Coming in hot with their tenth album, Coldplay surpasses their iconic pop-rock sound with wise words and an experimental approach to sound in "Moon Music". Incredible collaborations and enlightening messages will inspire you throughout these uplifting songs.
TRACKLIST
MOON MUSiC
feelslikeimfallinginlove
WE PRAY
JUPiTER
GOOD FEELiNGS 🌈
iAAM
AETERNA
ALL MY LOVE
ONE WORLD
Coldplay has gifted the world with their uplifting music since forming in London in 1996. The British alternative band has spent decades topping the charts with hits like "Viva La Vida", "Something Just Like This", and "Yellow". Five members make up this legendary group: singer Chris Martin, percussionist Will Champion, Guy Berryman on Bass, guitarist Jonny Buckland, and manager Phil Harvey. Coldplay has graced the stages of audiences across the world, and currently holds the #5 top global streaming spot on Spotify. They are touring their new album, with sold out October and November shows in Australia and New Zealand, and upcoming shows in Asia, North America, and Europe.
MOON MUSiC
Starting off the album with a truly innovative track, "MOON MUSiC" embraces the power of instrumental storytelling in a truly immersive musical experience. The song begins with glowing, ethereal instrumentals. A combination of floaty, wind-like electronic music and strings struck me with a meditative calm. Briefly interrupting the serene sound, an electronic vocal reminiscent of moon landing audio states the title and nothing more as the soothing and bright sound continues on an intense and uplifting tune of enlightenment. The floaty and magnificent sound takes you on a journey through hopeful warm and thoughtful cool feelings, into a state of serenity.
Full of surprises, the sound of this track changes dramatically throughout. Nearly two minutes into the song, the strings fade out to make way for a charming descending and ascending piano pattern. Nearly three minutes in, Chris's vocals add lyrics to an already magical story. They speak about a pursuit of self-actualization through nature, connecting flight and weather with hopes, and less natural things like television with giving up. The song ends by saying "I just need a friend" as the vocals and other instrumentals are electronically distorted to a low and overlapping intensity. A transformational sense of being comes from a single listen to this song, from its grounding sound and journey towards pure bliss. As an opening to the album, this track is curiosity unlocked.
feelslikeimfallinginlove
The second track in the album is about pursuing love, even when you have internal struggles that are holding you back. It deeply contrasts with the first song by holding a more familiar pop style. Rhythmic, gentle percussion and a simple, catchy keyboard chord pattern give the track a lively tune through the verses. Chris's vocals reflect gentle blossoming themes through the verse, and rise to a powerful and resonant height in the chorus. Beginning with a direct acknowledgement of the fears that come with stepping into something new, the lyrics spin the doubts into an unbridled dive into possibility. The pre-chorus is a beautiful metaphor for what happens when you allow the seeds of an experience to thrive, with the lyrics "still I don't let go, and fields of flowers grow". With an inspiring message telling people to take the leap towards happiness, "feelslikeimfallinginlove" is a feel-good song to comfort you in any mood.
WE PRAY
With an incredible list of featured artists—Elyanna, Little Simz, Burna Boy, and TiNi—the third track in this album is a soulful pursuit of sanctuary, love, and faith. Chills rushed down my spine and I felt the purpose of this song in my bones. With a fast, percussion heavy tune supported by powerful violin, this track has an intensely sacred and important sound. A truly magnificent movement comes from the minor key of the beautiful instrumentals, made even more intense as all the singing in this piece of art carries a self-assured swagger. The vocals offer a cool and edgy insistence making the lyrics feel bold and forceful.
Beginning with personal affirmations, the song immerses listeners with ideas of perseverance before moving further to prayers for health of others. Moving through the lyrics, messaging envelops hopes for safety in the afterlife and connections with others. An incredible sense of community comes from the different vocals throughout the verses with the featured artists adding their spirited twist to the track. It layers onto the messaging, understanding wants and hopes as a universal experience. They collectively vocalize as the song ends with a collective sound of expression. This masterpiece will move you with its divine faith and a wonderful display of humanity.
JUPiTER
The fourth track presents an insightful story about identity, and unlike the first few songs in this album, these lyrics describe an individual's specific experience. Telling a tale of a person who struggles to be more or less worthy of her name (the title of the song), this track tackles the pain that comes from hiding who you are. Acoustic guitar with a bright picking pattern and percussive strumming amplify the personal and intimate nature of the song's storytelling, folding a genuine openness into its sound. Chris's down-to-Earth vocals and comforting falsetto warm the song with an emotionally supportive tone. Spiraling down the road of relatable insecurities with lyrics like "am I bad, am I wrong, am I weird in the head," the words move past the very real identity crisis so many people experience, onto raising spirits high with a heavenly message of "I love who I love". With a touching message of self-love and authenticity, listening to this track will make you feel heard and comfortable in your own skin.
