldplay.

I have to say that I got more goosebumps and tingles listening to this album than any other previous Coldplay album. This is one Coldplay album where the first time I heard it I went to bed really looking forward to hearing the songs the next morning; I can't say that about every Coldplay album. For those who are devout fans of Coldplay, even after "Viva la Vida" I still think at least for me personally "X & Y" was most likely Coldplay's best album. I understand that many would consider "X & Y" to be Coldplay's worst album, but in terms of Martin's poetry, Coldplay's musical abilities, and the celestial sound, "X & Y" is number one. At first, I did not think "X & Y" was anything special, but after letting the album digest over a period of several months, the album came alive.

I know many would disagree with me, but as Coldplay has only five major studio albums, if I had to rank them, they would be as follows:
1.  X & Y
2.  A Rush of Blood to the Head
3   Xylo Myloto
4.  Viva la Vida
5.  Parachutes
Yes, I placed "Mylo Xyloto" above "Viva la Vida". Now, if "Mylo Xyloto" had "Don Quixote (Spanish Rain)", dare I say it, I would have to rank the album second. Of course, all the albums would get five stars out of five from me, but that is how I would rank them.

As an afterthought, aside from the marketing hype and even in light of the songs "Lovers in Japan", "Strawberry Swing", and "Viva la Vida" (which I love), I couldn't help but feel that something was missing from the album "Viva la Vida". The songs "42", "Cemeteries in London", "Yes", and "Violet Hill" (though very good songs on their own weight) just seemed to weigh down the overarching tone in "Viva la Vida", that booming strings opening that caught all our ears from the start. And at the end of the day, I think what was missing from the album "Viva la Vida" was some of the more upbeat, fast-moving, and stoically positive sound in "Mylo Xyloto". In that light alone, "Mylo Xyloto" is a great album. Maybe not Coldplay's greatest, but a great one nonetheless.

In a time period where many are looking for new good music, "Mylo Xyloto" is a breath of fresh air. All in all, I would highly recommend checking out Coldplay's latest album, "Mylo Xyloto".