![]() There’s plenty of artists that are far better practised at doing understated than this habitual arena rock band can, and they’re already doing what Ghost Stories attempts to much better. Kudos for steering inwards towards understatement and restraint rather than cranking out another ‘Clocks’ (with the exception of ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’ – more on that later), but it highlights a fundamental problem with the record. SHIT:īy that same token, Ghost Stories also seems pretty starved for the big widescreen moments they’ve built their career upon. ![]() From start to finish, Coldplay’s sixth album may just be their most concise yet. Unlike the bloated X&Y, the fascinating yet vaguely schizophrenic Viva La Vida… or its poorly-paced successor Mylo Xyloto, this latest set is more concerned with honing in on an overall aesthetic that prioritises intimacy over grandiosity, restrained tunes that will handily break up the towering hook-laden anthems of their live set. HIT:Īt 9 tracks and 43 minutes, Ghost Stories is just a minute shy of Coldplay’s shortest album (debut Parachutes) and in turn, delivers the most focused set of their career, harkening back to their first two well-edited albums. So is it hit or shit? Let’s explore the album’s highs and lows. ![]() Well, as its title hints at, Ghost Stories may well spook their most dedicated fans, but more interestingly, it will alarm their biggest detractors who think Coldplay are doomed to repeating the same insipid narratives over and over. So with Ghost Stories, their sixth and latest album signposting some bold new territory, perhaps Coldplay has at last delivered their magnum opus? Big hits? Sure, one day there’s going to be an incredible Coldplay Greatest Hits package, but when it comes to albums, they’ve yet to pull a Kid A like Radiohead, let alone a benchmark like U2’s Achtung, Baby, though under the same philosophical tutelage of the great Brian Eno, Coldplay came close with 2008’s Viva La Vida.Ĭhiefly because the producer got them to march stridently outside of their comfort zone and with those risks brought some intriguing rewards.
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