I will begrudgingly agree. I’m not as passionate about disliking or hating their latest output. I didn’t hate MOTS as much as some did. In fact it has a number of songs I quite enjoy. A lot of people said the same about Stargate as producers in the AHFOD era, and I get it, although AHFOD has aged quite well imo. So I’m perfectly fine that they experimented with Max for 1 album. It seemed to make sense, one of the biggest bands in the world with a world class pop producer. On paper it could have been great. However, I agree that his style of production just doesn’t seem to mesh with Coldplays style. And he’s a great producer! After Hours from The Weeknd is one of my favorite albums and is sonically amazing and so well produced.
So I don’t think Max Martin is the problem per se. I also hear a lot of potential melodically in MOTS and FLIFIL from Coldplay. So the only answer I see as to why these songs just aren’t hitting quite right, is because their styles just don’t work together.
So I’m ok that they experimented and tried it for 1 album… but I really wish they would have gone in a different direction for MM. Simply because I don’t want MOTS part 2. But I’ll withhold final judgement till the entire album is released.
I think the Ahfod production was clean but cheap. While MOTS production is clean and cute.
Mots production is really best imo.
Im actually happy they went with Max Martin again, im a sucker for popplay. But dont give me cheap popplay.
A fellow Abel fan? Love to see it. After Hours is my favorite album as well and Max nailed it. But agreed, his style doesn’t mesh with Coldplay as well (although his work on Coloratura was amazing). I don’t think he’s the sole issue, and I think he’s got potential, but most of these songs just seem half-baked and basic compared to what I know Coldplay’s capable of.
Edit: apparently he was only minimally involved on Coloratura? Yeah, maybe their styles just don’t mesh.
Oh man.. if Abel drops this year, and it’s as good or better than After Hours or Dawn FM… I’m pretty sure he’ll take most played artist this year for me. I’ve only become a recent fan, but I’ve gone back and listened to his entire discography and the man is an artist. Much more than just the hits everybody associates with him.
In fact, The Weeknd is a great example that pop can be very, very great in the right hands. I just don’t know that Coldplay and Max Martins hands together is the right solution. Then again, it could also be that Coldplay just isn’t as inspired as they used to be. Who knows what would’ve come of a Coldplay/Max Collab in their VLV-AHFOD era.
All this to say, I still love Coldplay, and I am very excited for MM. I am however tempering my expectations after FLIFIL.
Ikr? Abel’s already my most played artist, I can’t stop listening to Dawn FM and After Hours. If he drops then that’s gonna be my entire Spotify Wrapped. I became a fan a few years ago and now I love his entire discography. But yeah exactly, pop can be great if done well… I don’t inherently dislike the idea of Coldplay doing pop. I really don’t. But they execute it so poorly sometimes. Songs like “my universe” and stuff feel so, so basic compared to what both Coldplay and Max are capable of. Their styles just don’t work together well.
Well that's exactly the problem...people think he was involved in Coloratura but he barely wasn't. This is what Guy said about the track (you can feel his frustration towards Max Martin in the way he speaks): "Max’s involvement on that song (Colorstura) was extremely minimal; if he got hands on it, I think it would be chopped up into something a lot shorter, the chorus 10 seconds in."
Yeah their styles just don’t go well together. I like each operating on their own but the Max influenced works on Coldplay’s discography are just not as good as what they’re capable of.
I completely agree. There’s a place for Max Martin (or Stargate, etc), but it’s NOT on a Coldplay album. Those types of producers are not a suitable match for the band, and it shows.
But I’ve given up hope that they’ll realistically stop working with Max Martin/other obnoxious big-name pop producers. Why? Because—the money’s too good for everyone involved. They’ve clearly found a formula that works (aka makes lots of $$), so they have no reason to stop doing what they’re doing. Becoming so successful/rich has also made them lazy.
I’d LOVE them to work with Nigel Godrich, or make serious and creative music again with Eno-Hopkins, but that’s never gonna happen. It doesn’t even seem like they (Chris) are interested in those pathways anymore. It’s all commercial plastic now.
Correct if i'm wrong, but isn't AROBTTH still their most financially successful album? If it is, then that refutes your point. Max Martin had nothing to do with that. It has more due to maintaining their place on the Top 40 charts than any financial reason.
One of my favorite things about the making of Viva la Vida is them talking about how Brian Eno had them going out of their comfort zones for recording. Just try different shit, everyone Go write in different rooms, Chris don't use any falsetto, etc.
