..."Where will Coldplay
take their next album?" Well, having asked this question to myself just
seven days ago, we have an answer. "Midnight", although laden in
ambience and beautiful soundscapes, may have touched the nerve of one too many
bench sitter Coldplay fans. After crafting a pop album with Mylo Xyloto, the
one direction you would expect Coldplay to go, seems plainly obvious - the
popular. And there's no shame in a very successful British band, who have
overcome genre changes, and several disputes in becoming a money gatherer for
Parlophone Records, after all, Coldplay have more than paid their dues since
Parlophone took a bunt on Parachutes 14 years ago. Now that style of
Coldplay is long gone, and somewhat forgotten. Chris Martin's piano playing is
something for the concert encore's - he's all about throwing his hands in the
air, rather than slamming them down on a piano.
Does this mean Coldplay's days of Parachutes and A Rush of Blood
to the Head are gone? Yes, they were buried years ago. But Martin hasn't
lost his love for keys, and Coldplay as an artist, have reignited the flame for
dreary soundscapes and what was once called a depressing style.
"Magic" carries on the electronic elements of "Midnight".
It's dominated by an electronic drum loop, on top of some vivid synthesizer
notes, performed by none other than Martin. He sings without a vocoder on
"Magic", returning to his typical vocal, emerging with layers of
reverberated guitars in the latter half of the track. Consider it a return to
form for Coldplay, but they've never really been an artist falling short of
expectation. "Magic", like the album it's taken from, will be an
experiment for Coldplay. A light, quiet album for the late night listener of
Coldplay's past. They have been listening to plenty of James Blake and Jon
Hopkins in their spare time, and it's rubbing off.
~Eddie Gibson
