Veni, Vidi, Amavi

I have a terrible habit of reviewing Coldplay albums right as they come out. Almost every time I’ve written one of these, I’ve looked back and thought, “I was too generous.” For example, my A Head Full of Dreams review places the album at 8.3/10. After having the record for nearly six years, that has dropped closer to 7/10. That said, this band have still recorded 9 of the best albums ever made. (Don’t @ me, you know what you came here for.)

Music of the Spheres is the follow-up to Coldplay’s 2019 record Everyday Life (I was writing a review for this one... I need to finish it). Much like its angsty sister, Music of the Spheres is experimental. The band explore unique genres and sounds unexpected from a British four-piece, from the vocoder a cappella-driven “Human Heart” (stylized as a heart emoji in the track listing) to the 10-minute “Coloratura.” Also like Everyday Life, Music of the Spheres feels incomplete despite its ventures into unexplored territory. There are a few reasons for that, but let’s dive in.

***

Music of the Spheres I

Following a tradition spanning back to Mylo Xyloto, Music of the Spheres offers several instrumental interludes. “Music of the Spheres I” is the first of 3 (or 4?) of such. Not a whole lot to write home about. There’s a robotic voice that announces the album’s title and some sci-fi ambiance, and it leads right into...

Higher Power

“Higher Power” was the lead single for the Music of the Spheres promo cycle. We’ve had a little while to digest this song after its May 2021 release date. I was a fan ever since it came out. The jubilant 80′s style is a quick way to my heart, and the final minute of this song really takes off into something euphoric. (It’s still my favorite song to sing in the car.) If I had to be more critical of the track, I would cast doubt on its placement in the album, but that’s only because of the next track.

Humankind

Hot damn, where was this song hiding all this time? Continuing the 80′s motif with triumphant synths, louder guitars, spacey alien sound effects, an anthemic melody, and drummer / backing vocalist Will Champion taking center stage, “Humankind” is what I was initially expecting from “Higher Power.” Consider “Higher Power” as a solid 8/10 song for me; “Humankind” is what happens when you take that song and crank it to 10/10. It’s hard for me to explain why this track resonates so well with me, but when I listened to it for the first time I had to fight back an enormous grin. “Champion of the World” from Everyday Life did this to me as well.

Alien Choir

One of them instrumental interludes. I used to work and volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Several of the exhibits have ambient music playing in the background. It’s gentle and puts you in a good mood to watch some marine critters doing their thing. “Alien Choir” sounds like one of those songs. So. I like it.

Let Somebody Go (feat. Selena Gomez)

One of three direct collaborations on this album, “Let Somebody Go” starts as a standard piano ballad with a subtle electric drum beat. Something I appreciate about this song is that the instrumentation builds and swells. Pop music—and this album is not exempt from this critique—is often circular. If I had to put this song into a visualization, “Let Somebody Go” is someone first staring at the moon through a puddle; after contemplating their pain, they look up at the night sky and cry out. If you were ever an emotional teenager, you’d understand the feeling. An album highlight.

Human Heart (feat. We Are KING and Jacob Collier)

Collaboration two! “Human Heart” was the second track from Music of the Spheres to be revealed, initially serving as part of Coldplay’s Glastonbury 2021 set. Chris Martin’s crooning voice, backed by Jacob Collier’s baritone melody and twinkling vocals by Amber and Paris Strother (together known as We Are KING), contemplates simple fallacies that stop people from embracing their feelings. Very little instrumentation is present; this song doesn’t need it.

People of the Pride

“People of the Pride” is interesting. Upon my first listen from concert footage, I was left with the impression that this track was Coldplay channeling Muse. While still true, the warped texture and dichotomous songwriting is compelling. Equal-parts angry rock and orchestral brass, “People of the Pride” sounds like a weird propaganda track advocating for bringing down the establishment. Oh, it also revives lyrics from “The Man Who Swears,” a Viva la Vida-era demo song.

Biutyful

From the official album released by the band several months ago, I had a feeling that “Biutyful” would be polarizing and a little weird. And I was right. But I like it. Chris Martin’s voice is modulated to sound airy and high-pitched, similar to the Everyday Life song “Cry Cry Cry,” mixed in with an R&B beat and distorted guitars and bass. It sounds like a vocaloid song. Yes, like Hatsune Miku and her ilk. And yes, I used to listen to that stuff.

Music of the Spheres II

This interlude is weird. There’s a cheering crowd and some warped voices. They must be saying some kind of message, but it’s completely lost me. Oh, it also leads right into Coldplay’s first number 1 hit in the U.S. since “Viva la Vida,” which is...

My Universe (feat. BTS)

Coldplay’s worst-kept secret during most of 2021, “My Universe” prominently features Korean pop group BTS. The instrumentation isn’t much to write home about; the stars of the show are the catchy vocal melodies. Much like in “Biutyful,” I had a hard time comprehending what my ears were hearing—Coldplay and BTS together. I listen to k-pop in addition to a plethora of other genres, so it’s just...wow. What is this timeline?

Infinity Sign

Based on the foundations of the unreleased song “Life Is Beautiful,” “Infinity Sign” is kind of an instrumental (?). I’m not sure. There are vocals, but they are distorted and perhaps gibberish faux alien speak. Major props to Coldplay for writing and committing to a 3.5-minute song without any coherent words, relying instead on the atmosphere and rather brilliant instrumentation. For songs with a similar vibe, please see the band’s unreleased song “Famous Old Painters” and the Viva la Vida track “Chinese Sleep Chant.”

Coloratura

Speaking of atmosphere and brilliant instrumentation, “Coloratura” is the crown jewel of Music of the Spheres. Fully embracing the celestial, spacefaring theme of the album, “Coloratura” is a thematic experience through the cosmos—a 10-minute progressive rock track that feels like 4 minutes. It is also one of Coldplay’s more competently-written songs, featuring some weird 5/4 and 6/4 timing and so many accidentals and minor chords. It’s a brilliant ending.

***

Music of the Spheres is an ambitious project. Critical reviews for the album are lukewarm to negative, citing a perspective that Coldplay are trying to cling to relevancy in the wake of the poor-charting Everyday Life. While a valid interpretation of this work, I think Music of the Spheres is not as cookie-cutter as critics perceive it to be. The genre-hopping and occasionally bizarre creative choices by the band purposely alienate and subvert listeners—if they wanted a record that was super easy to digest, this isn’t it. After all, there is a song in here that occupies a quarter of the album’s 42-minute runtime.

For this experimentation and atmospheric craftsmanship, Music of the Spheres is far from Coldplay’s worst record. What prevents it from simmering to the surface to stand with fan and critic favorites like A Rush of Blood to the Head and Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends is a similar issue plaguing Everyday Life: disunity and brevity. While part of the concept, and Coldplay hold themselves to writing shorter albums anyway, one can easily imagine a longer body of work that pushes the envelope just a little further. The band are perhaps playing it too safe; perhaps the work genuinely isn’t finished (the album is referred to by Coldplay as “Volume I,” anyway...). Either way, Music of the Spheres feels artificially constrained; it requires more room, more space to reach the heights the concept was capable of.

I’m not going to give Music of the Spheres a formal rating just yet, or maybe ever. I will part by saying this record was good, but I wanted more. We now know from an interview with Chris Martin that Coldplay plan to have 12 total albums. We’re now at 9. What’s next, I wonder?