Rubin would be perfect in bringing some of that unconventionality out of them for an album. They're a band who likes so many different genres, use different styles of music and instruments from all over the world - they'd probably match p well. His handling of the Strokes sound for their latest album was great it'd be cool to see something similar, a weird, PoMo Coldplay lol
I think the nail in the coffin for me was this new single. The snippet gave me some hope with the guitar adding a bit of flavor, even if it was minimal. But to not hear any of Johnny’s guitar until the end was brutal. It should’ve been present more throughout the song, especially the chorus.
It felt like it was building up to let loose as well too, but we never really got it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the song. But there was potential to have a bit more to it, maybe even something close to some of the stuff we heard on MX.
You do hear Jonny through out the song with Hopkins’s beautiful synths.
The structure is nice and interesting the chord progression is cool and quite unique and strings are amazing, the only problem is Chris being lazy af with the lyrics.
but the problem is that jonny is mixed like they don't want them there. Listen to the chorfds in the chorus and compare that with violet hill or major minus... WTF happened?
Max Martin with pop artists 👍
Max Martin with a band 🙅♂️
He is not a producer to get the most out of an artist that create with organic sound. I’m not saying elements of pop and synthesised music can’t and shouldn’t work well with a band, but he is ALL pop and it cancels out Coldplay’s strengths. Not to mention that Chris Martin turns into a child when it comes to songwriting in that vein.
If they were going to collaborate with someone more pop – and keeping the Taylor Swift heritage – I’d be much more excited to see what someone like Jack Antonoff would inject.
However, if and when they finally change, I would be furious if it stayed in the pop realm. It’s done. The band members are all approaching 50. The music is suffering and it is embarrassing.
In 10-20 years time, no one will look back on Music of the Spheres as a memorable work in their canon.
Let’s just wait til the album comes out shall we
For real though, he had minimal involvement in Coloratura- the only redeeming feature of MOTS.
Id be interested to know how the lads feel about it all because it’s not like he’s having the impact they’d have wanted. FLIFIL has flopped and apart from My Universe, (which was propelled by stream bots and KPop Stan’s) they haven’t really had a hit. Higher power maybe?
Keen to see Eno’s impact.
Higher Power charted pretty well worldwide and made several Best Of lists at the end of the year. So I think they’re more than happy with how that did in this stage of their career. Ditto for the tour and album, where sales and listens were probably sufficient.
My Universe was obviously an exception, as the BTS connection and accompanying hooks easily made it into a #1 song.
It was rumored and soon discussed at Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle earlier this year. We already knew that Nile Rodgers (member of Chic) is also involved.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Coldplay/s/OpaoA7fUgj
He probably help producing one track or maybe he's listed as a producer cause they recycled an old song (this happened when they released ALIENS). In any case, Eno's contribution to the album will be minimal
At this point I don't know what to except. I had the chance to hear lots of leaked demos and some are good some are average. But those untitles songs recently played during soundchecks sound AMAZING ! So I can't wait to see the rest.
I know most of you despise Max Martin for what he did on MOTS and aren’t looking forward to Moon Music and have lost all faith in FLIFIL, but I suggest you listen to the songs that have been soundchecked for the new album on Twitter, they sound pretty damn good, a massive step up from MOTS. The songs sound very diverse.
Very true that !! Now let's hope they sound as good on the album. Remember when they played POTP live and everyone was hyped ? Well....that didn't end well :(
The new song is cute but I don’t like the La La La’s in the chorus. It seems out of place. He sings some lines then sticks random gibberish in there. Also, the Ah La La La La La La La…at the end is better, but it seems too loud in volume. The end of the song is beautiful, I wish they put in the violins earlier and Johnny’s guitar earlier. Just my two cents. Coldplay is my favorite band. 🌈
A whole new album of Max Martin makes me quite sad to be fair. He has his good work, I just don't think it fits the Coldplay I like. I know there are big fans of the new Pop era but I much rather leave pop to the pop artists :/
I hate to say this but he’s infinitely better than Stargate was. I mean if they were serious at all they’d bring back Brian Eno. But they’re completely unserious.
I think it's pretty similar to the time when Queens of the Stone Age chose Mark Ronson to produce Villains. That was their most bland sounding album, and Mark Ronson is not a bad producer at all. The songs were good by themselves, but they sounded flavourless. Hearing Coldplay's newest single, it seems the bite has been taken out of their sound due to the blandness brought on by the production.
I'm inclined to think this is more a Coldplay songwriting problem than an issue with what producer their working with. Coldplay is also probably getting quite a bit of pressure from their label I'm guessing.
