Whilst Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's pretentiously titled "Conscious Uncoupling" (or looming divorce) has filled the tabloid media with numerous tidbits to gorge on, the impact it would undoubtably have on Coldplay's sixth album would either spark a creative revolution/make them more stereotypically miserable than before/basically the same but more emphasis on lyrics.
Unlike last time where I compared Mylo Xyloto to somewhere between a bright and colourful carnival ride but ultimately hearing an empty and broken ghost train, little did I know Coldplay's follow-up would strip everything and I mean everything back into arguably; a Chris Martin solo album.
The bombastic, brash and loud pop-rockers are more fragile, more empty and more down-trodden than ever before. Music is mostly an ambient affair of quiet melodies and minimalism. Lead single Magic, not so much taking a nod from Muse's Madness but rather; a full blown remake, serves as a suitable precursor to Ghost Stories.
Led by a beat, the hook being the word "magic" and lyrics focusing on Martin lamenting a relationship souring but him remembering the good times; unlike Muse's electropop infusion with vocal sampling, a superb bass but distinct lathering of cheesy goodness; Coldplay's Magic is vapid and lifeless, save for the final minute where the song briefly perks only to fade out.
The album is basically this, rinse and repeat for just over forty minutes with minor tweakings between each track. When first unveiled; Midnight was a slow, brooding and equally mysterious track with bizarre but familar vocals. It was long, but the journey was worth it, just for the sampled to death dance ending. Ghost Stories tries repeating this seemingly new formula for all it's worth but it never reaches it's potential.
Arguably the best track on the album is the most familiar to Coldplay's older entries of their discography. Another's Arms features operatic female vocals, brooding progression with wonderful synths on the bridge and Martin again lamenting heartbreak; his vocal style is slightly deeper; evoking a similar range to Yes on Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, almost giving him a more mature sound. It's a welcome change and a surprisingly effective track.
On the other side of the spectrum is A Sky Full of Stars; a house-inspired, dull and generic pop number built around the same piano chords throughout. Co-produced by AVICCI; the song, whilst relatively fresh for Coldplay, has been done to death by contemporaries from the nineties onwards; although it gives the album a much needed last hurrah.
Unsurprisingly; excluding Midnight; Ghost Stories' shorter tracks are easily their most entertaining, the fallback of this nine track affair is the longer songs not only could have not only done with trimming, but maybe should have been relegated to b-sides. Oceans sounds like a re-worked Spies but lacks the blitzing finalé of the Parachutes favourite.
Ink and True Love take more inspiration from contemporary RnB to mostly flat results. Whilst the melodies sound fresh in the beginning. they quickly turn sour and uninspired. Martin's vocals again hitting familiar highs but with the music quietly churning away; his now stereotypical and heavy-handed lyrics have a new found awkwardness missing from X&Y onwards.
The easiest way for any Coldplay fan to wrap their head around Ghost Stories is to say it's principally their stand-alone single Lhuna; rinse, repeated and tweaked ever so slightly. Lhuna itself was a disappointing track with new ideas that ultimately didn't work, but now under a decade later, that same formula re-emerges and still suffers the same faults and problems as before.
For everyone else; Ghost Stories is easily Coldplay's worst album. Unlike the previous records which either went full blown, easy on the ears stadium rock or somehow combining Eno-intimacy and Muse-brashness; Ghost Stories is unfortunately; a generic, dull and lifeless record that removes so much from what made the band so good to listening to before and instead; showcases the steady stream of faults that have plagued the band since Parachutes.
It has it's moments, but unlike Mylo Xyloto, these are in the minority and whilst with that album; I fount myself asking whether Coldplay deserved their accolades and success; here I say; yes, they did, but with their current decline, they maybe remembered for being another band whose fall from grace is their legacy.
4/10
H
@Retcon_Nation
No comments:
Post a Comment