Review: Coldplay, "Mylo Xyloto"

Mylo Xyloto
Coldplay
Parlophone
10.24.11

Contrary to hipster opinion, there's not always something wrong with selling out. Bands -- especially those signed to a major -- are usually expected to toil away at whatever style of music's currently popular, which is why Coldplay got huge combining the retro cool of U2's expansive, shimmering arena rock and Radiohead's piano-driven apocalytica. Unlike those bands, however, Chris Martin and Co. never had much to say, reducing those strains to an impeccably airbrushed blend, rainy day music for teens who think they're more sensitive than they are. For a solid pop band with unnecessary pretensions, selling out can be an evolutionary step. There's always the danger of playing against your strengths, of course, but Coldplay's problem has never been sincerity; it's depth.

All of which is a way of saying that Mylo Xyloto, arriving as it does after one of those is-it-a-breakup hiatuseses, isn't a step forward or backward, but rather sideways. With a canny trio of producers that feature  Brian Eno alumnus Markus Dravs on one end and smart popmeister Rik Simpson (Natalie Imbruglia, Jay-Z) on the other, this atmospheric ear candy is sweeter and more intriguing than ever; it's really just the guys sped up and not so mopey, trading in their status as hipster boy-band for a shot at true pop. It's no Black Eyed Peas record. But you can listen to this one before the club.

There's a few short instrumental bridges and a concept of sorts to soften the blow (two lovers meeting in a dystopian gang of blah blah blah, you won't notice), but right from the top, this is not your older sister's Coldplay: "Hurts Like Heaven" sounds like its namesake, The Cure's "Just Like Heaven," mixed with the melodic arcs of Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill." Seems they were smarter than the hipsters figured: their sellout moves sound impeccably like their the sellout moves of their arthouse. The much-lamented Rihanna duet "Princess of China" is a letdown; sounds like she phoned this one in. But forget that -- she'd kill for the limo-ready sheen of something like "Paradise" or the lite-R&B ballad "Up In Flames," both of which mange to translate Chris Martin's signature sensitive moves into up-to-the-minute Top 40 gold.

As Mylo goes on, the band is canny enough to deposit some old-school Coldplay moves, like a pop-rapper who buries the gangsta shit in the middle of the playlist: "Major Minor" harks back to the experimentation of Viva La Vida, while the acoustic "Us Against The World" feels like a rejected Parachutes outtake. But never fear: "Charlie Brown" and "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" are waiting, sufficiently anthemic but shiny and emotionally upbeat. The overall experience is like The Joshua Tree and Watch the Throne playing at the same time, without the identifiable artistic fingerprints. Those of you who got through your college entanglements with X&Y will probably recoil from that concept, but it's to Coldplay's credit that they've figured out how to mesh the most exciting sounds of both without tripping over the sentiments of either. This is where it helps to have no sentiments. Only in 2011 could the world's biggest band finally relax and allow itself to enter the mainstream.

Graded using the Third Eye Method:

Impact: 65. The band's still a little too intent on navel-gazing to fully sell the glitter.   
Invention: 72. Making U2 sound like Radio Disney is actually pretty impressive, whether or not you think it's necessary.   
Integrity: 52. It's not all that necessary.