Mylo Xyloto
Details
LP / Format
Full Credits
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Critic Reviews
90
Mylo is a mixed bag of ideas that come together in a fashion that should exceed many people’s expectations, and as long as Coldplay continues to inflate over the coming years, you may find yourself wondering how it is possible for a band to sound this big.
11y
80
Heckled through their career for being a poor man’s Radiohead, Martin and cohorts have responded perfectly by recording a full-blooded, intermittently stonking pop album, up to its tonsils in glimmering dance beats and luscious hooks. Approached with an open mind, there’s plenty here to enjoy.
6mo
80
Coldplay’s electronic excursions may be more cerebral and less embroiled than those of Thom Yorke’s continued influence on Radiohead, but their progress is to be applauded, for this is an excellent album with depths unexplainable within this word count.
11y
80
I sometimes think Coldplay are what Radiohead would sound like if they were fronted by Paul McCartney, 21st-century rock bent to the service of silly love songs. But maybe that is exactly what the world needs right now: great pop music with its big heart in the right place.
8y
80
Spectacularly self-indulgent it may be, but when Coldplay are this absurdly ambitious, it’s hard to pretend they’re anything shy of impressive.
11y
80
It all just seems so effortless for Coldplay. It’s as if they wanted an album whose individual songs could be played at any time of day on any radio music station. They still shine on.
5y
80
It's not perfect - Chris Martin's lyrics still don't bear scrutiny - but there is greatness and high-flying at every turn. This is the era of Coldplay.
5y
75
Mylo Xyloto, builds a bridge between yesterday’s rock stars and the urban acts filling the big rooms now, like Kanye West and Jay-Z—both pals of singer Chris Martin. It’s a brilliant gambit because it actually sounds like a natural extension of Coldplay’s big, radio-friendly sound.
14y
70
In my opinion, “Mylo Xyloto” feels like an accoustic album and an electronic album had a baby and this was the result: a very happy album that will make you go out there in the world and want to achieve something.
5y
70
The talent was there but they seem to have needed a strong hand to push them in the right direction.
11y
70
Where Viva La Vida showcased Coldplay’s sense of adventure, this one feels more eager to please; the sonic detail accrues with such speed that it’s like Martin and his mates fear you’ll bail if they don’t grab you straightaway.
14y
70
They’ve embraced their schoolboy selves and are simply singing songs of love and good cheer, albeit on a grand scale that somehow seems smaller due to the group’s insuppressible niceness.
14y
70
The hope the group has for the idea of the album and for the world, makes it the right band at the right time.
12y
70
Here, Coldplay rage in their own lovably goofy way.
11y
70
Swaddled in synths and gilded by state-of-the-art production, but never too off-putting if you still insist that "real music" is played by men with guitars.
14y
67
To Coldplay’s credit, amidst the over-production they still manage to reach their quota of flag-waving festival rock songs, some of which could be considered career highlights. Seriously.
14y
60
It's as untroublingly pleasurable as spending your life thinking about elaborate cupcakes and unpretentious interior décor.
6y
60
Chris Martin has described Coldplay's fifth album as a dystopian love story rock opera but wacky names and high concept can't seem to elevate their music from the sonic equivalent of a cup of tea made with a used bag: it's a bit uplifting, but ultimately insipid.
5y
60
Coldplay remain an eminently listenable, catchy band — no small feat for a band this big. If it seems like they could be doing more, that says more about our expectations of how a band should grow rather than any of their merits.
7y
60
It’s wrapped in a confused concept ... but several tunes will surely ignite stadium masses.
10y
60
While the melodies on Mylo Xyloto are some of the strongest and most memorable in the band’s catalogue, it’s the shortcomings in their lyrics that keep Coldplay from packing the kind of emotional wallop their sound really demands.
11y
60
You quickly get the feeling that Coldplay might have been laying it on a bit thick about the pop influence on Mylo Xyloto.
10y
60
With the addition of a few dud ideas we are left with another sub-potential album from Coldplay.
