A long time ago, I labeled Coldplay as the band of my generation. I was born in 1996, Coldplay formed in 1997, and put out their first album in 2000. I was four years old, and jamming to “Yellow.” Four year olds, however, were not the band’s target audience, yet the age group that would become the band’s long-lasting support group.
The older fans who hopped on the Coldplay bandwagon in the early 2000s had a huge hand in the band’s initial success, but many of them were lost between the later releases of Mylo Xyloto and Ghost Stories. Throw the Chainsmokers into the mix and all of the 40-somethings and 50-somethings had close to completely tuned out.
On the other hand, this more pop-y Coldplay attracted a younger generation who didn’t have any interest in understanding the hype over the early albums- but they didn’t need to. Coldplay now had a new group of fully committed fans who were a quarter of their age, and would probably never come to appreciate the 90’s-rock Coldplay.
Then you have those in the middle, us now 20-and-30-somethings. Here, lies many of the ride or die fans, as well as those who I so often say, “I miss old Coldplay, why did they have to change?” I hate this.
Coldplay has been around for 20+ years. If a band as widely known and as long lasting as Coldplay doesn’t change over the years, what’s the point? A band’s album evolution shows their journey as storytellers. If the journey is taken on a flat, nicely paved road, following the trip as an audience would be quite boring.
What is so impressive about Coldplay, is that they were able to evolve their sound without selling out. Every album is well thought out; beautifully written, honest, musically complex, and consistently “Coldplay.”
Their first album, Parachutes, sets the stage and is very introductory. This is the bare bones of Coldplay, but still a lovely acoustic collection. Although moving on from this simple sounding album, they carried certain elements with them that they would use later on. For example, if you listen to “42,” from the 2008 album Viva La Vida, and strip away its production, and forget about its advanced instrumentals, this is a melody that could fit perfectly on Parachutes.
A Rush of Blood to the Head, released two years later, is like a mature extension of Parachutes. It still hangs onto the acoustic feel of their first album, but you can clearly hear the band’s advancements in songs like “Clocks.” We were also beginning to see what Christ Martin can do with that vocal box!
X&Y, their 2005 album, was a frustrating one for the band to put together, according to their A Head Full Of Dreams documentary. This album sounds quite similar to its predecessor. My theory is that they knew they were ready to try something new, and it was at the tip of their fingers. However, they still had some gems (of this era) in them waiting to pour out. Queue “Fix You,” “Talk,” and “Speed of Sound.” Then, it was onto the next one…
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends came as a breath of fresh air no one knew they needed. This 2008 masterpiece was stunningly different and colorful. They began to experiment here, recording in large echoing spaces, adding in strings, and dabbling with more complex production. The lyrics were also different; they were happier. The contrast of this album to X&Y propelled them forward when released. Yes, fans were a bit surprised, but have you ever met anyone who didn’t like the massive single “Viva La Vida”?
Coldplay took the production and color aspects and ran with them, along with Viva La Vida’s contributor and producer Brian Eno, and released Mylo Xyloto in 2011. This album is about embracing art in times of turmoil. A lot was happening in the 2011 world that now seems so far away. At the same time, the band was entering into the second decade of Coldplay, so they put out this explosive, optimistic collection of dreamy synths and muscular guitar riffs. This album is like Viva La Vida’s brother on steroids, with a dash of Rhianna.
The outburst of uncontrollable happiness quickly melted away as Chris Martin separated from his wife of 13 years, Gwyneth Paltrow. For the first time in almost 10 years, our positive leader was not so positive. So, the band was forced to either mope or grow. Even as lyrically personal of an album this was for the front man, this was a group effort. Martin plucked out what he could, and eventually the rest of the band came to the rescue and filled in each song’s missing parts. They honed in on the production skills they had developed together previously, and to the opposing views of many fans, they turned up with an album that is now widely recognized and celebrated. Ghost Stories was its fitting title.
A year later, it was back to Mylo vibes with A Head Full of Dreams- a celebration album, taking pieces from their past and putting them into this stadium-traveling album that was expected to be the band’s last. They amplify their philosophy that “we live in a beautiful world,” proving over and over that their evolution as a group is indeed a positive one. The lyrics bloom viciously from the early 2000s Coldplay. Much of the piano reminds us of the feeling that Viva La Vida projected. The guitar solos soar to an imaginary world, even past Mylo Xyloto. Beyonce, Tove Lo, and even Rumi show up to give this album the grand finale feel it deserved.
Four years later, Coldplay surprised everyone with the release of Everyday Life, an organic expression of the world’s corrupt political systems. Rolling Stone compares the sound to, once again the middle-man-album, Viva La Vida, but saying that “here, the music is both more eclectic and unified.” After seven albums, the band needed even more of a change- even more of an evolution. So, instead of growing solely out of their previous projects, Coldplay developed this album out of the world around them. They borrow sounds and collaborate with artists from and influenced by France, Africa, the Middle East, and more. Rolling Stone said it best: “[Everyday Life] transforms the band’s faintly imperial universalism into a diverse, collective one.”
The evolution of Coldplay comes from many places- it comes from 20 years of personal music making and becoming allies with some of the best artists and producers in the game. It comes from the issues we face and the love we inherently all have somewhere inside of us. It comes from the world around us. It comes from a unifying place of artistic ability, and a longing for a better tomorrow.
Thank you, Coldplay, for showing us you can grow in more ways than one.