Yeah but at the same time if they would care about getting better as a band, they wouldn't be working with a major pop producer. They clearly care too much about making generic hits that makes money...
I don’t think there’s much label pressure anymore considering their status + how long they’ve been around, but I do agree that part of the problem is on Coldplay’s behalf, surely. Specifically with songwriting. If the songwriting simply isn’t there, does it really make *that much* of a difference as to which producer(s) they work with? Probably not.
At the same time, there’s definitely a production-team issue: working with unsuitable producers who know don’t how to push CP properly (good example is when Eno literally kicked Chris’ ass OUT and pushed them all out of their comfort zone). I highly doubt that these big-name pop producers are pushing CP in that way. They just want the band to churn out more generic hits.
Overall, I think the issue comes from both sides—the unsuitable producers they’ve been working with, and the actual songwriting on CP’s part.
Also, I feel like CP is surrounded by lots of yes-men at this point, which further adds to the problem.
Yep the vocals definitely get lost a few times, and I'm not sure it's always intentional (unlike, say, Chinese Sleep Chant)
I don't really have any issues with Major Minus, but DLIBYH is the biggest offender - which is a shame because it's a fantastic song. I've come to accept it as part of the album's charm though!
i think the most interesting coldplay album at this point would be a solo one. no max, no brian; the band produces their own album front to back with an engineer that will do nothing but *mix*, for sound quality's sake
Sorry, I was unclear. I don't dislike his production based on him being a pop producer (of course Coldplay have been poppy since MX or even Viva), I just don't like his production. MX, GS, AHFOD and EL are much more to my taste
For me I personally attach more to the Original trilogy Eras. Parachutes, AROBTTH, and X&Y. But I also like the albums from VLVODAAHF to Everyday Life.
Ah. Gotcha. Personally, I enjoy the pop Coldplay as much as the older, more alternative rock version, I just wish they'd make more stuff that sounded more like a band and less like Chris Martin singing over a mix, too.
I have been listening to Coldplay since I was 4 years old. I was born in 1996.
Yeah, you are right but do you really think they care anymore?
A friend of mine and I have discussed this for so long now. Since 2015 and we just realized old Coldplay is most likely dead. I am making an album based on those first 5 Coldplay Albums and can really hear the difference, especially when analyzing the songs for my own album.
There are some key things I discussed with my friend literally a week ago:
1. Chris Martin after the divorce (around 2014) said he stopped caring about what people think of their music.
2. He also said that around that time the other members got more into composing the music.
So what I get about this is that he is not so focused on how they sound anymore.
Chris said he was REALLY picky on sounding a very specific way and if he didn’t like it he would speak out to the other members. That’s why Brian Eno said he needed to let go a bit because he held all the power in the band.
As a composer myself who was literally RAISED by Coldplay since I was 4 years old, who have studied down to the detail how they composed, even listened to and analyzed those first 5 albums, instrumental alone (and still currently do because I am not done yet) I can tell how much influence Chris Martin had.
The album I am making is for a band I started myself and can see the process and similarities to what Chris said in interviews.
Here I am the only one starting the music and the style can easily be traced to an individual. Every other member in my band cannot compose the same quality as me and they are even afraid to contibute anything.
I am telling you, myself and cannot emphasize how big of an influence Coldplay has been to me to the point to follow their steps (anyway, if you really want to know about my story read an answer I did about a big influence of an artist on me, you'll find it in my profile).
The point is, composing and comming up with my own melodies and ideas and seeing how the other members don’t contribute, but also how whenever I asked them to contribute would take us to a very different path to what I want to do. That sound and feeling of when I used to listen to “Life In Technicolor” non stop all night during middle school around 2009. Those cold rainy nights comming from the mall and cinema with my parents listening to Speed of Sound, Talk and Clocks and Yellow and the whole A Rush of Blood To the Head in a sitting.
I miss that feeling, I sometimes envied Coldplay for the magic atmosphere that made me feel for all my 27 years of life and I know they are not comming back. The 1975 took another path even though they were promising. One republic didn’t captured the feeling besides All the Right Moves and so on. Like NO ONE cares about the things I care, so I know I am one of the very few who can bring that back to the point my friend who also grew up with Coldplay when listening to my music said “this is it”. Also the guys from Supergutter liked what I am working on.
Anyway, I see no hope with them anymore. But dont be sad, SuperGutter and my band are going to revive the old feeling and atmosphere of those songs. Just give me one more year to finish my first Album. I have been working on it for 2 years already.
