Thread October 29, 2011 editorial: comments

Dear Fellow Audiofanziners,

Oh how I wanted to hate Coldplay's new album Mylo Xyloto and to cut it down and say that after 10 years they are no longer relevant musically, and to clear the stage for the new generation of artists.  And even worse, when it was declared to be a 'concept album' I cringed at the thought- oh god, another pretentious move to make more of a new collection of songs.  Even worst, perhaps a marketing gimmick to sell the whole album as one and not by the track.   Alas, dear Coldplay, you are a band that write songs, not a musical operas.  Deal.

But, I swallow my pride and say that after 10 years Coldplay has proven that they know who to write rich and moving pop songs full of cliches in all the right places.  In their new album Mylo Xyloto (where did this title come from? no time to google it...) Coldplay does not try to be some alternative rock band, does not come out with some collection of cool sounds recorded in the bathroom with analog gear from the 70's, it simply says- this is what we do and we do it well - Pop.

This album was written with catchy tunes to make the rush hour commute easier to swallow and to make stadiums shine on the inevitable tour that will follow.  Coldplay's got bills to pay and they want to earn their paycheck honestly by providing us with a good product that is 'automatic for the people'.  Bravo!

It may also explain their recent move to avoid having the album streamed on popular sites such as Spotify as 1/3 of a cent per song streamed as a business model just doesn't cut it anymore.  Bravo again!

Chater-La