11y
60
Once more, they bust out a bracing, if slightly ineffective, concept that showcases them at their most idiosyncratic without losing sight of what their audience wants
14y
60
This well-intended mixed bag, despite its lovely surfaces, could have used more of that variety.
14y
60
They're consistent, and for those who want another dose of warm, cosy fluff, this will do the trick.
14y
58
There’s some great arena-ready uplift here, but then, you can get that on a Snow Patrol record. What’s missing is the innovation that made Viva La Vida so dynamic.
10y
50
Currently, their sound too faithfully reflects the transition period they are in, and Mylo Xyloto is fraught with growing pains.
10y
50
Underneath all the jittery electronic production that on the surface might seem like the band is trying something new, it’s really just a facade for some of their most simplistic writing to date.
14y
50
Ultimately, Mylo Xyloto is just another unadventurous chapter in the history of a band addicted to its own relentless suitability.
6y
50
They’re attempting to breach their comfort zone, and they’re definitely drilling away here, but it’s questionable whether or not it’s in the right area.
14y
50
They're playing as if they've won a hard-fought triumph but it's difficult to identify anything truly at stake on Mylo Xyloto.
5y
50
There’s nothing wrong as such with ‘Mylo Xyloto’. It just feels like, once again, Coldplay have done the selfless thing and gone out to protect EMI’s share price, and at the end of it remain peering off the edge of a cliff edge, wishing they had the courage to jump.
14y
50
It's not, on the whole, dislikable; it's just a bit of a mess.
14y
40
"Hurts Like Heaven" opens proceedings at a peak, the twinkly demeanour of its bustling pop layered with disparate guitar lines; but it's downhill from there, the supposed concept – lovers united against an oppressive dystopia – rendered in music that's equally as hackneyed.
9y
40
This is the kind of sequel where nothing new is introduced, no great revelations are to be had, and the things that made the previous installment so great are nowhere to be found.
14y
Expected to absolutely hate this. To my surprise, it was mostly a good listen.
Yes, it doesn’t even come close to the quality and consistency of their previous record, but it’s also far from the “terrible pop-rock / electropop made solely to chase astronomical commercial success” I had imagined before pressing play.
Let’s start with the negatives:
• “Major Minus” is only saved by solid guitar work. The chorus is annoying: Chris Martin sings those ... read more
After releasing four records that carried a somber tone, and receiving some criticism for "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends", they decided to revitalize their sound with a pop-influenced presentation that is boisterous with positivity. The album's narrative is a fantasy starring the soldier Mylo Xyloto, who falls in love, and together they battle against an oppressive government called "Major Minus". This is emphasized with the song "Major Minus", ... read more
Enjoyable but a step down from the amazing experimentation and themes of the previous album
Paradise, Charlie Brown, Don't Let It Break Your Heart
"Sometimes sunlight coms straming through the holes"
Tags
Contributions By
patton, royalflush, BonoLightier, philthy, Alejandro González, JediMark, erik, Leo Aguilar, MarkyC, _uddipta15, sweertner, Lazers, hARded2000, MikeOwenBecome a Subscriber
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Track List
| 1 | Mylo Xyloto 0:42 | 70 |
| 2 | Hurts Like Heaven 4:02 | 82 |
| 3 | Paradise 4:37 | 83 |
| 4 | Charlie Brown 4:45 | 84 |
| 5 | Us Against the World 3:59 | 71 |
| 6 | M.M.I.X. 0:48 | 63 |
| 7 | Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall 4:00 | 81 |
| 8 | Major Minus 3:30 | 71 |
| 9 | U.F.O. 2:17 | 65 |
| 10 | Princess of China 3:59 with Rihanna | 72 |
| 11 | Up In Flames 3:13 | 65 |
| 12 | A Hopeful Transmission 0:33 | 63 |
| 13 | Don't Let It Break Your Heart 3:54 | 73 |
| 14 | Up with the Birds 3:45 | 71 |
Total Length: 44 minutes
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