Just hang on. We care about this stuff and are taking action but good music takes A LOT OF TIME, especially to amateurs like us. But so you don’t feel so lost right now listen to:
[Supergutter - Dichotomy](https://youtu.be/qsHaxcCRe_E?si=x8aNTRKQvbWt0TYh)
EDIT: I’ll be damned but had to do it. You can check my profile on Reddit and go to my IG which I just set as public again. I am going to do a highlight story compilation about what I am composing but have in mind they are at least 1 year away from being released.
Honestly, the band has never sounded better in terms of the whole mix. Especially starting from VLV things get so muddy and it just doesn’t sound right on a good set of speakers. Since Max Martin it’s way more balanced.
Unless the mix sounds abhorrently bad, similar to AHFOD, I don't think Max Martin is to blame. His style of producing leads to very clean sounds that I am fine with.
Your real complaint here should be leveled towards the band if this is how you feel. Coloratora was written and produced by Max as well as Coldplay. If he can make that song with them, they can do a lot of things but choose not to.
I am personally fine with him as a producer, but I understand where you're coming from. While it's an easy thing to be mad at a producer, I'd argue that the artist really drives the direction of an album, especially if they're a legacy act like Coldplay.
Again....his involvement on Coloratura was minimal.... according to Guy: "if he got hands on it, I think it would be chopped up into something a lot shorter, the chorus 10 seconds in.". If Coldplay would care more about the quality of their music, they wouldn't be working with a "hit-maker" type of producer....they would be working with other inspiring people...just like Eno
Yeah the funny thing is if Max Martin had his way on Coloratura, the song would probably be 6 minutes shorter, without any of the interesting interludes or bridges, and probably result in the instrumentation being drowned out in early 2010s-style electronic production.
According to Guy: "if he (Max Martin) got hands on it (Coloratura), I think it would be chopped up into something a lot shorter, the chorus 10 seconds in."
For sure.. it’s the complete opposite of a Max Martin track and the epitome of what Coldplay can create if you just let Coldplay be Coldplay without that external influence
I heard that Max had minimal involvement on that song though. It was mostly Chris's brainchild. If it were up to Max, it would probably be a 3-4 minute song idk.
It’s funny. I’m a huge fan of Max Martin and huge fan of Coldplay. But I agree. They don’t really mix. Coldplay is best with Brian Eno.
Yeah I mean I'm not a hater, I generally like Music of the Spheres, but I would kill for another Eno Coldplay album
Honestly why don't they? Is Eno not open to working with the band again?
Eno is still one of the producers for MM
WAIT REALLY
This is true.
Source?
source is definitely "trust me bro"
I agree. I was hoping Brian Eno was going to be the producer for Moon Music. 🌙
He is, they just have a team of like 5 though😭
Oh I see. Thanks for clarifying.
I’d love to hear them back with Eno but I’d also love for them to have Jon Hopkins produce them by himself.
this.
Walmart would have no music if Max Martin never existed 🤣
And what a wonderful world that would be...
A full album with Jon Hopkins arrangements would be so dope
I would take Jon Hopkins in a heartbeat
Definitely
Yes!
Yes, just yes.
I would absolutely cry my eyes out with joy
I think so too. But tbh max martin did quite alright for everyday life.
Max only co-produced Orphans and Champion of the World though
I will begrudgingly agree. I’m not as passionate about disliking or hating their latest output. I didn’t hate MOTS as much as some did. In fact it has a number of songs I quite enjoy. A lot of people said the same about Stargate as producers in the AHFOD era, and I get it, although AHFOD has aged quite well imo. So I’m perfectly fine that they experimented with Max for 1 album. It seemed to make sense, one of the biggest bands in the world with a world class pop producer. On paper it could have been great. However, I agree that his style of production just doesn’t seem to mesh with Coldplays style. And he’s a great producer! After Hours from The Weeknd is one of my favorite albums and is sonically amazing and so well produced. So I don’t think Max Martin is the problem per se. I also hear a lot of potential melodically in MOTS and FLIFIL from Coldplay. So the only answer I see as to why these songs just aren’t hitting quite right, is because their styles just don’t work together. So I’m ok that they experimented and tried it for 1 album… but I really wish they would have gone in a different direction for MM. Simply because I don’t want MOTS part 2. But I’ll withhold final judgement till the entire album is released.
I think the Ahfod production was clean but cheap. While MOTS production is clean and cute. Mots production is really best imo. Im actually happy they went with Max Martin again, im a sucker for popplay. But dont give me cheap popplay.
