On hearing Princess of China for the first time, we had a bit of an epiphany – it was like Coldplay melded into some new form of life, some new exciting offshoot of a band for who a collab with the biggest female popstar in the world was mere second nature. While the rest of Mylo Xyloto felt very much within the expected constraints of the Coldplay formula (and excelled through that), Princess of China felt like its own beast – a magical, mythical creation that bursted with melodic intent and synthy prettiness. In hindsight, Rihanna slips into the orient-tinged trappings of the song like a second-skin, weaving Coldplay’s trademark stadium-filling chants to a luxuriant silkiness oft not heard in her voice. The result is utterly enchanting, and assuredly one of Coldplay’s best moments to date.
Over a decade since Parachutes and the eternally popular Yellow first graced our ears, do Coldplay have any right to still be selling albums in quantities that’d make your average band think about shutting up shop and going home? New record Mylo Xyloto makes a surprisingly strong case that yes, they absolutely do.
Fronted up by the formidable duo of singles Every Teardrop and Paradise, Chris Martin and co. return to the soaring hooks and Eno-inspired sounds of Viva La Vida. Oh, and they’ve even roped in pop starlet Rihanna for a great little turn on synth-heavy number Princess of China.
Do a band that have been in the game as long as Coldplay have any right to still be as good as this? Paradise is the proof, if anything, that this year's Glastonbury set was only the first of many re-affirmations that Coldplay will be retaining that 'best band in the world' tag for quite a bit longer.
Paradise is a little bit of Lost, a big dash of Viva La Vida - all the various elements you'd cross off the checklist when composing the ultimate in Coldplay epics. A smattering of synths, massive guitar solo outro, and of course those chanty stadium singalong bits.
With its title, Paradise sets expectations high - the music of the heavens, as it were. Countless bands entering that shaky mid-career stage return with mediocre new singles, a 'oh it's good enough' comeback that does little more than tread the water. Not Coldplay, Paradise is the sound of a band every bit as energetic and unwilling to sit on their laurels as they were ten years ago.
And with the news that the band's new album Mylo Xyloto will feature a duet with Rihanna on track Princess of China, the first signs of Coldplay-mania are creeping back into Britain again.
Remember Viva La Vida, the iTunes adverts, the veritable rush of love for a band that have truly carved out that notion of national treasures into the British - or indeed the world's - consciousness.
Speaking of the Rihanna duet, all round good chap Chris Martin said:
'The album is designed as a whole piece. It has boy and girl lead characters and top of our list for the girl part was Rihanna, but it took a while to pluck up the courage to ask her. We did a show in Las Vegas and I met her and said, 'Do you think there's any chance?' I was very Hugh Grant-like and spluttering about it.' 'She has such an amazing voice and it's so different to mine. When the vocal happened I thought 'Wow, you sound different' but I think that's also because she was singing a different song to what we are used to hearing from her and it is written by a bloke from Devon.'
We can't wait to hear it!
The full tracklisting of Mylo Xyloto is as follows:
'Mylo Xyloto'
'Hurts Like Heaven'
'Paradise'
'Charlie Brown'
'Us Against The World'
'M.M.I.X'
'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall'
'Major Minus'
'U.F.O.'
'Princess Of China'
'Up In Flames'
'A Hopeful Transmission'
'Don't Let It Break Your Heart'
'Up With The Birds'
