British rock band Coldplay released their 10th studio album “Moon Music” on Oct. 4. Over the years, Coldplay has amassed popularity, having won nine BRIT awards and seven Grammy awards. Popular hits include “Hymn for the Weekend,” “Viva La Vida” and “A Sky Full of Stars.” Featured artists on this album include Jon Hopkins, Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, TINI and Ayra Starr.
Starting off strong, the first song on the album, “MOON MUSiC,” lasts for four minutes and 37 seconds and features Jon Hopkins. Jon Hopkins is known for producing electronic sounding music, and this song showcased elements of that. The first three minutes of the song are very emotional and dramatic because of the somber sounds that come from a blend of high and low notes of string instruments. It trails into a light piano piece that eventually mixes with synth sounding instruments that pair nicely. The singing starts near three minutes and discusses the struggles of loneliness. The lyrics have a lot of depth to them and could be interpreted in many different ways. One of the lyrics most representative of the topic of loneliness was “If there’s anyone out there, I’m close to the end, if there’s anyone out there, I just need a friend.” It depicts the sadness that can come with loneliness and the call for connection. The song is a good representation of Chris Martin’s beautiful voice because of the clarity of his words and voice. Although the song is really beautiful and structured well, I don’t see myself listening to it on a daily basis because of how slow, emotional and sad it sounds.
On the opposite note, the song “GOOD FEELiNGS” featuring Ayra Starr, sticks out as one of the few upbeat songs on the album. The bass and drum beats remind me of countless other songs I’ve heard from artists in the late 2010s. Regardless, both singers sounded really good and it introduced me to a new artist who I had not heard of before. The song seemed to be about a love story which was cute, but was nothing I haven’t already heard before. The chorus felt very repetitive. I could see this being played at any clothing store with a mediocre music selection. Overall the song is good, but it did not stick out enough to me to get added onto my playlists.
Unlike all of the other songs, there is one song titled with a rainbow emoji only: “🌈,” The emoji matches the sliver of rainbow we see in the cover art. I was immediately drawn to this song just because the title was so different from the others. Similar to “MOON MUSiC” the song starts with almost two minutes of purely instrumentals. This one also gave off a synth vibe which is not entirely my thing, but I appreciated it regardless. This song was very long, clocking in at over six minutes. Lyrics came in and out of the song, but the focus was always on the music. After the three minute mark, you can only hear backup vocals as the main source of lyrics which I thought sounded nice. Near the end of the song, we hear someone talking about rainbows, which is an interesting addition because it is just talking, not even singing. This song is very pretty and well made, but I see myself using it more as background or study music rather than music I would listen to in a car with my friends.
“WE PRAY,” featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and TINI, is one of my favorite songs on the album. This song felt very unique in the sense that it included so many other featured artists from all over the world. The instruments were interesting and I especially loved the mix of upbeat instruments like drums and softer instruments such as string instruments. Each singer talked about something slightly different, but they all aligned with each other in some way. The lyrics from each artist talk about different things they pray for. Some of the common topics were, love, trust, honesty and empowerment. I like the message of this song, especially because all of the artists complimented each other. Their voices blended really well, yet you could still distinguish each one. I could see myself listening to this song more than most of the others on the album.
A song with an important and relevant idea is the song “ONE WORLD.” The start of the song is a repetition of the words “Only one world.” This is relevant because there are so many things in the world at the moment that are huge dividing factors. Knowing we only have one world while growing up and watching people become more and more divided everyday has been confusing and upsetting at times. This song can be interpreted in so many ways which makes the song unique for every listener. The power of this song comes in that repetition. I do not usually enjoy basic repetition but this song felt more powerful because of it. The next line repeated is “in the end it’s just love.” This is one of those songs that is able to say so much, without having to say much at all. Looking at the structure, this is a six minute song, and feels like it is divided into sections. The sections include repetitions of lyrics, only music, more repetition, and finally repeated “la la la.” This is a thought provoking song which is what stood out to me the most.
Overall, I think Coldplay is a really talented band, and this album was very well made and on theme for their style of music. Aspects of all of the new songs reminded me in one way or another of past albums they have made, which creates a strong name and brand for the band. I have always enjoyed Coldplay’s music even though it’s not a band I listen to regularly. I feel this way about “MOON MUSiC” as well. I don’t see myself listening to it on my own very often, but it’s something I see many Coldplay fans enjoying.
“MOON MUSiC:” ★★★☆☆