A fellow Abel fan? Love to see it. After Hours is my favorite album as well and Max nailed it. But agreed, his style doesn’t mesh with Coldplay as well (although his work on Coloratura was amazing). I don’t think he’s the sole issue, and I think he’s got potential, but most of these songs just seem half-baked and basic compared to what I know Coldplay’s capable of. Edit: apparently he was only minimally involved on Coloratura? Yeah, maybe their styles just don’t mesh.
Oh man.. if Abel drops this year, and it’s as good or better than After Hours or Dawn FM… I’m pretty sure he’ll take most played artist this year for me. I’ve only become a recent fan, but I’ve gone back and listened to his entire discography and the man is an artist. Much more than just the hits everybody associates with him. In fact, The Weeknd is a great example that pop can be very, very great in the right hands. I just don’t know that Coldplay and Max Martins hands together is the right solution. Then again, it could also be that Coldplay just isn’t as inspired as they used to be. Who knows what would’ve come of a Coldplay/Max Collab in their VLV-AHFOD era. All this to say, I still love Coldplay, and I am very excited for MM. I am however tempering my expectations after FLIFIL.
Ikr? Abel’s already my most played artist, I can’t stop listening to Dawn FM and After Hours. If he drops then that’s gonna be my entire Spotify Wrapped. I became a fan a few years ago and now I love his entire discography. But yeah exactly, pop can be great if done well… I don’t inherently dislike the idea of Coldplay doing pop. I really don’t. But they execute it so poorly sometimes. Songs like “my universe” and stuff feel so, so basic compared to what both Coldplay and Max are capable of. Their styles just don’t work together well.
Also...can you imagine POTP produced by Eno ? That would have sounded 100x better than what we got ! More organic for suuuure
Well that's exactly the problem...people think he was involved in Coloratura but he barely wasn't. This is what Guy said about the track (you can feel his frustration towards Max Martin in the way he speaks): "Max’s involvement on that song (Colorstura) was extremely minimal; if he got hands on it, I think it would be chopped up into something a lot shorter, the chorus 10 seconds in."
Yeah their styles just don’t go well together. I like each operating on their own but the Max influenced works on Coldplay’s discography are just not as good as what they’re capable of.
Part of the problem is that they keep including outside songwriters. They've been doing this since MX.
I completely agree. There’s a place for Max Martin (or Stargate, etc), but it’s NOT on a Coldplay album. Those types of producers are not a suitable match for the band, and it shows. But I’ve given up hope that they’ll realistically stop working with Max Martin/other obnoxious big-name pop producers. Why? Because—the money’s too good for everyone involved. They’ve clearly found a formula that works (aka makes lots of $$), so they have no reason to stop doing what they’re doing. Becoming so successful/rich has also made them lazy. I’d LOVE them to work with Nigel Godrich, or make serious and creative music again with Eno-Hopkins, but that’s never gonna happen. It doesn’t even seem like they (Chris) are interested in those pathways anymore. It’s all commercial plastic now.
He makes them too much money to do that
Nah, aside from EL which weren’t supposed to be a big hit every Coldplay album gave them A lot a success and money.
Correct if i'm wrong, but isn't AROBTTH still their most financially successful album? If it is, then that refutes your point. Max Martin had nothing to do with that. It has more due to maintaining their place on the Top 40 charts than any financial reason.
Coldplay and Rick Rubin album could be something none of us ever imagined but could be fire.
THIS
It didn’t work for U2, but I think Coldplay’s musicianship could potentially shine.
One of my favorite things about the making of Viva la Vida is them talking about how Brian Eno had them going out of their comfort zones for recording. Just try different shit, everyone Go write in different rooms, Chris don't use any falsetto, etc. Rubin would be perfect in bringing some of that unconventionality out of them for an album. They're a band who likes so many different genres, use different styles of music and instruments from all over the world - they'd probably match p well. His handling of the Strokes sound for their latest album was great it'd be cool to see something similar, a weird, PoMo Coldplay lol
The New Abnormal is one of my favorite albums of all time. Rubin did confirm he’s producing the next Strokes album as well.
Shit, really? That's great. That thing about recording New Abnormal like it was a concert facing the ocean is beautiful, v hyped for that.
I think the nail in the coffin for me was this new single. The snippet gave me some hope with the guitar adding a bit of flavor, even if it was minimal. But to not hear any of Johnny’s guitar until the end was brutal. It should’ve been present more throughout the song, especially the chorus. It felt like it was building up to let loose as well too, but we never really got it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the song. But there was potential to have a bit more to it, maybe even something close to some of the stuff we heard on MX.
