Incite Magazine

By Victoria Yu

Coldplay’s fifth album, “Mylo Xyloto” is a solid album that will not disappoint fans. Mylo Xyloto delivers catchy upbeat tracks like “Hurts like Heaven,” “Paradise,” and “Every Teardrop is Waterfall” and also includes acoustic tracks like, “Us against the World,” UFO” and “Up in Flames.” The track “Princess of China” features Rihanna on vocals which proves to be a nice cross over between genres.

“Mylo Xyloto” is new ground for Coldplay, largely flirting with the shoegaze genre. Its lush sound evokes a dream like quality through Martin’s crooning vocals and the strong orchestral presence found in many of the tracks. The humming of violins, the thumping of drums, and the rifting of guitars, seamlessly blends together to create a full sound within each track. Despite being experimental, Mylo Xyloto does not stray too far from Coldplay’s original sound. It still relies on the formulaic success of previous album “Viva la Vida” with its use of orchestral tracks and heavy synth beats. The track, “Up in Flames” sounds reminiscent of their previous album “Parachutes.” “Mylo Xyloto” gives both new fans as well as old fans common ground they will all appreciate.
A Break Down of Songs:
1. “Paradise” is an uplifting tune featuring strong orchestral accompaniment. It starts off with humming synthesizers and the strumming violins in the background. It picks up in pace with the pulsating of synth beats and synthesizers. Martin’s vocals are highlighted against the backdrop of synth beats and tapping of drums. The keyboard and violins softly intervene before the chorus breaks out and Martin’s voice soars against the backdrop of orchestral accompaniment.
2. “Major and Minus” is the only rock number on the album. The darker, more aggressive track seems out of place in cheery “Mylo Xyloto.” Despite the fact, it is one of my favorites on the album. The style is very reminiscent of Oasis. It opens up with strumming of acoustic guitar and Martin’s bitter vocals. During the chorus, an awesome bass rift leads to Martin’s crooning vocals while in the background the guitar and pounding drums compete for attention. The track slowly fades out to a guitar solo and mellow vocals, before it picks up again aggressively once again.
3. “Don’t Let it Break Your Heart” is another strong track featuring hazy guitars, the echoing vocals and pounding drums. The track is largely influenced by shoegaze. It is an experimental track for Coldplay which results in success. The effect is an obscure dream-like atmosphere where the guitars, drums, keyboard and vocals seamlessly blend into one another. It is a soothing, memorable track.
4. “Princess of China” is duet between Martin and Rihanna. It is an upbeat electronic track laden with synth beats. Surprisingly, Rihanna’s vocals work well in the song. In the chorus, Martin and Rihanna’s voice blend together perfectly as they sing sorrowfully about lost lovers. At the peak of the song, their voices soar against the synth and drum beats.

Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto is a good album, but in my opinion, not one of their best. There are some mediocre tracks like the terse “Hurts like Heaven,” and the synth heavy “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” However, there are also some gems like “Princess of China,” and “Paradise.” For that reason, I give the album a rating a 4 out of 5.