And with the sudden release of Midnight, there’s plenty more fuel to add to the fire. With each album, the band have progressively
become more electronic, reaching an apex with ‘Mylo Xyloto’. It’s a development that has divided opinions
from both fans and critics.
Yet that’s nothing compared to Midnight, in which the band have gone full-on electronica. It’s soft and subdued, gloomy yet glittering
and works quite wonderfully as a piece of ambience. Over time, it slowly expands with a gently pulsing
beat and rave keyboards to become, in its latter half, more of an atmospheric, dreamy dance track that's complimented by the eerie black and white video.
It’s Chris Martin’s vocoded vocals that prove most
controversial however. The robotic
distortion blurs his voice with the murky textures that spin around the
production, yet it renders the lyrics incoherent. In Chris Martin’s case this is perhaps a good
thing, but it also means there’s a distinct lack of emotional connection with
the lyrics beyond mumbling and murmuring.
Still, you can’t knock the band for their bravery, the
result being one of their better tracks in recent years that’s oddly
beautiful. Just forget about the fact it’s
Coldplay.
3/5
Listen: The band have released no other plans for music this year - perhaps a new, secret album is on the cards?