You do hear Jonny through out the song with Hopkins’s beautiful synths. The structure is nice and interesting the chord progression is cool and quite unique and strings are amazing, the only problem is Chris being lazy af with the lyrics.
but the problem is that jonny is mixed like they don't want them there. Listen to the chorfds in the chorus and compare that with violet hill or major minus... WTF happened?
Max Martin with pop artists 👍 Max Martin with a band 🙅♂️ He is not a producer to get the most out of an artist that create with organic sound. I’m not saying elements of pop and synthesised music can’t and shouldn’t work well with a band, but he is ALL pop and it cancels out Coldplay’s strengths. Not to mention that Chris Martin turns into a child when it comes to songwriting in that vein. If they were going to collaborate with someone more pop – and keeping the Taylor Swift heritage – I’d be much more excited to see what someone like Jack Antonoff would inject. However, if and when they finally change, I would be furious if it stayed in the pop realm. It’s done. The band members are all approaching 50. The music is suffering and it is embarrassing. In 10-20 years time, no one will look back on Music of the Spheres as a memorable work in their canon.
Let’s just wait til the album comes out shall we For real though, he had minimal involvement in Coloratura- the only redeeming feature of MOTS. Id be interested to know how the lads feel about it all because it’s not like he’s having the impact they’d have wanted. FLIFIL has flopped and apart from My Universe, (which was propelled by stream bots and KPop Stan’s) they haven’t really had a hit. Higher power maybe? Keen to see Eno’s impact.
Higher Power charted pretty well worldwide and made several Best Of lists at the end of the year. So I think they’re more than happy with how that did in this stage of their career. Ditto for the tour and album, where sales and listens were probably sufficient. My Universe was obviously an exception, as the BTS connection and accompanying hooks easily made it into a #1 song.
Remember that Brian Eno is also working on Moon Music…
Is he? How do you know this?
It was rumored and soon discussed at Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle earlier this year. We already knew that Nile Rodgers (member of Chic) is also involved. https://www.reddit.com/r/Coldplay/s/OpaoA7fUgj
[удалено]
Not everyone does… You can ask some people on the street and they wouldn’t know who Joey Fatone or Roger Daltrey are
He probably help producing one track or maybe he's listed as a producer cause they recycled an old song (this happened when they released ALIENS). In any case, Eno's contribution to the album will be minimal
*could be minimal You really don’t have faith in the album, do you?
At this point I don't know what to except. I had the chance to hear lots of leaked demos and some are good some are average. But those untitles songs recently played during soundchecks sound AMAZING ! So I can't wait to see the rest.
I'm cautiously optimistic
Minimal in the sense that it doesn’t impact a lot of the songs but MASSIVE in that it will be the best part of the album far and away, no doubt…
I really really hope so !!!
SAY IT WITH ME “BRING BACK BRIAN ENO!!”
I do really love flifil though
I know most of you despise Max Martin for what he did on MOTS and aren’t looking forward to Moon Music and have lost all faith in FLIFIL, but I suggest you listen to the songs that have been soundchecked for the new album on Twitter, they sound pretty damn good, a massive step up from MOTS. The songs sound very diverse.
Very true that !! Now let's hope they sound as good on the album. Remember when they played POTP live and everyone was hyped ? Well....that didn't end well :(
The new song is terible
The new song is cute but I don’t like the La La La’s in the chorus. It seems out of place. He sings some lines then sticks random gibberish in there. Also, the Ah La La La La La La La…at the end is better, but it seems too loud in volume. The end of the song is beautiful, I wish they put in the violins earlier and Johnny’s guitar earlier. Just my two cents. Coldplay is my favorite band. 🌈
A whole new album of Max Martin makes me quite sad to be fair. He has his good work, I just don't think it fits the Coldplay I like. I know there are big fans of the new Pop era but I much rather leave pop to the pop artists :/
Not me misreading Max Martin as Chris Martin and being incredibly confused the entire way through this post
I hate to say this but he’s infinitely better than Stargate was. I mean if they were serious at all they’d bring back Brian Eno. But they’re completely unserious.
I think it's pretty similar to the time when Queens of the Stone Age chose Mark Ronson to produce Villains. That was their most bland sounding album, and Mark Ronson is not a bad producer at all. The songs were good by themselves, but they sounded flavourless. Hearing Coldplay's newest single, it seems the bite has been taken out of their sound due to the blandness brought on by the production.
Villains is a fucking amazing album (nowhere near "bland") and I will die on this hill
I'm inclined to think this is more a Coldplay songwriting problem than an issue with what producer their working with. Coldplay is also probably getting quite a bit of pressure from their label I'm guessing.
not with their size and status anymore (trust me i worked at major labels)
Yeah i’m sure that they’re one of the few that have almost complete freedom to do as they wish
Yeah but at the same time if they would care about getting better as a band, they wouldn't be working with a major pop producer. They clearly care too much about making generic hits that makes money...
I don’t think there’s much label pressure anymore considering their status + how long they’ve been around, but I do agree that part of the problem is on Coldplay’s behalf, surely. Specifically with songwriting. If the songwriting simply isn’t there, does it really make *that much* of a difference as to which producer(s) they work with? Probably not. At the same time, there’s definitely a production-team issue: working with unsuitable producers who know don’t how to push CP properly (good example is when Eno literally kicked Chris’ ass OUT and pushed them all out of their comfort zone). I highly doubt that these big-name pop producers are pushing CP in that way. They just want the band to churn out more generic hits. Overall, I think the issue comes from both sides—the unsuitable producers they’ve been working with, and the actual songwriting on CP’s part. Also, I feel like CP is surrounded by lots of yes-men at this point, which further adds to the problem.
Honestly, I think MOTS is a much better produced album than AHFOD or even MX (though the latter is more of a mixing issue, I adore the album)
I can't make out what he's saying in Dont Let it Break Your Heart and Major Minus.
Yep the vocals definitely get lost a few times, and I'm not sure it's always intentional (unlike, say, Chinese Sleep Chant) I don't really have any issues with Major Minus, but DLIBYH is the biggest offender - which is a shame because it's a fantastic song. I've come to accept it as part of the album's charm though!
That is 100% true for DLIBYH. But the rest of the album is spotless. The best version of a Pop Coldplay album - Radio friendly but sonically rich
DLIBYH so good of a song but so bad produced/mixed. Feels like its way too loud ewwww... They totally didnt leave space and everything gets drowned.
Yeah MX was their last decent album IMO but the mix is slightly off
Bring back Ken Nelson.
Yes! Literally anyone from their 2000s production roster. Bonus points for Nigel Godrich, but that’s just a fantasy lol
i think the most interesting coldplay album at this point would be a solo one. no max, no brian; the band produces their own album front to back with an engineer that will do nothing but *mix*, for sound quality's sake
Here's hoping for their self-titled
They are playing the music they want to play and having fun doing it.
All for that, but just stating my opinion Max Martin is a pop producer that I just dont think meshes well with them
Coldplay has been a pop band for a while now. It seems you are past denial and into the anger stage.
Sorry, I was unclear. I don't dislike his production based on him being a pop producer (of course Coldplay have been poppy since MX or even Viva), I just don't like his production. MX, GS, AHFOD and EL are much more to my taste
For me I personally attach more to the Original trilogy Eras. Parachutes, AROBTTH, and X&Y. But I also like the albums from VLVODAAHF to Everyday Life.
Ah. Gotcha. Personally, I enjoy the pop Coldplay as much as the older, more alternative rock version, I just wish they'd make more stuff that sounded more like a band and less like Chris Martin singing over a mix, too.
You saying this while we got Mots(their most generic work to date) right after we had EL(their most experimental work to date)
Are you saying Coldplay is not a pop band?
Nope, I’m saying that they’re doing pop as well and tbh mostly pop these days by they do venture into some different areas every now and then.
For a second, I thought you wanted Chris Martain out and I was like "WTF????"
I don't see what the problem is. The band loves what they are doing, and he's a good fit for what they want to do.
