REVIEW: COLDPLAY - MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

3.5/5

Sphere Of A Pop Planet. 

Spotify selects similar sounds for your streams on a random shuffle once the album you are listening to finishes. No new news. We all know this. This is how I discovered Maggie Rogers with perhaps still my favourite song right now ('Say It' off her album of 2019 debut, 'Heard It In A Past Life') after listening to a 'Good Thing' by the gold-digging sound of Mr. Leon Bridges, making his own case right now for the greatest of 2021. Just like the best of British are doing to fall this calender. From the former biggest band in the world teaming up with the biggest pop act on the planet here, to our queen Adele announcing her new album this week (the only time I've looked forward to '30'). After the classic 'Coloratura' close to Coldplay's new 'Music Of The Spheres' set that looks to go on a musical 'Magical Mystery Tour' with more colour than a 'Yellow Submarine', as the band try to take it out of this world like a 'Dark Side Of The Moon' for Pink Floyd's spectrum, Spotify switched me to the U2 classic 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'. You know the iconic instrumental introduction as Bono stalked the neon sun streets of Las Vegas like Brandon Flowers killing it...or like he lost his glasses. Reminding me of being told to turn it down, "I can bloody hear Bono over what I'm listening to (Queen...what else?)" in the backseat of my parents car, driving to Paris for a fond family holiday. It made me think of something else too. In terms of popularity U2 have gone from a band that had Bono meeting and giving his iconic sunglasses to the Pope (and to think after he spent all that time looking for them), to people telling them to "piss off" when their free album 'Songs Of Innocence' started automatically downloading on people's iTunes (back then my laptop reduced to a typewriter was gutted of its Internet connection. I would have loved to have received it). Even his holiness was probably like, 'enough already ffs". Even I agree with that classic joke from the late, great Robin Williams about the time Bono at a charity concert said, "every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies of AIDS". To which someone in the crowd hilariously shouted in reply, "then stop clapping your f#####g hands!" Despite selling out stadiums like Bono and them, Chris Martin and Coldplay can catch hell from you too. A subject of memes that say "the best way to listen to Coldplay" as someone throws their headphones away like the classic Jose Mourinho meme. Even Chris knows they are about to catch flack like Roberta for their eco-friendly tour coming out of corona when it echos across social media. Even I used to get it from my mate from work back home who would play the intro to Coldplay's 'Fix You' every time I had problems with my girlfriend at the time (I must have heard that intro more times than the radio) like this was the climatic scene of the Matt Dillon, Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson movie, 'You, Me and Dupree'. But since Martin and his coldest play have gone from swinging lightbulbs in Wembley, to actually bringing a kaleidoscope of effervescent neon, their sound has gone from dishwater beautiful ballads to sonic in the speed of a digital hedgehog. It all used to be so 'Yellow'. Now like a permanent Holi festival of coloured powder in India, it's a pop palette of vibrance. 

Parachuting down to South Korea with a rush of blood to a head full of dreams, the guys who have gone live in living colour for going on a decade now since 2011's 'Mylo Xyloto' (aside from some 'Ghost Stories' and 'Everyday Life' side sojourns) arm up with those Bangtan boys BTS for what in 'My Universe' has instantly become one of the bands biggest streaming songs. Numbers like 'The Scientist', 'Paradise' and 'Clocks'. Soaring to new world relevance, 'Universe'  has after nary a month of release 101,235,748 streams at press time and counting. 101,235,749, 101,235,750. Where's it at now? That's what happens when you have a whole ARMY behind you. The same one that matched millions of Black Lives Matter donations and also marched Trump out of his own rally by reserving tickets and standing him up like a bad date...ones that "grab her by the (you know what)" always are. Coldplay go after another messy blonde haired "leader" closer to home on a latter track that sounds like their best Muse impression (which is never great imitating a band who as good as they are always wanted to be Radiohead). But this 'My' meeting of the minds is both acts own, beautifully blended together in sweet synchronicity. In a "Hov and Outkast, what you think about that" type of collaboration. The shades of this Dakota Johnson dedicated number feature Martin harmonising, "In the night, I lie and look up at you/When the morning comes, I watch you rise/There's a paradise they couldn't capture/That bright infinity inside your eyes." As J-Hope and Suga come together with loving lyrics like, "나를 밝혀주는 건/너란 사랑으로 수 놓아진 별/내 우주의 넌/또 다른 세상을 만들어 주는 걸/너는 내 별이자 나의 우주니까/지금 이 시련도 결국엔 잠시니까/너는 언제까지나 지금처럼 밝게만 빛나줘/우리는 너를 따라 이 긴 밤을 수놓을 거야". The emotion felt needs no translation. BTS finally recently hit the top of the billboard with last year's explosive 'Dynamite' English-singing single, but these Brits have them speaking in their mother tongue. Then the band who have collaborated with everyone from Rihanna ('Princess Of China') to Beyoncé ('Hymn For The Weekend' after giving retired Jay-Z's 'Kingdom Come' a 'Beach Chair') get down with Selena Gomez like a Korean BLACKPINK 'Ice Cream' for one of the best licks of the set in heart, 'Let Somebody Go'. The deepest cut that still bleeds the brightest. 

