Coldplay Moon shoot for the moon on “Moon Music” but land on the stars

By guest blogger Akshath Ranganathan

At a little over 24 years since the release of their debut album “Parachutes”, alternative rock band Coldplay has successfully managed to dodge the dreaded “legacy act” label that most bands tend to get stuck with over a decade or two into their careers as creative entities. While their superior artistry has never been a subject of debate, it is unclear whether Coldplay’s unique ability to eclipse their alt-rock contemporaries  stems from the flavor of exposure they received in the US during the early years of their rise to stardom (wherein the US music mainstream made it seem like Coldplay was the ONLY noteworthy alternative rock band worthy of reverence), or the band’s enviable ability to latch on to promotional catalysts that land them #1 hits on the Billboard top 40 singles charts. The noteworthy examples of these promotional catalysts being on the hit singles “Viva La Vida” (2008) and “My Universe” (2021) wherein the former was played extensively in an Apple television ad aired during the 2008 season of “American Idol” while the latter is a collaboration with celebrated KPop act and boyband BTS. In our 2021 review of their 9th album “ “Music Of The Spheres” ”, we did mention that Coldplay ran a non-trivial risk of being labeled as sellouts by critics that were irked by Coldplay’s embrace of a pop sound architected by Swedish hit producer/songwriter Max Martin (a protégé of the late Denniz Pop from Cheiron Studios in Stockholm). That risk has left the band quite unperturbed as they lean in even more heavily into the modern pop template (embraced by most young pop stars) on their latest album “Moon Music” wherein a song has at least two songwriters (that are NOT part of the band) and an album has multiple producers on a SINGLE track. As they play to even larger audiences (they recently sold out 3 stadium nights in Mumbai, India and 6 nights in Singapore), buoyed by the fact that they have broken through to a second generation of enthralled fans, the less-than-flattering remarks of critics pale amidst the backdrop of their continuing commercial fortunes.  In the context of the band’s ardent fans (of which there clearly are VERY many), this approach may have worked yet again.

We generally focus our reviews on an album’s thematic and stylistic cohesion/variation, its defining highlights and its radio fodder. This time, we figured we would take a different approach and indulge our occasional penchant for a track-by-track review of the album, so here goes:

• Moon Music:

The album’s title track (credited as a collaboration with Electronic DJ/producer Jon Hopkins), with its minute and a half long cinematic orchestration followed by a minimalist piano melody supporting a short melodic vocal section, appears to be the prologue for the album as opposed to something that works as a standalone track. The listener will be forgiven if he or she thinks that like its sonic predecessor “Music Of The Spheres” , this album is yet another concept album (a quaint concept at a time when the relevance of an album as a unit of music is questionable at best).  The song evokes a sense of the start of a journey underscored by optimism and self-discovery. It seems to be setting up the tone of the album in the same way that Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC does with the title track of their most recent album titled “Romance”..

• feelslikeiamfallinginlove:

The album’s lead single appears to be an attempt at rechanneling the energy and vibe of their previous album’s lead single “Higher Power”. Despite its stylistic dichotomy (it starts off like a generic mid-tempo pop track and ends with more of an alternative rock vibe), it is a fundamentally “safe” introduction to the album. In case the reader is wondering, “safe” is NOT a compliment and this song does not come remotely closely to recreating the magic of the under-rated (as reflected by its chart position) “Higher Power”. Its pedestrian lyrics and melody make for a rather lackluster introduction to the album for those that likely do not consider themselves to be ardent fans of the band (but still have some modicum of an appreciation for many of their singles). While we feature a lot of music by Coldplay on our 24/7 global online radio broadcast, we still believe that a band has to earn their right to get their music featured on our station. We did not believe they rose to that standard with “feelslikeamfallinginlove” and as a result, we gave it a hard pass.

• We Pray:

The album’s mid-tempo second single appears to be an exercise in sonic inclusivity and an attempt at showcasing the band’s stylistic fluidity (it is quite a departure from the trademark sound that made Coldplay a force to be reckoned with and veers into something modern R&B flavored). Despite references to songs such as “Baraye” (by Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour penned and released after the death of Mahsa Amini), the song feels like far less of a protest song than songs such as “Guns” (from “Everyday Life”) and “People of the Pride” (from “Music Of The Spheres” ) are. Instead, its lyrics are aimed at a celebration of self-empowerment and self-acceptance (as emphasized on the lyric “Pray when she looks at herself in the mirror, she sees a queen, she sees a goddess”). The single did not fare particularly well commercially (and while we don’t necessarily judge artistic merit by chart position, this might not be the easiest song to make a case for).

