Genre: Post-Britpop
Origin: London, England
If you've been to the site before, you'll know that I once reviewed a B-side to Coldplay's single "The Scientist" from A Rush of Blood to the Head and very much enjoyed it. It maintained the impressive hooks and somber vibe the album itself purported without clawing away to grab your attention. Part of what makes Coldplay's studio records even appealing to me is the way they don't try to be epic or shoot for beauty - they just are that way. Oh where has that appeal gone?
In revisiting the supposed single from Coldplay's fifth studio record after countless listens from radio and internet radio stations, I have yet to find anything really redeeming about it. With its grand-scale pop monotony and happy-go-lucky lyrical approach, it plays like the perfect song to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show with the likes of The Black Eyed Peas, which is fine if you have very little expectations. The repetitive synth pads and drum beat feel outdated against Chris Martin's sing-songy approach and it doesn't celebrate so much as it drain you from the sheer amount of more-is-better attitude.
In other words, it works as a pop song without the craft that we're so used to experiencing listening to Coldplay. Or maybe it's just disappointing to know these are the same guys that produced "Yellow" and "Warning Sign," aimed to those looking for answers to questions no one asked of them, and now it's come to simplistic drivel now that they're be-all, end-all in the vein of U2's current pop status. They shine for the face of current pop culture instead of defining it, and it's way too glaring.
B-side "Major Minus" only does slightly better. It has Chris Martin singing through what sounds like a megaphone, but at least it has a better pop sensibility. His singing style, along with the guitar riff and brighter chorus is unmistakably a Dave Matthews Band construction, another band whose current pop status has arena rock on its heels. It's simple, but it knows that it's a pop record without trying.
"Moving to Mars" could have very well been a B-side to any track from Viva la Vida and is really the only track to come back to on this EP. A very jazz-lounge piano opening solidifies into a soft rock hook, as Jonny Buckland's airy sustained notes and Will Champion's mellow drumming ease the tone. This feels more like a Coldplay track than the other Coldplay tracks here just by having core values, looking through me rather than showering me with gloss.
Coldplay is back with a new spray-painted look with "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall." What are they trying to cover up? In trying to attempt other pop artist's success at the world stage, they've more or less lost themselves here in their own music. Maybe I'm being way too harsh on a couple of songs, but their past four records have been exponentially more colorful than what we have here. Considering that you have a choice on iTunes to purchase individual songs, I suggest you buy "Moving to Mars" and call it a day. There are fans looking to obtain the latest Coldplay tracks to add to their library of studios albums, B-sides and live recordings, but two of the three songs don't exactly cut it. If "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" is what we plan to expect on their fifth studio album, I can only try to embrace what they may try to do on their sixth. Until then...
2/5
Coldplay - "Moving to Mars"
Coldplay's Every Teardrop is a Waterfall EP is available from Parlophone Records via iTunes.