Playing choruses for Kanye ('Homecoming'), being covered by Brandy (her version of 'Magic' one-upping is truly that), Coldplay have done and had it all done before. They even try to lift off to 'A Space Odyssey' like Kubrick's '2001' for their own epic into to star command on this galactic journey traversing planets. The saturn shaped song which unofficially serves as the 'Music Of Spheres' album title intro actually shows up as one of those unrecognisable block emojis like your phone doesn't support it. Tracks like the for the world '🌎', the star sparkle of '✨', the infinity symbol of 8 like a Black Mamba (forever), '♾️' and the heart of matter that you have to love with We Are KING and human music box Jacob Collier ('❤️', a sound that Bon Iver would be proud of, unless Justin Vernon wants to draw up legal papers. He won't. This isn't plagiarism and besides he's too nice a guy), actually paint a picture. But you know me, I'm not a fan of emoticons. Even though I regulary reference the hash-tag of things that trend with pictures on Twitter. The Wombats once sang, "all these emoticons and words/Try to make it better, but they only make it worse" on a song literally called 'Emoticons' that I feel was composed for me, because I was triggered like a 🔫 (but we're not really supposed to use that emoji anymore. Someone try and tell Ice Cube in '22 Jump Street'). All this would almost be annoying, but Coldplay somehow get away with it. Just like the ear candy melody of 'Biutyful' that just like a 'Lonely' Akon will go from aggravating to addictive. All in the space of time it takes you to put it on repeat, because sometimes what you feel like are the most irritating songs turn out to be the most venereal catchy in this "first they love you, then they hate you, then they love you again" world. This song will go through cycles, like us around the sun, but you can't deny the bright side of its Killer like hook that will have you smiling like you mean it. Reaching for a 'Higher Power', Coldplay find this in soaring synths for 'Humankind' as Martin sings for all the colours of this world's rainbow, "Before I was dyin'/I feel it inside, now I'm flyin'". Counting down in mirror text language for the Z smartphone generation. This album is an application that really applies itself today, even if those think these grown folks are trying to be too down with the in crowd kids. 'People Of The Pride' is another rousing march for the LGBT community in a time that really needs it with the fallout of Netflix's Dave Chappelle comedy special 'The Closer' (which again I must stress there are issues with, but I believe his intentions weren't malicious in nature as he ultimately tried to use comedy to bring people together to a more mutual understanding. We all read into things differently. I just want to try some positivity). "We're no longer goin' to fight for/Some old crook and all his crimes/There's a sewin' up of rags/Into revolution flags/Got to stand up to be counted/Be an anthem for your times/It's just work", they sing in unison for "people on the left/people on the right" who "have a lion inside" as, "We'll all be free to fall in love/With who we want and say". It's Coldplay at their most profound and powerful in years. All in a time a few hands past theirs for something that's a little short of a Coldplay classic (sometimes I guess the earth is flat), but is still one of the event albums of the year with Jon Hopkins production, 'Star Wars' inspiration and nebula themes for these guardians of their own galaxy like Gaga on the dawn of 'Chromatica'. The whole world has been waiting. 'Sphere' is here. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'My Universe (Feat. BTS)', '🌎', 'Coloratura'.