GOOD FEELiNGS
Coldplay can never go wrong with a nostalgic love song, and this track, featuring Ayra Starr, delivers all the "GOOD FEELiNGS" its title promises. From reminiscent lyrics of summer love to romantic mentions of dancing and the moon, this song will fill you with light and heart-warming bliss. A dancey and fun tune bring a lively energy to the love-fueled message, made even more exciting by the way Chris and Ayra's verses felt like a conversation. The words are a message from one partner to another, begging them to hold onto the way their love makes them feel. Using repetition to emphasize the weight of the connection through the chorus, the lyrics repeat parts of the phrase "don't ever let them go". A blend of excitingly atmospheric synth chords and groovy bass compliment the invigorating and cool vocals. With its freeing pop sound and soulful meaning, this track is perfect if you're looking for a love song you can dance to.
🌈
This track is a truly unique exploration of life and emotion, using instrumentals and vocals in an extremely deliberate, powerful show of emotion. Twinkling, ethereal instrumentals reign in this song about a search for goodness. Atmospheric sounds including woodwinds and keys create an intensely immersive experience of music, layering in notes like the chirping of birds over time. Percussion folds in gently before a dramatic build towards the chorus, with the lyrics "it glows in your eyes", assigning cosmic light to one person. Guitar joins in, bringing a gentle post-chorus calm before strings and piano take over. Peaceful vocals lift you up with messages of love, light, and nature. The song concludes with blissful piano and Maya Angelou speaking and singing an uplifting and spiritual message of peace. This array of instruments and lyrics push forward a message of perseverance in a search for light.
iAAM
This track is an incredible expression of growth and evolution, powerfully taking on fundamental experiences of change. With increasing excitement, pulsing guitar and vocals that build in volume solidify a sound of empowerment throughout the track. Percussion, guitar, and exciting vocals bring a 1980's rock style to the chorus, with the energy of a Van Halen or Bon Jovi song. The lyrics embrace the power of repetition, using the lyrics "I got this feeling" to communicate thoughts, wants, and new-found self-assurance. Not only does this repeating phrase make it easy to sing along, it puts strength behind experiencing emotion, letting listeners feel inspired to trust themselves. Understanding negative experiences as a part of life, this song uses the metaphor "I am a mountain", reflecting that natural strength that is threaded through the other songs in the album.
AETERNA
Love in its most holy form envelop you in this romantic track. Sacred and supernatural, the romance in this song holds a captivating intensity, with lyrics like "took my soul to heaven" representing the spiritual way the speaker feels about their partner. This song will take you through feelings of intimacy and euphoria with its eternal message of connection. An exciting dance pop sound coast otherworldly vibes through the electronic instrumentals of this song. The vocals are slow and resonant, with low and comforting singing through the verse and high singing in the chorus. Diverging from its pop sound, a simple singing and clapping track brings an unexpected representation of joy to the tune. Perfect for people who want to bask in romance, this track will invigorate you with its electric sound.
ALL MY LOVE
When you reflect on what really matters in life, it's the people around you that truly make an impact. Emotional piano and sentimental vocals capture the genuine passion and heart felt through the lyrics of "ALL MY LOVE". Guitar and strings layer onto the instrumentals throughout the track, and a shift in the volume and intensity rises through the song, embracing the beauty in the lyrics. A simple ballad with a big impact, this love-filled track is a beautiful expression of connection, lifting listeners up with the strength of romance that comes from exploring everything together. Beginning with words that explain the range of times and experiences two people have shared with symbolism of seasons changing, this tune takes a meaningful dive into a confession of perpetual and all-consuming love.
ONE WORLD
Finishing the album with a thought-provoking and magnificent musical experience, "ONE WORLD" will ground you with its sound. Natural feelings are integrated throughout the track from the very beginning as the bright sound of birdsong opens the track. Resonant piano takes its time to create a serene atmosphere before gentle and deep vocals repeat the words, "oh one world, only one word" inducing a hypnotic sense of peace. The word "one" dissolves into a wind-like intense buzzing before deep strings take over with a blissful and immersive sound that feels like blossoming into light. Simple lyrics deliver a powerful message of love's eternal power join the instrumentals again before a stop in the music, and just as you feel the song is over, 1950's-eque vocalizing that sounds like it's played through a vintage radio cut through the silence in a joyful serenade until the end of the song. Ending the album with a sense of love and oneness, this song's stimulatingly unique sound are fascinating and heart-warming.
Diving into philosophical depths and soaring into otherworldly highs, this transcendent album takes on the meaning of life. Blending genres to push forward explorations of life, love, identity, and existence, this album spans all manner of pop, classical, lo-fi and alternative styles. Thought-provoking lyrics throughout the songs make this album an excellent opportunity for contemplation, taking you through moods of reflection, excitement, and passion. Coldplay is well known for their distinctly romantic lyricism and iconic pop rock sound, but with this collection of songs, the band diverges from their niche into a truly revolutionary exploration of music.
Deep metaphysical concepts are laid out through poetic expression and deliberate instrumentals throughout the album, complete with purposeful features in various songs. With this powerful exploration of meaning, an epic shift in sound marks a new height for the band. Representing the consistent identity in evolution of the group, quintessential classic Coldplay elements weave through these unique tracks, like the pure acoustic sound and storytelling in "JUPiTER" and the dramatic violin instrumentals in "WE PRAY". Offering a fascinating musical journey, "Moon Music" is a truly remarkable album.
Written By Hanna Kowal
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