I have been listening to Coldplay since I was 4 years old. I was born in 1996. Yeah, you are right but do you really think they care anymore? A friend of mine and I have discussed this for so long now. Since 2015 and we just realized old Coldplay is most likely dead. I am making an album based on those first 5 Coldplay Albums and can really hear the difference, especially when analyzing the songs for my own album. There are some key things I discussed with my friend literally a week ago: 1. Chris Martin after the divorce (around 2014) said he stopped caring about what people think of their music. 2. He also said that around that time the other members got more into composing the music. So what I get about this is that he is not so focused on how they sound anymore. Chris said he was REALLY picky on sounding a very specific way and if he didn’t like it he would speak out to the other members. That’s why Brian Eno said he needed to let go a bit because he held all the power in the band. As a composer myself who was literally RAISED by Coldplay since I was 4 years old, who have studied down to the detail how they composed, even listened to and analyzed those first 5 albums, instrumental alone (and still currently do because I am not done yet) I can tell how much influence Chris Martin had. The album I am making is for a band I started myself and can see the process and similarities to what Chris said in interviews. Here I am the only one starting the music and the style can easily be traced to an individual. Every other member in my band cannot compose the same quality as me and they are even afraid to contibute anything. I am telling you, myself and cannot emphasize how big of an influence Coldplay has been to me to the point to follow their steps (anyway, if you really want to know about my story read an answer I did about a big influence of an artist on me, you'll find it in my profile). The point is, composing and comming up with my own melodies and ideas and seeing how the other members don’t contribute, but also how whenever I asked them to contribute would take us to a very different path to what I want to do. That sound and feeling of when I used to listen to “Life In Technicolor” non stop all night during middle school around 2009. Those cold rainy nights comming from the mall and cinema with my parents listening to Speed of Sound, Talk and Clocks and Yellow and the whole A Rush of Blood To the Head in a sitting. I miss that feeling, I sometimes envied Coldplay for the magic atmosphere that made me feel for all my 27 years of life and I know they are not comming back. The 1975 took another path even though they were promising. One republic didn’t captured the feeling besides All the Right Moves and so on. Like NO ONE cares about the things I care, so I know I am one of the very few who can bring that back to the point my friend who also grew up with Coldplay when listening to my music said “this is it”. Also the guys from Supergutter liked what I am working on. Anyway, I see no hope with them anymore. But dont be sad, SuperGutter and my band are going to revive the old feeling and atmosphere of those songs. Just give me one more year to finish my first Album. I have been working on it for 2 years already. Just hang on. We care about this stuff and are taking action but good music takes A LOT OF TIME, especially to amateurs like us. But so you don’t feel so lost right now listen to: [Supergutter - Dichotomy](https://youtu.be/qsHaxcCRe_E?si=x8aNTRKQvbWt0TYh) EDIT: I’ll be damned but had to do it. You can check my profile on Reddit and go to my IG which I just set as public again. I am going to do a highlight story compilation about what I am composing but have in mind they are at least 1 year away from being released.
Honestly, the band has never sounded better in terms of the whole mix. Especially starting from VLV things get so muddy and it just doesn’t sound right on a good set of speakers. Since Max Martin it’s way more balanced.
You have a point, MOTS and FLIFIL sound super clear
VLV doesn't sound muddy, while FLFIL buries the other instruments.
Unless the mix sounds abhorrently bad, similar to AHFOD, I don't think Max Martin is to blame. His style of producing leads to very clean sounds that I am fine with. Your real complaint here should be leveled towards the band if this is how you feel. Coloratora was written and produced by Max as well as Coldplay. If he can make that song with them, they can do a lot of things but choose not to. I am personally fine with him as a producer, but I understand where you're coming from. While it's an easy thing to be mad at a producer, I'd argue that the artist really drives the direction of an album, especially if they're a legacy act like Coldplay.
According to Guy, his involvement with Coloratura was minimal. But yes, part of the problem is the band seems less inspired.
Again....his involvement on Coloratura was minimal.... according to Guy: "if he got hands on it, I think it would be chopped up into something a lot shorter, the chorus 10 seconds in.". If Coldplay would care more about the quality of their music, they wouldn't be working with a "hit-maker" type of producer....they would be working with other inspiring people...just like Eno
No thanks, I quite like him!
Reminder that he also produced COLORATURA so this is far from an absolute statement
The boys are on record saying he had to step back on coloratura because he did not like the prog rock direction.
Yeah the funny thing is if Max Martin had his way on Coloratura, the song would probably be 6 minutes shorter, without any of the interesting interludes or bridges, and probably result in the instrumentation being drowned out in early 2010s-style electronic production.
So Max Martin has shit taste in music. Checks out
Ah ok. My bad then.
Do you have a link to the video or article where they said that. Just curious 😅
According to Guy: "if he (Max Martin) got hands on it (Coloratura), I think it would be chopped up into something a lot shorter, the chorus 10 seconds in."
I thought I read somewhere that they had to continually kick him out of the room on that one?
For sure.. it’s the complete opposite of a Max Martin track and the epitome of what Coldplay can create if you just let Coldplay be Coldplay without that external influence
I heard that Max had minimal involvement on that song though. It was mostly Chris's brainchild. If it were up to Max, it would probably be a 3-4 minute song idk.
I swear guy said the same thing around the time the song came out but I can’t seem to find the quote
Maybe they'll see this post and fire him lol. Or maybe you just shouldn't listen to the music if you don't like it.
Hey, I like MoTS. I just think it could've been a more interesting effort without his involvement.