Coldplay’s world domination began with their 2008 album Viva la Vida, or Death and All His Friends. It appears with their latest, A Head Full of Dreams, they are ready to undergo a peaceful transition of power in lieu of a Superbowl performance.
Viva la Vida allowed Coldplay to practically rule the world as the protagonist in their chart-busting namesake song used to. Their two following albums — the conceptual Mylo Xyloto and acoustic Ghost Stories — were also successful in their own right.
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They failed, however, at the nearly impossible task to captivate the entire globe in the way that they did with Viva la Vida, Or Death and All His Friends.
One could also argue though that what Mylo Xyloto and Ghost Stories lacked in mainstream influence was made up for by Chris Martin and his fellow bandmates’ artistic intent.
In both albums, Coldplay imposed upon themselves artistic constraints, which allowed each album to take on greater meaning as pieces of art. The former contained a narrative about an Orwellian society, and the latter had a stripped-down sound that rewarded a more careful listening than albums prior.
What is notably absent from the band’s latest album is this sense of either attempt at world domination present in Viva la Vida, or the artistic restraint in Mylo Xyloto and Ghost Stories.
Instead, the album has a very loose, joyous feel. It is pleasant rather than passionate in most parts, and while it may not captivate the listener to start training for a half-marathon, it will most likely bring a smile to one’s face.
This would make sense considering the band itself and many media outlets have alluded to A Head Full of Dreams being the band’s last album. As a result, it has a “victory-lap feel;” the band’s members are simply enjoying making music together for what could be the last time.
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One standout track on the album is the opener from which the album takes its name. Martin’s vocals shimmer with dreamy guitar textures and funky percussion. It is then followed with the catchy track “Birds,” which is driven by a great interaction between a groovy bass-line and thumping drums.
A Head Full of Dreams shines brightest near the midway mark with “Fun,” where featured artist Tove Lo’s and Martin’s vocals gloriously blend.
These shining tracks, and one or two other solid ones, are interrupted through a few stretches of bad, but not terrible songs, such as “Hymm for the Weekend,” “Army of Fun” and “Up and Up.” These tracks perhaps reflect the toll the band’s dominance has inflicted upon them as they appear bland and uninspired.
It is worth noting, however, that despite the dip in quality, these songs still maintain the loose, fun feel. As a result, it is difficult to criticize a band when they are just trying to have fun after such a successful run.
All in all, A Head Full of Dreams feels like a final album. Instead of being an emphatic reassertion of power, it instead feels like the farewell of a band that has done it all and is instead content to ride off into the sunset that will be their Superbowl performance.
