The gloomy refrain and pleas over restrained piano flourishes finally give way to the chiming riffs of the bridge, which soon dial back down to the chilliness of the intro.ģ. “Always In My Head” hinted at the downbeat vibe of “Ghost Stories,” but “Magic,” Coldplay’s most unassuming lead single to date also definitively establishes that contemplative mood. As guitar curly-q’s float upward, the singer sounds more broken than ever, as if every insecurity hurts to say aloud in fear that it will become true. Always In My Head – “Ghost Stories” begins with what sounds like literal ghost stories, as Martin admits to sleepless nights while a faceless voice floats behind him. What songs on Coldplay’s latest full-length are the highlights? Check out our track-by-track review of “Ghost Stories.”ġ. Martin and the rest of the band will no doubt spring back to life on future releases, but for once, reveling in the darkness sounds like a great idea. “Ghost Stories” is the sound of Coldplay rejecting its inner Coldplay-ness, at least for one album. But in many ways, Coldplay’s sharp left turn is also its most listenable album in years, an evocative concoction of sullen phrases, sparse arrangements and powerful themes. As Martin’s voice cracks and careens forward, Guy Berryman’s bass chords tether the album to the ground, and Will Champion’s drums often crackle before dropping away completely.Ĭoldplay’s ‘Intimate’ NYC Show: Live Reviewīroken pleas like “Just tell me you love me/If you don’t, then lie, lie to me,” from the song “True Love,” can make “Ghost Stories” a difficult listen at times, thanks to the prior knowledge of Martin’s failed marriage. “Always In My Head” uses quick, cutting lines to convey sleepless defeat, while the central metaphor of “Ink” - love is a tattoo, and it hurts more to remove a name than to inscribe it - proves to be affecting. On “Ghost Stories,” the inverse is true, and it’s wholly refreshing to hear Martin try to confide a sentiment instead of bellow it. Since arriving 14 years ago with Coldplay’s breakout single “Yellow,” Martin has had an extravagant voice in pop music, aiming at grandeur more often than mining his songs’ intimate moments.
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But even that flare-up is punctuated by Martin’s raspy howl in the chorus, “I don’t care, go on and tear me apart/I don’t care if you do.”Ĭoldplay’s ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ Soundtracks NBA Ad: Watch By contrast, “Ghost Stories” is devoid of big moments, save for the Avicii collaboration “A Sky Full Of Stars,” which showcases the producer’s pulsating keyboard riffs and pummeling beat drops. Just play some music and don’t worry about it.” After about a month of working with him, we literally forgot that we’d ever been on tour or had any other records out.Coldplay’s last album, 2011’s “Mylo Xyloto,” was a shout-along opus that found the four-piece finally embracing the ridiculousness that comes with being the World’s Biggest Rock Band there were canyon-sized synths, rock-opera plot lines and a duet with Rihanna. Not everybody hates you because you’re in Coldplay. So things like the hypnotism, all these little crazy experiments that he tried with us was just an effort to say, ”It’s OK.
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We wanted to be free from that for a bit, to try things and just be a little group, which Brian really spearheaded. Because it was starting to become a little difficult to be in Coldplay - there’s so much opinion, expectation, and criticism. I think the whole process of getting our own place and working with Brian has been really liberating for us. We came up with a lot of interesting noises, which we used. He got us into some strange kind of trance, and we came down and played some more. We all went upstairs, sat down, and he walked around us. And you also hired a hypnotist during the sessions? What was that about?īUCKLAND: Brian Eno knew a hypnotist and we thought it might get some interesting results.