• Jupiter:

In contrast with the previous song, “Jupiter” is a VERY easy song to make a case for as one of the album’s unquestionably euphoric highlights and an essential expansion of the Coldplay legacy. Like a slowly blossoming flower, the song opens with its minimalistic guitar-driven sonic embryo and as the song progresses, goose-bump inducing embellishments such as strings (on the song’s Middle 8) find their way into the beautiful soundscape that “Jupiter” represents – but its acoustic core is not overpowered by unnecessary studio gloss. This song ought to be a single as its song structure is reminiscent of the highlights of the band’s “Viva La Vida” and “Rush of blood to the head” eras.  The song’s call-and-response chorus that blends Chris Martin’s goosebump-inducing falsetto on the lyrics “I love who I love” and “the message from above is never give up” with a choir repeating the lyric is bound to leave the listener longing for more. “Jupiter” ought to be released a single. That being said, whether or not it would have made for an apt lead single is debatable.

• Good Feelings:

Having one of the posterchildren for resilience and staying power as a collaborator on a song is bound to have an uplifting effect on the end result. Hit producer (and co-founder of disco band Chic) Nile Rodgers continues to elevate anything that he sprinkles his sonic stardust on – and that appears to work on the lightweight-heavyweight potential single “Good Feelings”. The song evokes exactly what its title suggests it will – Good Feelings! Given its summery up-tempo vibe and punchy bassline, it may have made for a far better introduction to the album than the album’s relatively lackluster lead single did. Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr makes for a welcome inclusion on the track with her strikingly differing vocal aesthetic.

• Alien Hits/Alien Radio OR Neon Forest Angel Song:

The album’s sonic intermission between its two halves is the music lovechild of “Coloratura” (from “Music of the Spheres”) and “Bani Adam” (from “Everyday Life”). It reveals Coldplay’s unshackled appetite for experimentation and indulging a template that eschews the template of standard pop music. Instead, this song (with its weave of dissimilar styles including a shoegaze section) is a world in which anything is fair game – including samples of Maya Angelou and “Rainbow in the clouds”. At the halfway point of the song, it brims with an irresistible piano-led tranquility. In opposition to the previous track, this is thematically heavy but delicate in its presentation.

• Iaam:

This is Viva La Vida lite – in that it embodies some of the best of that era but does not work as a standalone single. Despite this limitation, this mid-tempo track is likely to resonate with longtime fans with its message of resilience, thundering drum sections, and its absolutely fantastic electric guitar solo.  One cannot help but think that if this song was a bit fleshed out, it could have been a cracking radio single.

• Aeterna:

This is Coldplay at their most unapologetically EDM (Electronic Dance Music). They seem almost hellbent on baiting their rock critics with this dance track with its hook-laden and sing-out-loud chorus. Producer Jon Hopkins reworks his “Ghost Stories” magic back into a Coldplay that is far more optimistic than the reserved band he worked with back in 2014. This is not Coldplay’s first foray into EDM so it should not be terribly surprising that they would unabashedly flirt with this style of music on this album.

• All My Love:

The album’s third single and piano ballad (reminiscent of “The Scientist” from “A Rush Of Blood to the head”) is one of the best showcases of what makes Coldplay what they are. This is a love song that is not preoccupied with metaphors or deep lyricism. Its beauty lies in its unfiltered directness. The song’s slide guitar section is an artistic master-stroke!

• One World:

If the band’s goal was for the listeners to visualize end credits for this album in the way that they would for a movie, Coldplay surely deliver on that goal with the album’s closer which features chants “one world”. This is yet another structure-less vase of sonic experimentation (which features hit producer and former Roxy Music member Brian Eno and John Metcalfe). The song’s Beatles-esque ending is a welcome surprise.

“Moon Music” as a follow-up to “Music of the Spheres” suggests that Coldplay may have settled into their new era with Max Martin holding the production reins. However, settling is not necessarily a negative. From the band’s apparent comfort has sprung some of its most creative work and their well feels far from dry. Out of the 10 tracks on the album, at least a few are, in my opinion, instant classics. They indicate that collaboration (something that does not necessarily come easily to bands as it applies to external entities) is something they are comfortable with while also extracting the best from their industry greats such as Brian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Max Martin, and Andrew Taggart (from The Chainsmokers). The inclusion of unconventional guest features on the various tracks do not reek of being commercially calculative (in the way that some of the band’s prior collaborations might have seemed). While much can be said about the choices of singles, they do not feel out of place within the album as a whole. It is a herculean task for a band to create an album that feels essential to their legacy at album #10. More importantly, in their endeavor for mass appeal, Coldplay does not shy away from the Pink Floyd-esque experimental shifts and soundscapes. The entire album feels like theatre almost with incredible flair. The songs act as scenes in the play that Coldplay have staged and the themes and ideas are hard to miss. Subtlety was not necessarily Coldplay’s purpose with this album and they go out of their way to reflect that. Coldplay have managed to put out some incredible songs but the album as a single unit is where great morphs into fantastic. The band appears to be nowhere close the winter of their careers. If the current trajectory continues, they might break through to yet another generation. Only time will tell.

STAR RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars