Coldplay – Moon Music
Friend and foe alike cannot deny that Coldplay is the most popular band of the past 25 years. Although their style has changed considerably over the years, Coldplay has become a brand name, where anything released under that name is bound to be a hit. Even if Chris Martin sang an album full of children’s songs, if it’s released under the Coldplay name, you can bet it would top the charts worldwide. The downside of this is that, with few exceptions, their music after “Viva La Vida or Death and All of His Friends” in 2008 seems made primarily to storm the charts. Since then, the quality has been erratic. “Everyday Life” from 2019 seemed like a positive exception where they appeared to let go of commercial pressures, only to refocus on it again with “Music of the Spheres” in 2021 by collaborating with trendy names of the time. They seem to be repeating that formula once more with their latest album “Moon Music.” The vinyl copies of this new album are pressed on recycled plastic. Very sympathetic and eco-friendly, of course, but in the process, they’ve also recycled themselves.
“Moon Music” could just as well have been called “Music of the Spheres – Part II.” Once again, they collaborate with the trendiest names in the R&B world, as on the single “We Pray” featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, and Tini. Again, it comes across as overly desperate to stay relevant, as if the band is going through a midlife crisis, trying so hard to stay youthful. A track like “feelslikeimfallinginlove” also seems made for stadiums and charts, but it sounds too much like a watered-down version of their previous hit “Higher Power.” Even when things threaten to get adventurous, they actually end up becoming quite dull, as seen in two tracks that both run over six minutes: “ALiEN HiTS/ALiEN RADIO” and “One World.” The latter song had ten contributors (including the legendary producer Brian Eno), but it doesn’t go much further than lyrics like ‘Oh, one world, only one world’ or ‘In the end, it’s just love.’ Coldplay makes the Coldplay-bashing, which has also become popular over the past 15 years, all too easy.
But to be fair, not everything on the album is so subpar. When they keep things small, Coldplay excels. For instance, in the semi-acoustic “JUPiTER” or the beautiful piano ballad “All My Love,” which evokes memories of old-school Coldplay from their debut album “Parachutes” in 2000. Is Coldplay only strong when they revert to their old style? Not necessarily. A track where they manage to surprise is the disco song “Good Feelings” featuring Nigerian singer Ayra Starr. The track is co-produced by disco icon Nile Rodgers, and you can clearly hear his influence. This is a fresh hit where Coldplay positively surprises.
In conclusion, four out of the ten tracks on the album could have made an excellent EP. The rest feels too much like filler. Of course, old fans of the stripped-back style of their debut album shouldn’t expect that they will ever make such an album again. It’s just unfortunate that this is now the fourth Coldplay album where a commercial pop production has taken precedence. Yet, with “Everyday Life,” they proved they can still surprise without commercial pressure. Perhaps they will for the final two upcoming albums? After all, according to Chris Martin, Coldplay will release just two more albums after this. Let’s hope for a strong final chapter. (5/10) (Parlophone)
