Coldplay Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay is like cotton candy – it is pretty, tasty, a rush of blood to the head, but you are still hungry after you are done.  Now this is not a slam – I love cotton candy.

I have always thought of Coldplay as a poor man’s U2 and I had no better evidence of that when on successive weekends I saw U2 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and Coldplay a Lollapalooza in Chicago.  U2 gave an epic for the ages show.  Coldplay served cotton candy – it was good but it was not U2.

Which brings us to the new Coldplay album. This is a Achtung Baby lite – some ambitions, a slight step out of the formula.  Taste great, less filling.  I am actually fairly excited about this album – there is some great pop on here.  Paradise and Princess of China are aching for a to be on somebody’s hip hop mix tape.  Several other songs are classic Coldplay with cascading ringing Edge-like arena-ready guitar.  I am not trying to be ironic or sarcastic – it takes an artist to write a silly little love song.  I will check back in a week to see if I am still listening or if my sugar headache has me saying “no more.”   In the meantime – enjoy, but drink lots of water.

PS – this does have Brian Eno – and you can pick up that clever ambiance he brings to the table – or as the liner notes say enoxification.