I agree with you Salami

It is very hard to move one's career forward when you cannot attain what made you great in the first place. Living up to the expectations of your previous albums is a daunting task for any band much less Coldplay, but because they already gave us their Rush Of Blood To The Head album I see a long awkward trip back to the top of the mountain for them. Plainly it is not here. You can sing songs as sweetly as you can. You can play music to the absolute best of your ability, but if the product does not send shivers up one's back it is all for naught.

If the artist knows what the fans want, why not at least TRY to satisfy them? We alredy have enough synthpop on the lists - we want what was popular before. They shouldn't pretend to be more stupid than they are, none of their fans really thought Mylo Xyloto could compare to the masterpiece called A Rush of Blood to the Head. I liked the more britpop-influenced style, so did mostly the rest of their fans. Coldplay knows how to make good songs, so I don't see any reason for not executing it. Oh, and Neardeathexperience, you may have a point when you say that it'd be hard to make the original sound, but personally I don't think that is a valid reason for giving up to commercialism and start making what everyone else makes nowadays.

My opinion on the evolution of their albums:
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/8849/coldplayvl.png

I agree with you for the most part. Mylo Xyloto holds no comparison to their previous albums, especially the first two, which are why people liked them in the first place. While I think Hurts Like Heaven, Paradise, and Every Teardrop were great pop songs, I can barely make it through listening to the second half of the album. The previous albums I feel were all solid and I've listened to them many times. And also I feel like the album would have been slightly better if they'd included Moving to Mars and ditched one of the boring songs like Up In Flames, Us Against the World, etc. I remember when this came out they said it would probably be their last album, and I'd be okay with that. If collaborations with top 40 pop artists are the direction they've taken I'd rather leave their music as is and remember them for making good albums like Parachutes and A Rush of Blood, which were both among the first cds I ever bought.

But to be honest, when it comes to the post-Britpop sound I've always sort of preferred Radiohead or The Verve. xP

Distractions of wealth and all that is around them may be the downfall of Coldplay. I don't think their choice in producers on their last two albums has helped the cause either. The songs some how have gotten over produced and sound so large with all that is going on in them they have lost their way in my opinion. Parachutes along with Rush Of Blood To The Head are going to be where Coldplay left their mark as far as I can see.

I feel like Coldplay are making a career of trying to be like other successful bands and albums rather than creating their own sound.

The use of Brian Eno (especially on VLV) showed a band trying hard to match the popularity of U2 by putting out an album that sounds like a U2 album. As a fan of A Rush of Blood to the Head and even X&Y (kind of A Rush of Blood Part 2), I found VLV a bit of a step backward. Mylo Xyloto does deviate from what they did with VLV, but it ventures too much into a Pop sound that reminds me of Maroon 5. I had to get rid of the album as I just couldn't get into it.

The review here really is spot on even if I don't fully agree with all the details. Brian Eno does seem to be a problem although I won't criticize his production work for older albums (80's-90's U2, 70's David Bowie), but what he has done as a producer since 2000 lacks any real creativity.

I'm also having to come to grips with the fact that Coldplay aren't destined to be a rock band. In a lot of ways, they've always been a pop band. THey just hid behind this idea that they were a rock band. There's nothing wrong with that; it's just not for me. I'll still enjoy A Rush of Blood, but I'll let others stay in love with what Coldplay has done and will do since then.

I think after hearing them do some of the songs off Rush Of Blood live they are every bit a rock band. God Put A Smile On My Face, Politik and a few others are just crushing when pushed through 50,000 watts of sound.

Decent review but this album is the worst that Coldplay have released.

It's not a patch on the first 3 (Parachutes, Rush Of Blood, X&Y)...